Shopping

Alternative places for shopping in Helsinki

Roomage

One of the special specificities of Finland is both its love for design and for second hand things. Scandinavia in general is known for its tasteful low key design, and Finnish interior decor is no exception. Wandering Helsinki is also a marvel for any vintage lover! Its not a surprise, that this week's pick is Roomage, an awesome vintage interior store in Kamppi neighborhood.

The story starts in September 2013 when owner Kimmo Pohjapelto opened a webstore and small showroom in Kruununhaka. He'd been working before that in a tv production company but was slowly starting to dream about doing something different for himself. As he'd always been collecting vintage stuff from his travels and as his home was starting to fill up with his treasures, he decided to rent a small storage space which made him want to start collecting more things. At some point he realized he could try doing it for a living:

Basically I'm just hunting for cool new stuff all the time. I try to find something new every week of course, but I rarely know what a new week will bring for me! My vision is to keep the selection interesting and ecletic.

Entering Roomage is like a real treasure hunt. Everything is thoughtfully and tastefully arranged.

At InsideOut Helsinki we cherish having fun when decorating your interiors. or as Kimmo puts it :  

Trust your instinct, go with gut feeling. Be playful.

The main inspiration for Roomage are the good old times. Original furniture from eras going from American or Danish 50s design to 80s inspiration, influenced by traveling but also books and popular culture, as well as underground culture.

The store also has a lot of cool industrial vintage things, which is quite unique here in Helsinki. As Kimmo explains: 

 There's a lot of [things] made to look old/fake industrial stuff (...) but for me it [should be] about authenticity.

Here at Inside Out Helsinki, we not only are in love with Kimmo's findings, but also appreciate Roomage's excellent customer service.

=> Good to know :  Roomage's main focus is its webstore, with custom-made deliveries and interaction with each client. 

Further information:
Address: Kalevankatu 31 A 6 (2nd floor), 00100 Helsinki
Opening hours: Wed-Fri: 12-6pm
Email: contact@roomage.fi
Phone: +358 50 374 6164
Website: http://www.roomage.fi/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/RoomageVintageInteriors/

Nide

Both Hanna and I are in love with bookstores. We covered a few months ago wonderful Arkadia, and it's second hand wonders. Now as artists, we are going to talk about a very special bookshop today : Nide, which means book binding in Finnish.

There are quite a lot of things happening at the moment in terms of independent book scene in Helsinki. There are some really great small publishers (e.g. Kosmos, Poesia) and some great, more established ones (e.g. Siltala, Teos). There's also a really good literary festival, Helsinki Lit. They're doing their second festival this spring with some interesting literary evenings and poetry jams. The independent bookstore scene hasn't been really good for ages. One thing Helsinki especially lacked is good art & visual culture bookstores, Nide is to fill in the gap there.
 You can discover so many different kinds of books, so everyone can find something for themselves. For Hanna, to see and feel the artbooks in her hand is very important, you cannot get that feeling if ordering from internet. Also when ordering from internet there's no possibilities for coincidence. By this she means that when browsing her favourite art books from the shelf, she also may find something intersting and new she didn't know before.

We really appreciate that Nide opened it's doors on December 2015. After Kiasma and many other museum and book stores have closed down their art book section it was perfect timing!

Nide started as a brainchild of Terhi Jääskeläinen and Joose Siira. Terhi was a founder of Kiasma Store in 1998, and has since been managing both Kiasma and Ateneum Bookshop as well as the shops at Cable Factory and Korjaamo. Joose started at Like publishing house back in 2001. He has been responsible for Like Bookstore and Korjaamo Shop before shifting to Kiasma Store in 2011.In 2014, Kiasma went under a renovation and at the same time terminated the rental contract with their former employer Rosebud Books. After the renovation they opened their own museum store.Terri and Joose lost our jobs at Kiasma and started planning their own bookstore, and searched for a suitable space in Punavuori area. Last September, they found a perfect spot in Fredrikinkatu, next to  legendary antiquarian bookstore: Hagelstam.

Books are their passion and you can feel it. They are in love with the books they sell. Being a small brick and mortar store, they offer more personal face-to-face consultation for customers. Many customers appreciate a place they can browse and enjoy books without rushing. Here, they have the possibility to find something new, something they didn't know about before. 

