Located in Stare Bielany, a very quiet district of Warsaw, and just 5 mins from the metro station, Slou is a shop gathering very different items in one place  – clothing, plants, cosmetics, stationery, ceramics, books, food magazines, as well as natural cleaning brushes, and selling them in an uncomplicated, home-like atmosphere. Most of their designs are minimalistic & most products come from Poland. Also the designs are timeless: a thing you buy (maybe apart from the plants) will not age or go out of date.

As I am told by Slou’s staff, there are two types of events organised in Slou – either workshops or small exhibitions, or sometimes an event combining these two when an artist is invited to participate in a workshop. Once a month, Slou also hosts creative  classes where you can learn useful skills such as macramé braid (very, very trendy in Poland nowadays!). Sometimes an item is not produced immediately but you can learn the skill, such as weaving or linocut to produce things and improve the skill later on.

In an era when you can buy just anything you like online and have it in nearly no time, Slou stands in opposition, making you touch and try on the goods. This all happens overlooked by plants – a feature that is very important in a big city full of concrete such as Warsaw. They do have an internet shop to answer the customers’ needs but you are welcome to pop into the store to enjoy the homely atmosphere.