I discovered Merrygorando just a while ago while walking to Papelote shop (check the Papirnictvi Papelote article) to buy myself a nice notebook. At  first sight th Merrygorando shop appeared like another shop with T-shirts, but when I went inside and especially after a talk with the shop assistant I learned more about the concept and idea. On my second visit I bought nice T-shirt and presents for children of my friends.

Merrygorando concept store offers eco-friendly furniture, original lamps, T-shirts, fashion accessories, bags and toys, all under the brand Merrygorando. The offer is completed by pieces from Thai and Japanese designers. The designers of Merrygorando claim that they are creating the products with respect to our planet and they are very often using recycled and natural materials.

This attitude is best recognized on the funny toys that shine with beautiful colours and remind me of early Star Track fantasies of alien organisms. These are made in Thailand by designer Thongsuk Mongkhon who also cooperates with Merrygorando. The furniture is mostly made in Czech Republic and the motto of it is ‘fresh design of quality products for reasonable price’. I also admired the very original and merry watches that are surprisingly also made from recycled materials!

If you want to bring home some real Czech made design, simply piece of well done work, visit the stationery shop Papelote. They call themselves ‘new’ but they truly represent the workmanship of the centuries. Papelote is a shop where you will find things manufactured mostly from paper. It sounds boring, but you would be surprised.

I love the way Papelote was founded, how it works now and what this manufacturer has achieved. And most of all I love the designs and products, which are both usable and beautiful. Papelote was first of all a dissertation of a graphic designer and illustrator Katerina Sachova, and later was developed into a living project and shop. Papelote works with paper and offers many kinds of notebooks, planners, cases and last but not least its famous binders. To have the gift unique, you can wrap it in the original wrapping paper. All products you will bring home are Czech made and from ecological materials.

Just as an interesting fact I wanted to mention that Papelote was awarded as Store of the Year on Czech Grand Design Awards 2011.

Julius FashionShop was on my way home for some time and I usually could not resist to pop inside and to look for some fashion rarity. I know I will always choose some original piece from the wide offer of accessories, or clothes from young Czech or foreign designers. The shop opened in 2008 and the owner Julia, who is present in the shop during the week, can help you while deciding which top fits you better or what would be a real catch from our Prague visit.

Although Jullius Fashion Shop is rather tiny, it concentrates a lot of things – clothes for men and women, bags and purses, brooches, earrings and other jewelery. My recent favorite is a selection of jewelery by Jara design, whose designs are mostly made from steel, porcelain and glass.

A tip for little present, always original, is a notebook or diary with a design from Tarakan. Simply get inspired and be sure, that dressed in any piece from Julius, you will be sticking out from the crowd.

If you’re not able to visit Julius FashionShop, you can order some present (of course for yourself!:-) in the e-shop. They ship worldwide after you both agree on the shipping price.

We are living in an age of globalization and it is more and more difficult to find locally produced consumer goods. That is one of the reasons, why I like Botas – a brand of Czech sneakers. 

Botas is originally a Czechoslovak shoe-making company (named Botana at the beginning) which started to specialize on sport shoes under the brand Botas in the sixties. The model Classis, which was born in 1966 was reborn few years ago thanks to two young designers. The guys took the model of the original shoe and redesigned it, adding a modern cool look and some new elements to it. The company bought their idea and this is how a new era of Botas started. 

The easiest way where to buy Botas sneakers (and some other interesting design stuff) is at their concept store Botas 66, located in a small narrow street. Like the shoes, the design of the shop itself is modern and unique and the staff is friendly.  

Just a few steps from Charles bridge, lies a store for all who seek out English-language books. Although Shakespeare and Sons has shed its other Prague location in Krymská street, the Old Town shop is still one of the best places to get both variety and good prices. Even by the sheer number of books on their shelves, neither Big Ben Bookshop nor the Globe come close.

In the best tradition of New York’s Strand book store, Shakespeare has an element of ordered chaos. The top floor seems to be meticulously arranged by category, but as one heads downstairs to the basement, the boxes of used books, French-language books, sci-fi reveal the intellectual entropy beneath the surface. There are special gems to be found among the used copies, but Shakespeare is also a good place to get the more obscure new English-language titles that haven’t or won’t make it to the English sections of giants like Neoluxor. One can roam undisturbed among the hushed and dimly lit bookshelves for hours.

It’s also not a bad place if you’re looking for some serious Pragensia and are not satisfied with the five touristy books on offer everywhere else. You can get quality history books on Prague and lots of Czech literature in translation here as well.