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For serious retail therapy, most Athenians head to the shopping streets that branch off central Syntagma and Kolonaki Squares. Syntagma is the starting point for popular Ermou, a pedestrian zone where large, international chains like Zara, Sephora, H&M, Massimo Dutti, Mothercare, Replay, Nike, Accessorize, and Marks & Spencer have edged out small, independent retailers. You'll find local shops on streets parallel and perpendicular to Ermou: Mitropoleos, Voulis, Nikis, Perikleous, and Praxitelous among them. Poke around here for real bargains, like strings of freshwater pearls, loose semiprecious stones, or made-to-fit hats. Much ritzier is the Kolonaki quarter, with boutiques and designer shops on fashionable streets like Anagnostopoulou, Tsakalof, Skoufa, Solonos, and Kanari. Voukourestiou, the pedestrianized link between Kolonaki and Syntagma, is where you'll find luxury boutiques: Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Polo Ralph Lauren, and similar brands. In Monastiraki Flea Market on Pandrossou (which also operates on Sundays) there's a mishmash of tourist trinkets, clothing, footwear, jewelry, and rugs; in Psirri you'll find coppersmiths selling wine jugs, candlesticks, cookware, and more for next to nothing. Athinas Street is loaded with stores selling everything from homewear to DIY tools, leather goods, plastic flowers, incense, and foods, and if you walk down "the spice street" of Evripidou and turn into Menandrou, you'll discover an area where migrants mainly from India and Pakistan have set up a whole different style of stores, barbershops, and restaurants (only venture there by day). Meanwhile, to get a feel of the local shopping lifestyle of Athens it's well worth getting lost in the mazelike backstreets of Monastiraki (start from Aiolou and turn anywhere). This area has flourished over recent years and is packed with quirky stores, eateries, bars, and yoga studios.
Many stores in Athens are open from 9 am to 3 pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, while on Tuesday shops on Ermou Street remain open until 5 pm. On Thursday and Friday, shops operate from 9 to 2 and then again from 5:30 to 9.
The airy museum shop has excellent copies of Greek icons, jewelry, and folk art—at fair prices. You will also find embroideries, ceramics, stationery, art books, small reliefs, and sculpture pieces. The new Benaki Museum Annex on Pireos Street has its own shop with an interesting collection of modern Greek jewelry. The gift shop is also open on Monday (even though the museum is closed).
A large variety of handwoven articles, genuine folk art, ceramics from all over Greece, and traditional and modern jewelry all on show here make excellent, and affordable, gifts. The cozy and tasteful shop is run by third-generation weavers and is the oldest folk-art shop in Athens (established 1925).
This inspirational "cultural goods" shop has gained a loyal following for its unique souvenirs. Here, you can buy gifts with a contemporary Greek design twist and a sense of humor, created by local designers Greece is for Lovers, Beetroot, Zeus + Dione, Studiolav, AC Design, and more. From a leather skateboard made in sandal style to unique bags that look like they're made from fishmongers' paper to plexiglass evil-eye charms, this is contemporary Greek design at its best.
From real amber, or pinhead-size "evil eyes," to 2-inch-diameter wood, sugarcane, or shell beads, you'll find a dizzying selection of beads and styles here to string your own komboloi (worry beads). You'll admire the variety of this unique Greek version of a rosary, which can be made from traditional amber, but also from coral root, camel bone, semiprecious stones, and many more materials.
Among the solid shampoo cakes, body oils, lotions, and face masks sold here are a tremendous number of organic Greek-made soaps, most sliced from big blocks or wheels, which you pay for by weight. Try the watermelon soap, shimmering fizzing ball, and the soothing body soufflé.
Hand-painted ceramic pomegranates—a symbol of fertility and good fortune—are one of the most popular of the multitude of Greek decor items in one of the city's oldest gift shops.
The art shop of this respected private art gallery stocks some beautiful objets d'art, including candlesticks and other decor, in addition to gifts like limited-edition silkscreens by famous Greek painters Yiannis Moralis, Nikos Xatzikyriakos-Gikas, Yiannis Tsarouchis, and many more.
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