Image by Wouter Spitters

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

Fashion magazines, art-house movies, exhibition catalogs, gifts, children 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 Bozar arts shop near the fine arts museum.

It’s an ideal place 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.

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

Image by Yamina El Atlassi

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, of course, 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… & 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 € 3.00
149, Wayezstraat | The West | +3225225845
Mon – Sat 09:30 – 18:30

Image by Yamina El Atlassi

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 my work, I can also realise that I’ve finished the last book I’ve had. My nightmare: being the whole evening without a chance to read….

Of course, I can go to Cook&Book (check the Cook&Book article), 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 to 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 after business hours and still 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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Place Voltaire | Art & culture, Shopping | Books from € 4.00
rue de l’Aqueduc, 101 | Ixelles
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 19:00

Image by Army surplus shop – Liquidoma – by Yamina El Atlassi

The first time I traveled abroad and on my own, I was 19 years old. I was on budget so I went to this shop and found all I needed.

Since then, years later, there’s no trip I do without at least having a look at this shop. Sometimes, even if I’m not planning to travel, I just like to visit this huge shop located in the center of the city.

The thing I like most is the fact that the super friendly staff seems not to have changed in years, and the shop remains the same year after year.

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Liquidoma | Shopping
28-40, Rue des Bogards | Center | +3225115269
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 18:30

Image by Yamina El Atlassi

There’s something you have to know about me: I like dresses and I hate to buy in those famous (and not really cheap) chains around the world…

This said, I want to keep my addresses secret in order to be sure that no other girl wears the same. A woman has to keep some mystery, isn’t it?

Anyway, today, and especially for you, 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 next to 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).

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

The shop is a legendary second hand shop open since decades. Laura (the owner, and daughter of the first one) has a big stock of second hand vintage clothes for men and for women. She also started to sell some new clothes, that she chooses only in collection of young creators.

Having a small shop, you don’t find the same model in many exemplars. Then, if you find a nice one: don’t wait to buy it, you may never find it back!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Look 50 | Shopping
Rue de la Paix, 10 | Ixelles | +3225122418
Mon – Sat 10:30 – 18:30