The most interesting books are selected by hand from different publishers, and the focus is mainly on art and design books by international publishers, as well as selected Finnish fiction and non-fiction. In addition Nide sells art, design, fashion and lifestyle magazines, as well as high-quality paper products.

On the right installation for Punis - Sanna Mander’s and Andrei Huhtala’s new version of little red riding hood

=> Things to look forward to in 2016: 

 On February 23rd,  Raisa Porrasmaa, a translator of Takashi Hiraide and Haruki Murakami, will be a Nide guest. 

On February 27th, Napa Books will open their pop-up kiosk at Nide premises. 

On March 3rd, Helsinki Lit will announce their literary guests and program for the 2016 festival, and Nide will be working with them this spring as well. 

In addition, stay tuned for lots and lots more coming up in the near future :) . 

Further information:

Website: www.nidekauppa.fi
Address: Fredrikinkatu 35, Helsinki
Telephone: +358 50 460 0337
Email: info@nidekauppa.fi
Opening hours:
Mon-Fri 10am – 7pm
Sat 10am – 5pm

Cilla's

You know those type of shops where you just feel like buying absolutely everything, and everything looks beautiful and seems to have it's own special place. Cilla's fits this description to a T. It's an exquisite small boutique located in Vantaa neighborhood that specializes in lifestyle products: from organic candles and soaps, to sustainable home decor and homewear.
The lovely owner Cilla’s started this shop as a "feel good" webshop offering a small boutique-type service and atmosphere on the internet. She wanted to create a lifestyle concept where you could find several "feel good” products to make your everyday life a little bit more beautiful and cheerful. 
The actual store opening in Alppila Helsinki in February 2014 and Cilla’s Feel Good product line was launched in November 2014. 

When you are in Cilla's you understand why for the founder:  

"Feel good also means sustainability"

 Finns can sometimes be known to be more on the conservative side when it comes to interior decoration. They tend to go all the way during big family celebrations, e.g. Ylioppilasjuhlat - Finnish high school graduation celebration - or Rippijuhlat - Confirmation or Communion celebrations. 

Cilla wanted to make it easier for people to make their homes extra cosier and livelier, by adding small changes and details, such as new cushions, lanterns or tea selections and cups.  So you can change your insides without having to go all over the top. 

And that's exactly what InsideOut Helsinki loves about Cilla's: the attention to detail. Everything is tasteful, and high quality. And you really do feel that by buying a set of towels from the Organic Company, Cilla's special handsoap, and a scrumptious homemade cookie mix, your home will feel well ... more like home :).  
Cilla's is there to help you create the perfect environment of togetherness and take a break from the hustle and bustle that life can throw at you. 

=> Cilla is not originally from Helsinki but loves living in the capital. Like InsideOut Helsinki cofounder Emilie, she fell in love with the peaceful atmosphere, the perfect mix between a big and small city, easy to get by, and not stressful like other European capitals. The idea of a truly feel-good shop couldn't make more sense than in Helsinki. 

What we love about the boutique is how attentive to customers it is. Constantly renewing itself, seeking new opportunities to meet customer's expectations and wishes, and having them feel like they are also a part of Cilla's adventure. 

=> Good to know: The Viipurinkatu Shop will soon turn into a small Christmas boutique, filled with adorable gifts and decoration items, as well as new products from Cilla's line at the beginning of 2016. 

Further information:
Address: Viipurinkatu 8, 00510 Helsinki
Phone: +358 442220269
Email:info@cillas.fi
Website: www.cillas.fi
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 11am-6pm, Sat 11am-15pm

Arkadia International Bookshop

Trying to put Arkadia International bookshop in a box, is impossible. 

Of course, as its name indicates, it sells a multitude of second hand books, in excellent shape. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. 

It what other bookstore, can you sip delicious Russian tea, play pool, isolate yourself in a Chapel made of books, find a whole entire section on the Vietnam war, or play the piano?

Arkadia is truly Ali Baba’s cavern. And what’s pleasurable is that it remains uncluttered and clean, which adds extra depth to its soothing atmosphere.  The owner, Ian, who is British and French, has a special way of storing books, in boxes, according the author’s name, and invites readers to open the boxes and “be curious”. 

If you are afraid of reptiles, don’t be taken aback by the presence of a friendly snake, which was given to the bookstore by two scientists after a conference they had given in Helsinki. 

