Shopping – All our local tips

Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life Pablo Picasso once said, well, this shop is your washing machine.

Fashion magazines, arthouse movies, exhibition catalogues, gifts, kid  books, T-shirts with fancy slogans and the widest range of national and international art books you can imagine, you can find it all in one place… the fine arts shop near the fine arts museum.

Ideal to buy birthday presents you cannot find elsewhere and I bet you won’t be surprised if I tell you this is one of my favorite places to hang out around christmas time.

Take a look at the award nominated videos made by co-owner BaseMOTION

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Bozar Shop | Art & culture, Shopping
rue Ravensteinstraat 15 | Center | +3225141505
10:00 – 19:00 (or till after concert) daily

De Slegte (”the Bad”) is where you ‘ll find second hand books at ditto price and in good quality.

There are several floors with different subjects. There is a large selection of travel books, books on psychology, philosophy, history, mathematics, physics, geography, and other disciplines. In addition they have a large selection of cooking books, photography books, art books and national and international novels.

Most of the books are in Dutch, but there are plenty of books in French and English. The Slegte is situated in the centre of Brussels near Brussels famous “manneken Pis” statue. Their website offers the possibility to indicate what your interests are so they can keep you updated on their new arrivals or on what they have in stock.

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De slegte | Shopping | 2nd hand book from € 4.00
17 Rue des Grands Carmes | Center | +3225116140
09:30 – 18:00 daily

I believe street markets are the heart of a city. There are plenty in Brussels, but the most famous and busy is the one on Sunday morning around Gare du Midi.

You can find everything you want here, from clothes and flowers to household stuff. But Brussels locals mainly come here to get their weekly fruit and vegetable shopping, as it is one of the cheapest places in town.

There is plenty of choice and the prices will start dropping to almost nothing starting 13.30, when sellers want to get rid of the leftovers: a real chance to buy good quality products for the cheapest price.

And when your hands are full and you can’t take any more, you can enjoy some tasty Arabic food prepared in front of you.

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Gare du Midi market | Shopping, Snacks
Around Gare du Midi | The South
Sun 06:00 – 14:00

As many girls, I don’t go outside without my bag. Thanks to it I can have with me anything I need… one of those things being a book.

I can read many books a week and I often even read while walking in the streets. Sometimes when I finish work, I find myself at the Natural Caffè (see the Natural caffe article) for a drink, but without a book to read… and it’s already 18:30: my nightmare: being the whole evening without a chance to read….

Of course, I can go to Cook&Book: they’re open late (as it is also a restaurant), but come on, I’m tired, I’m in Ixelles on my way home, and sometimes I don’t want to run till the other part of the city.

Fortunately, I found out that the owner of the bookshop “Place Voltaire” is not counting the minutes before closing her shop. If you arrive around 18:30, there is a good chance you will be allowed to come in and to take the time to choose a book.

I like the fact that I can arrive late and find it open, and I also like the warm and nice atmosphere and the nice chat with the owner. It has the colour, the smell and the impression of being back in the time where people get to take the time for the good things.

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Librairie Place Voltaire | Art & culture, Shopping | Books from € 4.00
rue de l’Aqueduc, 101 | Ixelles
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 19:00

There’s something you have to know about me: I like to wear dresses and I hate to buy all the nice dresses they have thousands of in famous (and not so cheap, finally) shops around the world…

This said, as I want to keep my addresses quiet secret in order to be sure that no other girl wears the same dress at the next party, I don’t say often where I found them… A woman has to keep some mystery, isn’t it?

Anyway, today, and especially for you, dear reader, I decided to break one of my numerous principles: “Never say where you find your nice clothes” (in the same list, you can find “never have a relationship at the office”, “never eat more than one chocolate a week”, “never have a girly discussions in front of your boss”, but don’t count on me to let you know which ones I have already – or are on their way to be – broken).

So when I have time AND money: I just love to go to this shop: Look 50.

Laura (the owner) has a big stock of second hand vintage clothes for men and for women, but started also to sell some new clothes, for this last category she’s choosing only collections from less famous stylist and, having a small shop, you don’t find the same model in many exemplar: so it’s good, but if you find a nice one: don’t wait to buy it, you may never find it back!

If you know the shop (a legendary second hand shop in Brussels) and meet Laura, you may be surprised how young she is, due to the fact that the shop is open since decades. Actually the shop was first owned by her mother, and she took over, continuing with what did its success in the years ‘80 but with her personal touch and taste: brilliant!

