Shopping

Slippers are any home’s staples in Turkey. Most likely the streets are not clean enough to permit the shoes worn outside to be used in the home because of the religious and social norms of living. Even for the likes of me who are more tolerant in this respect than the elderly and/or classical Turkish families, slippers are a heavenly leisure to increase the sense of homeyness.

This little store, hidden in a narrow passage on Tesvikiye Street, in the elegant shopping district Nişantaşı, is famous for its well-crafted, original hand made slippers. The slippers stacked up to the ceiling in lovely antique boxes dating back to the 1950s are mostly made of real leather. They also use some original woven materials. All are designed by the third generation of the same owner’s family. Their artisan workers are also the same old people taught by their masters and are now teaching another generation.

Narin slippers is on the shopping and stocking list of many famous Turkish people including the politicians, but also a very select international clientele including Kings from Arabic Countries to Tyler Brûlé, the founder of Wallpaper Magazine and the editor-in-chief of Monocle.

The real leather slippers do not need replacing for years to come, but you might want to stock up for different occasions, or simply for decorative purposes. Don’t forget your slipper-less friends!

There is a Turkish proverb saying that ‘coffee should be black as hell, strong as death, and sweet as love’. Here at Galeri Set, you’ll find the most precious ceramic coffee cups to serve this ‘story’. 

In the maze of Spice Bazaar and Grand Bazaar there are several stores selling similar products but Galeri Set is admittedly a treasure. 

The most important thing about the owners of this 40 year old store is that they are so evidently passionate about what they do. They produce everything adhering to the originals of the Ottoman Palace Culture. Palace coffee cups, hand made according to the original gold leaf technique, come exactly in the same colors of the masters of the Ottoman Palaces between the 16th and 19th centuries. The colors of the founding years of Ottoman Empire are pink and turquoise, the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent is characterized by a deep coral red (see photo), green is the colour of the Tulip Period between the 1718 – 1730, the final years of Ottoman Empire is marked by a somber yellow, etc..

Tea cups, saucers, soup bowls, dessert carafes, pitchers, candy bowls are some of the products that would make an excellent Ottoman accent for your home or as gifts. From Queen Elizabeth to Fidel Castro, from the Presidency of the Turkish Republic to select international hotels, Galeri Set has many famous clients. The movie star Monica Bellucci preferred the coral red coffee cup for her coffee during her visit to the store, so they say .

In many supermarkets, in most countries you can find Turkish nuts and dried fruits. Yes, Turkey is indeed famous for its hazelnuts, roasted pistachios, pistachio kernels, dried sultana raisins, apricots, figs and all.

Guven Kuruyemis is the place if you want to sample best of these and many other organic dried fruits, and nuts. They have all the variety you probably cannot imagine of: dried plums, apples, pears, dates, mulberries, blueberries, different dried fruit pulps (‘pestil’, in Turkish) with or without walnuts, cashews, roasted chickpeas, etc…

Get some and eat them while you wander around Nişantaşı and most probably you will find yourself wanting to have another go for a bigger purchase. Their resealable packages are handy when it comes to carrying them in your bag for an emergency.

They have both of their two branches in Nişantaşı. They have e widespread loyal regular customer base, stocking up on every visit to Nisantasi. Yes, vacuum packages too are available. The other branch is their first, just around the corner, at Valikonagi Cad. No:50, Nisantasi.

They source and select everything they sell very carefully and re-process them in their own facilities: hygienic, organic, high quality. They are a tad pricier than anywhere else, but the quality and hygiene is well worth. Guven is the first dried nuts and fruits shop in Turkey with an official quality standard.

They have recently opened a big flagship store in Kemerburgaz, a chic suburban residential area. Not very touristic of a place, but just in case you pass by.

For all you vintage shoppers, thrift-store lovers, second-hand connoisseurs out there, Sentetik Sezar is the way to go! This cute little shop, situated on a pleasant side street near Cihangir – the Mecca of all things vintage- gives you neatly kept, reasonably priced vintage items. Vintage shops can easily be overcrowded, gloomy or overpriced; but this place gives you a refined selection, plenty of sunlight and a cosy atmosphere. Whether it’s granny’s floral dress you’re looking for, or a pair of edgy sunglasses, or some old photographs, you can find it here.

Sentetik Sezar is pretty active on Facebook, check out their page to see if there’s something you like, message the shop and they’ll reserve the piece for you.

For an ideal day around the area, start at Sentetik Sezar, grab a bite at Cihangir and head to Çukurcuma for coffee or antique-shopping, and finish your tour at the wonderfully nostalgic Museum of Innocence.

It is a lesser known fact that most of the world famous brands in women’s and men’s clothing are produced in Turkey. For that reason alone, the quality of textile products is really good and in recent years some of these producers are also selling their products under their own brandnames. An easy and economic way to sell these products is not through shops but through stands placed at bazaars.

A dead end street off Istiklal is famous for such stands full of textile products in bulk. Some of them are export returns with malfunctions. If you’re lucky enough, you may find world famous brands (with mistakes or not) for few euros only. The formula to find a good piece is patience and being fit enough to check hundreds of pieces. Some stands are so deep that your arm can easily be lost in the bulk. It’s heaven for girls but can be a hell for man, more than once I’ve had to wait for my girlfriend for over an hour while she shopped.

Although the majority is women’s clothing, some pieces are unisex or for man too. It’s worth a visit for shopping fans but there’s no guarantee you’ll find what you’re looking for.