=> Good to know: Arkadia hosts weekly events - from art performances, to lectures and poetry readings. Its' rich programming is always original and well organized and is a perfect way to meet fellow Helsinkiers. 

We were so enchanted by the bookstore that we decided to make a small video, the first in a new video series that will be incorporated here and there on Inside Out Helsinki, on Arkadia, and share a special little story behind the bookshop. Watch, and maybe you will meet your match here, who knows?  

Come Discover Arkadia … 

Further information: 

Address : Nervanderinkatu 1100, Helsinki, Finland

Telephone:
Ian Bourgeot: +358 59 325 1829
Liisa Bourgeot: +358 50 532 7296

Opening hours: 

Tues-Fri : 12 to 7 pm
Sat : 10 to 6 pm
Closed on Mondays and Sundays

Mokum POP UP Second Hand // Vintage store

 One thing interesting about living in Helsinki is witnessing new up and coming temporary pop-up stores and cafés.  Hard to talk about these ephemeral places without mentioning Mokum Second hand and vintage store, which has just opened. 

Darja, who is half Finnish half Dutch and has been living in Helsinki for many years, owns the store. She has a thorough knowledge on materials, and clothes details, such as which year a certain attire was made in, et.c through her relatives who were making clothes and had keen interest on clothing field. Darja also has experience working in retail, as she was working before in a vintage store in Amsterdam. 

For Spoorman, pop-ups are an easy way to try out your wings. Mokum offers a mix of vintage and 2^nd hand clothes. You can find for instance very unique pieces from Finland but also newer elements from more mainstream stores. Most of all it offers a very big variety of things, with a large price range, so everyone can find something they need. 

An interesting thing to point out is that Darja repairs, customizes and refurbishes decoration elements and clothes which are in sale at the store.  She also does styling: so let’s say you need a black vintage polka-dotted dress from the 1940s for your next video, Mokum is the door to come knock on. 

=> Good to know: Mokum collaborates with recycling designers (such as Jussi Juselius who designs lamps from old glass bottle and Garbage Bag who remakes unique bags from old clothes etc.). 

What Inside Out Helsinki loves especially about this place is how friendly and honest the owner is: she has the skill to see what fits people, and she won’t hesitate to kindly tell you what you need, and what you don’t. You will always be welcomed with open honest arms, and you can be sure to find something here that has your name on it. 

Mokum wants to offer well-recycled good quality clothes for people and bring color to Helsinki. It’s also a way to resist over-production (e.g. the temptation to always buy new clothes). 

=> What Mokum likes about Helsinki? It’s an international city where you can dress comfortably and still look fashionable.

=> Future plans? Continue in the same place or open another pop-up store

Further information:

Address: Hakaniemen kauppahalli, 2nd floor, Booth 149/151.

Hämeentie 1a, 00530 Helsinki, Finland

Opening hours: 

Wed-Sat: 10 am – 4 pm

Phone: +358 402460228

Mail: mokuminhelsinki@yahoo.fi

Götän Maailma

 Imagine a store turned magical cabinet of curiosities where you can encounter upon your trip anything from teeth, skulls and horns, to insects, stuffed animals and random old photographs …

Inside Out Helsinki found this modern day wonder-room in the form of Götan Maailma, or The World of Ms. Göta – which, for the anecdote, is named after owner Thomas Hamberg’s  great-aunt who collected herself quite some odd things. When it was initially created in 2011, Götan Maailma was selling random vintage things, but then quickly realized that customers were on the lookout for more morbid and odd objects. The store then decided to concentrate on medicine and natural science antiques, mainly dating back from the 1800s and early 1900s.

The store is filled with nice details, and has a kind of deathly atmosphere to it. Many objects date from the Victorian era and are from collectors abroad.

Good to know: they also rent objects, so if you need a stuffed bird for your photo shoot, theater play etc. they’re your man. The shop's future plans are to continue to develop the rental activity, as well as expand the space to the little room behind the store, where events, from concerts to shows, and even weddings, will be able to take place.

Further information: 

Address:

Tarkk’ampujankatu 4, Helsinki, Finland

Phone: 044 7477788

E-mail: gotanmaailma@gmail.com

Opening hours:

Mon-Fri 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Sat 10:00 am - 2:00 pm