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Shopping and Finnish design |
 Visitors interested in shopping, design and craftwork will find
lots of appealing places to visit and browse around in Finland.
There are museums displaying acclaimed Finnish products,
boutiques stocking distinctive souvenirs and factory outlets
offering attractive items at bargain prices.
Helsinki Metropolitan Area and Southern Finland The Design Museum in Helsinki presents some of the success stories of Finnish design and displays fascinating exhibitions. Its shop stocks a wide variety of Finnish and international design products. Itäkeskus in Helsinki is the biggest shopping mall in the Nordic countries. It features nearly 240 shops of various kinds and sizes along three covered streets, as well as around 30 different cafés and restaurants. Stockmann, located at the heart of the city centre of Helsinki, is the biggest department store in the Nordic countries, where even the most discerning travellers will find gifts and souvenirs to suit their taste. The selection includes fashions, delicatessen products, confectionery, music, gifts and design products. The Kiseleff Bazaar, located by the Senate Square in Helsinki, is a treasure trove for those seeking distinctive items. The craft shops of the atmospheric bazaar sell delightful clothes, ceramics, jewellery and ornaments, as well as Christmas items throughout the year. A wide range of timelessly beautiful and practical tableware, cookware, interior decoration items and gifts, including seconds and special offers, can be found at the Arabia Factory Shop in Helsinki. Kalevala Koru designs and manufactures high-quality jewellery in bronze, silver and gold. The ´Kalevala Koru´ collection is based on ancient Finnish motifs, while the ´Kaunis Koru´ collection comprises modern designs by well-known jewellery artists. The company´s Helsinki shop is located by the Senate Square. The charming Fiskars Village in the district of Pohja, 85 kilometres west of Helsinki, contains artists´ and artisans´ workshops and boutiques, various temporary exhibitions, and the Fiskars Museum. Distinctive jewellery, ceramics, glassware and wrought-iron items can be bought there. In the Old Town of Porvoo, delightful gift, craft and interior decoration boutiques can be found in the idyllic cobbled shopping alleys and red-ochre riverside sheds. The Brunberg Chocolate Factory also has a shop in the Old Town. The Nuutajärvi Glass Village in Iittala, comprising Finland´s oldest glass factory, provides an insight into the secrets of glass making. Glass manufacture at Nuutajärvi dates back 200 years. Colourful glass birds are among the factory´s most popular products. You can find bargains at the factory shop. The Lake District of Finland The Ylämaa Gem Village is known for the manufacture of spectrolite jewellery. Spectrolite, quarried from the area´s rapakivi-granite bedrock, is a gemstone that glows in various colours of the spectrum when it moves about. At Ylämaa you can watch jewellery being made and visit the gem museum with its display of over 4,000 minerals and gemstones. The shops stock attractive glistening gifts. The Verkaranta Arts and Craft Centre, located on the magnificent premises of a former factory in Tampere, is famous for its diverse exhibitions. The shop of the centre stocks craftwork. There is also a café well worth a visit, with a terrace protruding over the rapids of Tammerkoski. Nokian Boots are made of natural rubber and the manufacturing process combines modern technology and traditional craftsmanship. The boots are suitable for varied conditions - ideal for outdoor enthusiasts. The factory shop is located in Nokia. The Anne Linnonmaa Factory Shop in Mikkeli sells cotton knits for men and women as well as babywear and sample garments. The Linnonmaa knits have been awarded the European Eco-Label. Kenkävero in Mikkeli is a charming tourist attraction, comprising the beautifully restored buildings of a former vicarage. Kenkävero has arts and craft exhibitions, craft shops and a restaurant. There is also a garden with 500 different plant species. Most of the plants are herbs and medicinal plants. The Craft Museum of Finland in Jyväskylä features various exhibitions; some depict the traditions and modern trends of Finnish handicrafts, while others introduce crafts of various other cultures. There is also a display of Finnish national costumes. The museum also has a workshop where visitors can try their hand at various crafts. The Alvar Aalto Museum in Jyväskylä houses a wide-ranging exhibition of the work of Alvar Aalto, a renowned Finnish architect and designer famous for his functionalist style. The displays include town plans, interior designs, furniture and glassware. Kermansavi in Heinävesi manufactures domestic and decorative stoneware that is oven, microwave, freezer and dishwasher proof. Take a look at these popular products, found in every second household in Finland. The Frantsila Organic Herb Farm in Hämeenkyrö boasts a specimen garden of over 300 medicinal and spice plants. The café-restaurant serves vegetarian food and the shop stocks herbal teas, extracts and oils as well as spices. Western Finland Laura Peterzèns printed interior fabrics are produced in Kustavi, in a scenic archipelago setting. Bedspreads and duvet covers made from the fabrics, together with matching towels, place mats, table runners and gift items, can be bought at Kustavin Ranta-Aitta. Open: 1 May-31 Sept. The charming boutiques of the Old Town of Rauma beckon shoppers. It is easy to find souvenirs to satisfy your taste along the shopping streets of this wood-built town area. Rauma is best-known for the exquisite laces that are traditionally made in the region. It is also worth visiting the marketplace for a coffee. Lapuan Kankurit are producers of modern linen textiles for use in the kitchen, on table tops, in the sauna and in the bathroom, as well as of other interior textiles made of flax. Their products are the first in Finland to bear the Masters of Linen quality label. The factory shop is housed in the former Lapua Cartridge Factory, today restored as a cultural centre. www.lapuankankurit.fi The factory outlet of Reima in Kankaanpää stocks a wide selection of clothes for children and young people as well as outerwear and leisurewear for adults. Reima is a leading manufacturer of children´s clothes, a well-known producer of adults´ leisurewear and a pioneer of ´high-tech´ clothing. Nikkarikeskus in Jurva is an exhibition centre displaying innovative products of the Ostrobothnian furniture industry as well as period furniture and conventional designs. The gift shop sells local wooden products, textiles, ceramics and metal items. Nansi Vuorinen 06-3185 300, nansi.vuorinen@loftet.fi Taito Shop Loftet in Vaasa sells beautiful, imaginative and timeless utility items and interior decoration items for the home. The products represent the best of Finnish and Ostrobothnian handicraft design. Northern Finland and Lapland Posio, situated between Kuusamo and Rovaniemi, is the home district of the Pentik ceramics. The world´s northernmost ceramics factory manufactures tableware, gift items and interior decoration items. The Pentik Centre houses a factory outlet, a museum and an exhibition. In the Santa Claus Village, located 8 kilometres from Rovaniemi, you can meet Santa Claus every day of the year, step across the Arctic Circle and browse around various souvenir shops. Also located here is Santa Claus´ Main Post Office, where letters addressed to Santa are received. Genuine Lappish handicrafts are the speciality of the Arts and Craft Shop Luhti and Taigakoru, situated in Rovaniemi. The shop stocks for example Lappish reindeer-bone and felt products, textiles and jewellery. The Old Marttiini Knife Factory in Rovaniemi today houses Marttiini´s knife exhibition, factory shop and café. The factory building, completed in 1940, is a perfect example of functionalist architecture. The R-Collection factory shop in Kajaani is well worth browsing around for high-quality clothes for adults and children, including anoraks, jackets, trousers, jersey tops, knits and bags. There are also clearance items and seconds. |
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