o2 has enough merchandise to accessorize any room in your home: stylish salt and pepper holders and fashionable toasters for your kitchen; cool comfy pillows, psychedelic lamps and a shiny vintage turntable for the living room; funky calculators, magnets, and a red phone out of Dr. Strangelove for your desk (have to look professional of course). More than aiming to be professional or elegant though, o2 shoots straight for the hip, trendy and plain cool. The surprising part is that instead of coming off as laughable or excessive it pretty much achieves its goal: the store is worth a stroll just to look at the ingenious models and great designs of everyday items that are on display.
Located a few meters away from the Puerta del Sol, the two floor store is bigger than it looks from the outside, and every pocket of space is filled with some product or other. The first section is dedicated almost solely to body accessories comprised of beads, jewels, stones, crystals, almost all beautiful intense colors. The back of the store is filled with household items, some that can be quite useful and others that are just decorative. One sure thing is that the hefty prices aren’t there only because of product quality, but also because the product’s design transforms it into total eye candy.Vintage cameras from the sixties (the Lubitel Universal 166 +), insane pens and key chains, laptop skins fashioned to look like an old world atlas, alarm clocks that belong in a Looney Tunes episode, plus—and brace yourself for the kitchen—all kinds of glassware, shiny martini drink shakers, animal shaped cutlery, coffee cups with wings, and cheese graters that look like part of a fashionable lady’s dress. Upstairs the show continues with thin round wall clocks—one themed to the image of a bulldog, another of Marilyn Monroe, one that looks like a flat planet earth—hippie style clothing, colorful candles, school bags shaped like matchboxes and the huge battery shaped cylinder to dispose batteries in, duh.
As far as costs go here’s an idea of the price range: Cups, glassware and cutlery costs between 4.25 and 6.75 euros, while other accessories of the sort go much higher: salt and pepper shakers can reach up to 40 euros, an ice tray is 25 euros, cooking utensils go at around 35 euros. The cool phones and clocks easily top 100 euros. Heck, there’s even ambiance CD’s tuned to relaxing jazz, soothing Zen, erotic Elvis Presley (for real), but for 14.95 each better look for these in any normal music store.
A lunatic rampage of unnecessary accessorizing? You can make a strong case for that, but how unnecessary it has to be is up to you. If you’re not looking for something for yourself then even better—it is the perfect store to find an original and good quality gift.
o2
Calle del Carmen, 8
91 532 46 83
By Daniel Sznajderman
1
places are mentioned in this post!
Click on the place name to learn more
No Comments
Permalink
The name Caribbean will most likely sound familiar to skateboarders that live and roll in Madrid. It is, after all, the oldest skating store in the city that specializes in American style sliding sports: skateboards, long boards, surfboards, snowboards, wakeboards and other forms of extreme sport that can get you hurt. Skating and surf have become increasingly popular since the stores beginnings in 1975 and with it have come numerous other skate shops, but Caribbean has kept up a good name and a wide range of evolving products (it isn’t known for its low prices though). While other skate shops may only be well outfitted with skateboarding equipment, this store sells harder to find objects like long and wake boards—along with, of course, hoards of related paraphernalia including clothing, shoes, books, hacky sacks, stickers, style accessories and the like.
Especially important when it comes to buying sports equipment or their spare parts is to have knowledgeable advice from the store, and in this department Caribbean has no problem. It is still run by its original owners, who have seen the evolution of skating and its derivatives as well as experienced the ups and downs of the business in Spain. Jose Antonio Muñoz, a part owner who is usually at the front of the store, can lecture you in skating history: the surf inspired birth of the homemade long board in California in the sixties, the skate explosion of the seventies and its subsequent downfall in the early eighties, the coming of new school skating in the mid-nineties (and with it Tony Hawk and a lot of videogames) and now, the newborn popularity of commercial long boarding. If Caribbean could be the first to sell long boards in the seventies and could survive the skating business depression of the early eighties, Muñoz says, he’s sure the store will keep its place along Columela Street for a long time.
There are over fifty different brands in store that work with different types of skating: long skate, slalom skating, downhill, street, free style and old school. The different board brands to choose from are many: Powell Peralta, Zoo York, Gravity, Loaded, Lush, Powell, Surf One, Sector 9, Katin, Pukas, RRP, Z–flex, among others. They are accompanied by spare accessories—specially a large selection of wheels—from Bones, Cadillac, Kryptonics, Carver, Bennett, Randal, Bear and more. As for shoes, caps, backpacks, hardware and other accessories there are many to choose from: Ezequiel, Vans, Spitfire, Oakley, Volcom, Independent, Globe and more. They also deliver to any national and international address.
The store also involves itself with events that fall in its specialty. They organize unofficial skating reunions in the Parque del Oeste every Sunday from 11 a.m. until about 14:30 p.m., and they were one of the sponsors of last May’s first Skating Slalom Race of Madrid.
For a detailed list of their products and prices visit the Caribbean website at here.
Caribbean
Calle Columela, 5
91 576 11 17
By Daniel Sznajderman
3
places are mentioned in this post!
