Milk, butter and some Iittala

There are serveral small Iittala shops in and around Helsinki offering the companies wonderful glassware. But did you know that you can also get most of Iittala's classic products at many bigger supermarkets? Prisma, K-Citymarket and also Antilla have Iittala shelfs where you can actually get the same products much cheaper.

Not only do they often have special offers. Also the regular prices are usually a few euros less. Take a look when you go to buy your groceries next time.

Sweet, salty and healthy

Searching for some healthy snacks for your next TV evening? Then Punnitse & Säästä is the right place for you to go.

Here you find all kinds of dried fruits, nuts and much, much more. Punnitse has shops all around the Helsinki region and they all have a huge selection to choose from. Go e.g. with some salty macadamia nuts and a handful of dried kiwis and honey melons. Or try their coated raisins and blueberries. Or maybe go with some organic licorice. You can also find a big tea selection.

Give it a try and enjoy!

Made in Finland

Maybe you have spotted it already on some of the products you bought or saw in the supermarket. The small key with the Finnish flag is called Avainlippu.

This symbol certifies that the product you are holding in your hands was manufactured in Finland. It already exists for over 46 years. Its goal is to make Finnish products easily recognizable by consumers and encourage people to support local businesses. The flag doesn't just certify products but also services.

Apart from Avainlippu the Association for Finnish Work also introduced the Design from Finland symbol, which indicates the origin of unique and high-quality Finnish Design and just recently the Social Enterprise Mark, which is granted to enterprises that try to find solutions to social and ecological problems.

To find out more about those symbols and the participating companies check out www.avainlippu.fi.

Time for the Christmas tree

Do you already have a Christmas tree? If not maybe you should get one during the weekend. Otherwise all the good ones might be gone already.

Christmas trees are sold in many different locations throughout the city. To find the closest to your home check out the sales points of one of the biggest seller Havunen.

Helsinki – one big flea market

Today is Siivouspäivä again and Helsinki turns into one huge flea market. After registering online everyone can open their own stand almost anywhere they like in the city.

You can find all registered stands on a map online. Due to poor weather conditions today unfortunately there won’t be as many sale points as planned. Some might have also just moved under a nearby roof. So don’t give up if you don’t find what you were looking for.

Have a nice Saturday and hopefully find some great deals!

Timeless Finnish design

Finnish design convinces through its simplicity. Most classics were already designed several decades ago. Still they are as popular as ever fitting into almost every surrounding.

Some objects might not be produces anymore these days and can be tough to find. If you are searching for those old pieces one way is the internet. Otherwise pay a visit to Jatkasaari. In one of the old warehouses you find the Vintage Design Market. Some real treasures are awaiting you here. Take your time to browse through the old pieces. It’s worth taking a closer look at some of them. You might spot a real rarity.

The Vintage Design Market is open Wednesdays through Fridays from 12 to 18.00 and Saturdays from 11 to 16.00.

Organic every day

Wouldn’t it be great to have a store that sells organic food but at the same time provides you with everything you need for your daily life?

Well that’s what the owners of Aitokauppa (the real shop) thought, too. And so they opened a shop in Helsinki that do exactly that. Aitokauppa in Punavuori is not just an organic shop. It fully replaces a supermarket offering everything you need.

If there is no organic alternative they at least make sure they products they sell are local and as high quality as possible.

The birds conquered Kamppi

Since last Friday Rovio’s Angry Birds also have their own shop at Kamppi Shopping Center. But apart from the other shops they already opened in Helsinki this one will stay permanently. So far Rovio has always had pop-up stores in Helsinki that were just in their location for a few months before closing down again.

The new place at Kamppi offers all the popular Angry Birds products. You find everything from shirts to sweaters, from cell phone covers to the games themselves.

Go and take a look! There might also be one or two nice Christmas presents among their collection.

Nokia Lumia 920 is here!

Today at 0:01 the first Nokia Lumias 920 were sold in Finland. People queued yesterday in front of the Verkkokauppa.com store in Jatkasaari to get one of the first phones. The demand is so high that not even all preorders could be served.

But Nokia is doing its best to get more on the market as soon as possible. The so called “most innovative smartphone in the world” can be ordered at every electronics store for 599 €. Or try it out yourself first at Nokia’s flagship store in the center on Aleksanterinkatu.

More details on the Lumia 920 – like its amazing new camera, wireless charging and more – can be found from the official website.

What milk would you like?

You will probably barely find a bigger selection of different kinds of milk anywhere else in the world than in Finland. In Finnish supermarkets picking a pack of milk can become a day filling task.

You might be also used to full, reduces and fat free milk but in Finland it doesn’t stop with that. Of course you will get lactose free milk since almost every second Finn is allergic to lactose. But what about some milk that is also good for your digestive system? Or milk with extra calcium? And what if you want to have fat free milk with extra calcium but without lactose or rather one with extra vitamins but 1% of fat? No problem in Finland. Even if you think it’s better to milk the cows during the night there is some special night milk for you available.

To find the biggest selection, visit one of the Prismas, K-Citymarkets or Stockmann Herkku.