And of course, while in the area, you can visit the other shops in the same street (rue de la Paix) and have a nice break after at one of the nice places in Saint-Boniface Place.

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Look 50 | Shopping
Rue de la Paix, 10 | Ixelles | +3225122418
Mon – Sat 10:30 – 18:30

So here I am again with one of my woman’s secrets… you already know one of my preferred address for dresses (Look 50 – see my Look 50 article). But a dress is not enough…. we need shoes (article to come soon) but also some underwear and accessories…

Maxie is one of the places I use to go to find nice and cheap necklaces, etc…

They have several shops in Belgium. In Brussels, you may be tempted to go to the one near Sainte Catherine’s place, more central than the one in Anderlecht, but I would advise you to go to Anderlecht anyway.

In Sainte Catherine’s it’s a nice and cheap shop but you will not understand what I’m talking about before being at the one of rue Wayez; it’s bigger, more choices, nice staff helping you to find the bra in your size (what a nightmare in general: or you go to big cheap shops with no one to help you, or you go to those nice boutiques, you’ll have advice, but for a maximum price).

I also like to walk around rue Wayez and its shops… have you heard of rue de Brabant (see the rue de Brabant article)? Yes, of course, you’re a reader of Spotted by Locals, but rue Wayez has also many shops alike, and probably a bit less crowded… and of course while shopping in the area, you can always take the time to relax at Erasmus garden (see the Erasmus garden article).

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Maxie | Shopping | accessories from € 5.00
149, Wayezstraat | The West | +3225225845
Mon – Sat 09:30 – 18:30

When skool’s out, the cool kids head to Mr Ego. A cavernous shop near the Bourse specialising in streetwear. The current style gives a healthy nod to the eighties – think Jane Fonda exercise videos crossed with space invaders video games. Colours are bright and designs bold. However, the store has a wide enough range for everyone to find something they like, with the extensive selection going beyond what you find in other similar stores.

Brands stocked include Carhartt, Volcom, Vans, Gravis, Analog, Ben Sherman, Kana Beach, Nudie Jeans, Box Fresh, Nikita, Loreak Mendian, Pussy Deluxe, Pointer shoes, Skunk Funk, Emily the Strange and much more.

Going beyond just selling clobber, the store plays an active part in ’street’ culture. DJs play instore at the weekends, it hosts regular fashion shows and houses a graffiti/street art- inspired gallery run by international collective No New Enemies. The guys running the shop are also involved in several club nights including the Dirty Dancing night at Mirano’s on Saturday nights.

Just make sure you bring mummy or daddy’s credit card – dressing like it’s 1984 does not come cheap these days. Though there are sales at the end of each season where the outgoing stock is discounted heavily and you can pick up decent bargains.

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Mr Ego | Shopping
29 rue des Pierres | Center | +3225024787
Mon – Sat 11:00 – 18:00

Emblematic of Brussel’s rich and vibrant cultural life is Passa Porta, the international house of literature.

A fine and desperately needed meeting place where various language lovers get together to learn and enjoy all things related to semantic creativity. This place is an important link that assembles philosophers, writers and an interested public of various linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

Almost every day you can experience a presentation of the works of various artists at the literary platform. Passa Porta also organises workshops that encompass discussions, analyses or theoretical and practical demonstrations on for instance writing fiction or on translation.

Next to it there is a book shop with new and second hand books at bargain prices. Photos and video’s enhance the understanding of a literary work at Passa Porta’s exposition room. They even give apartments to national and international writers. Their work made there gets sufficient attention after it is finished.

The whole kaleidoscope of linguistic creation is skillfully brought together by “entrez lire”. This organisation invites journalists, writers, translators, screen writers, book editors and others to discuss or show their field of occupation. Seminars, workshops, expositions and meetings are organised regularly.

Passa Porta is a wonderful place to discover the written word. You’ll find it on the fancy Dansaert straat not far from the Bourse. Be sure to check their website to consult the organised presentations.

Still going strong and having more and more links with other organisations.