Click on the place name to learn more
No Comments
Permalink
If you have been in Madrid for longer than 3 days chances are you’ve visited the Mercado de San Miguel. If you haven’t been there yet, time to scold your so called Madrid-experienced friends and make your way to the Plaza de San Miguel to enjoy the many flavors, colors and smells of this historic market. Inside it is well kept and filled with the first class foods, from the most traditional of Spain—smoked pork, olives, paella—to spectacular sushi to fresh fruits and vegetables. A lot of the food may be for your eyes only though: the market is anything but cheap. Hours are 10:00 a.m. to 22:00 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
By Daniel Sznajderman
1
places are mentioned in this post!
Click on the place name to learn more
No Comments
Permalink
In the heart of Lavapies from Thursday, December 3rd, to Sunday, December 6th, is the young designers fair at La Boca del Lobo cultural space. Here, the newest designers on the scene showcase their fresh and unique styles of accessories, clothes, shoes, and more. For more information go here.
1
places are mentioned in this post!
Click on the place name to learn more
No Comments
Permalink
Original by design. This hip new boutique in downtown Madrid offers handmade garments that are inspired by theatrical, Asian, and Russian themes—yet all envisioned by one Spanish designer. For more information click here.
No Comments
Permalink
Ojalá!
Address: Calle de las Huertas, 5
Neighborhood: Anton Martin
Metro: Anton Martin, Tirso de Molina, Sol
Telephone: 914 296 595
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 12 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Spanish design comes to life in handmade, one-of-a-kind pieces, now available to fashion lovers through a trendy new boutique in central Madrid. Ojalá! opened its doors at the end of July, and has been booming with business ever since. The stylish clothing store holds a colorful array of women’s garments by Paloma del Pozo, a Spanish designer who originally worked the runway before deciding to open her own shop—now offering the public admirably imaginative outfits.
Pozo draws her fashion inspiration from the theatrical and the whimsical, as well as from Oriental influences such as Russian and Asian designs. The result: truly unique fashion options that will make any woman stand out in a crowd. Take for instance an olive green coat, inspired by the stage, with high breast buttons and sunshine yellow embroidery that dances around the collar and the sleeves (250 euros). Or a close cut, cardinal red blazer featuring oversized buttons, navy embroidered details, and flared out coattails in the back (130 euros). Asian influence is seen in knee-length, deep violet coat, with an A-frame shape and flared sleeves (250 euros). Pozo has also taken inspiration from childish freedom, seen in a line of black, sleeveless jumpers (355 euros each). Each dress is belted at the waste, and shows off a flashy band of colored fabric down the front. Shades range from dusty rose to hot pink; a sunset of oranges and yellows; multi-hued bands of gold, tangerine, olive, and violet; or dusky shades of silver, navy, and blue. No two jumpers are alike. Prices at Ojalá! can get a bit high, but cost comes with quality, as each piece is completely original in design and handmade from the best materials. Smaller items, such as shirts and skirts, run in the 30 to 70 euro price range.
Style not only applies to the dashing clothing at Ojalá!, but also extends to the chic boutique itself. The theatrical inspiration is reflected with black painted floors and walls, casually brushed over with strokes of silver, grey, and white. Bright accessories add pops of color to the scene—like tangerine rugs and low hanging, deep purple lamps. Two ornate silver mirrors allow clients to admire the garments, while photographs of the clothing on the runway inspire fashionable combinations. Run by Pozo and her assistant, shoppers are sure to receive personal attention during a shopping experience that is intimate, and also exhilarating—featuring truly unique and imaginative pieces that will not be found at any other store in the city.
PRICES:
30-355 euros
By Jane Caffrey
To return the main page click here.
No Comments
Permalink
Vintage handmade clothing is what you’ll find at Divina Providencia on Calle Fuencarral in Madrid. The offerings here are truly unique, and the staff is incredibly helpful, and friendly. Definitely check out the store, and website, to see why this store is one of the most talked about shops in the city. For more click here.
No Comments
Permalink
Take flight to this small shop with one-of-a-kind quality gifts. Set in the heart of Malasaña, you will find charming trinkets and unique home décor, delightful ornaments that exemplify the meaning of nesting. For more information click here.
No Comments
Permalink
Love, Love, Love
If you’re like me you never fathomed a successful fusion of the creative and the traditional – I’ve just been proven wrong.
There is only one peseta store located in Madrid which offers one-of-a-kind items handcrafted with “love, love, love.” Peseta products are also sold in stores around the world including Paris, Amsterdam, New York, and for the rest of us — online at peseta.org.
Read the rest of this entry »
No Comments
Permalink
Hankerin’ For Home?
The American Store is a small shop that supplies, as you might imagine, kitsch, necessities and even perhaps even a category called “kitsch-necessities”. OK, I know your friends don’t “need” Barbie-doll candles on their birthday cakes or Betty Crocker brownies, but then again “need” is a very relative concept – especially when living abroad.
The space is so packed with nostalgic items it almost functions as a museum of pop culture: Campbell’s soup, Jell-O, Crisco, Tollhouse cookies, iced tea powder and every type of candy you can imagine.
However, apart from all this frivolity there is an array of very useful items like measuring cups, cake pans, and cookie sheets.
If you want to browse on line, that’s an option as well. The store has a very impressive, well-organized, website that allows you to search for and buy products.
If you are experiencing any sort of withdrawal symptoms from US culture, it might just be the place for you.
The American Store
Paseo San Francisco de Sales, 3
www.theamericanstore.es
T. 91 544 27 03
F. 91 298 15 62
1
places are mentioned in this post!
Click on the place name to learn more
No Comments
Permalink