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Passa Porta | Art & culture, Shopping
Antoine Dansaertstraat 46 | Center | +3222260454
Tue – Sat 11:00 – 19:00, Sun 12:00 – 18:00

If you head along from the Bourse towards Gare de Midi – either on the main Boulevard Anspach/M. Lemonnier (it’s the same road but it changes at about Place Fontinas) or the parallel rue de Midi, you hit an area with lots of second-hand book, comic, record, DVD and computer shops.

The big daddy of them all is Pele Mele, which sells second-hand books, comics, records, DVD and computers.

Behind the small street-side entrance on Boulevard M. Lemonnier is a labyrinth of different of rooms filled with goods waiting for a second life. Bibliophiles can easily lose an afternoon here as they search through the shelves for hidden treasure. Stock ranges from trashy novels to high quality art books, with different language sections – the English section is good.

The shop buys books from the public, and there are other branches in Ixelles and Waterloo.

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Pêle Mêle | Shopping | Paperbooks from € 1.00
boulevard Maurice Lemonnier, 55 | Center
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 18:30

One of the things I missed as soon as I left my Torino was the ritual of the aperitif. After work we used to meet in bars in the town center, and enjoy some drinks accompanied by free food, this is the concept.

And one day, walking around Brussels, I heard someone speaking my dialect, I turned around and saw “La Piola” aperitif bar in Brussels. I almost cried while ordering a glass of white Moscato wine and picking some of the food.

A few years have passed since that day, and the Piola is still running. There are 2 even.

La Piola Libri is a bookstore, wine bar, apero bar, concert/conference place for Italians or Italy lovers. The evenings with Guccini and Vinicio Capossela were unforgettable.

It’s nested in the European Quarter not far from Schuman.

The second branch, La Piola is just off pl. Chatelain (rue du page 2, Ixelles). It’s an apero bar, a wine bar and also a good simple Italian restaurant with a nice front terrace and a backyard garden.

Do not expect the variety of food you can get in Torino, but still I feel at home (you can even read La Stampa, the Turin newspaper).

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Piola Libri | Bars, Music, Shopping, Restaurants (Italian) | Daily special € 10.00
Rue Franklin 66-68 | Etterbeek/ Eur.Qt
Mon – Fri 10:30 – 20:00, Sat 12:00 – 20:00

Place Rouppe is in the centre of Brussels and has several nice bars and restaurants surrounding the roundabout.

A new restaurant annex bar “Houtsiplou” has opened there with a very large terrace, they serve juices, salads, main courses and other beverages and snacks. The quality is high and the prices are low. The people who serve there are very sweet and fast. The high ceiling inside enlarges the place and the windows let in a lot of light.

Place Roupppe is in the middle of rue du Midi, with a great photography shop and two musical instruments shops (guitars and drums) and the Stalingradlaan. The Stalingradlaan has several Moroccan food shops and restaurants, two Moroccan bakeries, fish restaurants and coffee bars. This area is a wonderful entrance to the centre and enjoys a lively atmosphere with a lot of action going.

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Place Rouppe | Bars, Shopping, Restaurants (Various)
Place Rouppe | Center | +32206268694
Daily

You can’t miss this temple of Chinese goods. The astonishing view will beg you to come in for a visit. At the entrance of Brussels’ small but vibrant Chinatown, the Sun Wah is the only Chinese mega store in Brussels.

Visiting this magnificent building is a must for adventurous food loving world citizens. Admitted the one in Antwerp is a bit bigger and has more Asian stores on one street than Brussels. Although a couple of Chinese restaurants and a lot of Thai ones are located a bit further grouped together in the street right across the Bourse.

So anyway, entering it brings you immediately to a new, let’s say.. Asian atmosphere !?! You can’t help but notice how the Chinese food market clashes with other stores in Brussels. Simply the cardboard boxes marked with Chinese symbols piled carelessly along the wall of the building hints at a voyage to other surroundings.

On weekdays you’ll see the Asian expats living in Brussels: Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, … In the weekend tourists and Belgians who love practising Asian cooking styles are abundant.

At the end of the store there is a hallway with two wall to wall refrigerators with every Asian thing imaginable. Every time you go there you will discover something new. It is like a labyrinth where you can wonder at the different kinds of food this world has to offer. Most of these goods are prepared in the region of origin and shipped to Europe.

For good ingredients, cheap and nice food, special kitchen utensils and presents shop here!

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Sun Wah | Art & culture, Shopping
Rue de la Vierge Noire 2-4 | Center | +3225125833
Mon – Sat 09:00 – 18:00