New opening times

The new year has brought a few changes is national law. One that might interest you most is that now there are no regulations about opening times for shops and hair dressers anymore since January 1. Shop owners can now decide on their opening times completely on their own.

E.g. the S-market at Sokos is now open 24/7. It might make sense to check out your local shops and supermarkets for extended opening times.

Have a good start into the first working week of the new year!

Stockmann or Brooklynn?

Did you pass by the Stockmann Department Store at Aleksanterinkatu/Mannerheimintie during the last two weeks? Then you might have noticed a major change at the building. Almost everything that used to say Stockmann has been changed to the name "Brooklynn".

Did a company with such a long history and important meaning for Helsinki really change it's name? The answer is no. Stockmann is just running a huge campaign with the Brooklynn theme and even went that far to change the name at their main entrance for that time.

The campaign which features the famous borough of New York City with related fashion, food and events will still continue until the end of September. After that everything will go back to normal and Stockmann will get its old signs back.

Easter opening times

Easter is about to start. And quite often people are not exactly sure how stores and shops will be open during that time. Here is a short list of the regular opening times during the upcoming few days:

02 April (Maundy Thursday)

Normal working day. Some shops might anyway already close at 18:00

03 April (Good Friday)

Closed.

04 April (Holy Saturday)

Most shops are open till 18:00

05 April (Easter Sunday)

Closed.

06 April (Easter Monday)

Closed.

If you still need some groceries on one the the holidays don't worry. Many of the small supermarkets such as alepa, siwa and k-extra as well as the big k-market in Kamppi Kauppakeskus are open every day.

Board game eldorado

Instead of heavy partying would you rathe be up for a relaxed evening at home this weekend? How about a round of board games with some friends or your family then?

And if you are still searching for the perfect game then go check out Lautapeli at Kamppi. The store on the 3rd floor has a big selection of board games both in Finnish and in English. You will definitely also find something for your taste. You can also buy their games online.

Check it out and have a great weekend!

Everything for coffee

Are you one of the many coffee enthusiasts living in Helsinki? Then you probably already know Kaffecentralen. If not, then you should definately go.

Kaffecentralen has pretty much everything you could ever need for making your own good coffee at home. From coffee filters, mashines and pans to real good grinded coffee.

But you can also have your ready made coffee right away. Kaffecentralen serves good coffees to have right there or to go.

Give it a try. You can find them in Helsinki in three different locations: Museokatu 9 in Etu-Töölö, Frederikinkatu 59 in Kamppi and in Korkeavuorenkatu 25 at Erottaja. Or find them online.

Candy straight from the factory

Halva is one of the most traditional candy producers in Helsinki. Since the 1930s the company makes and sells delicious sweets. You can buy their products in most supermarkets. But you can also go straight to the factory and get your sweet treats right from where they are made.

Since 1957 Halva runs its factory in Pitäjänmäki. On the ground floor of the factory Halva runs a small outlet filled with delicious candy. Here you can buy gummi bears, sweet and salty liquorice and much more in big packages for reasonable prices. Also take a look at the shelf for second quality. The products might be packed the wrong way or have some other small flaws but taste exactly the same as first quality products. Of course you can also try lots of their candy in the shop.

Give it a try and enjoy!

Meat fresh from the butcher

In Helsinki you normally get all your groceries from the supermarket. Small shops have a hard time competing against the big S and K chain. But luckily you can still find a few local businesses around town.

One of them is Fredan Lihakauppa. It's a typical old fashioned butcher that sticks to one thing and one thing only - good, fresh meat. The shops is located in Frederikinkatu in Punavuori and the perfect address if you need something special for lunch or dinner.

Give it a try. Fredan Lihakauppa is open on weekdays from 10 to 19.00 and on Saturdays from 9 - 17.00.

An Alko with flair

In Finland you unfortunately won't find those nice small wine shops you might know from other countries since wine always has to be sold in the state owned Alkos.

But the closest you can get to one of those beautiful intimate shops would probably be the small Alko at Vanha Kauppahalli at the harbour. The wooden shops inside the market hall has some of the athmosphere of what you might be looking for. Obviously due to the size the selection here is also quite limited. It is anyway worth a visit. 

Check it out!

The 24/7 supermarket

There are several supermarkets around Helsinki that are open till late at night, seven days a week. So far there hasn't been any though where you could really go any time.

But now there is one. Siwa was clever enough to open the first 24/7 supermarket. And it's not anywhere but located right in the city center on Esplanadi. So no matter what time you leave the bar, club or pub you can still by your groceries for the next days. A genius idea. Check it out!

Felt Design Pop-up

Tovi at Lasipalatsi is a space for pop up stores in the heart of Helsinki. This week's tenant is Dekorando with their Feel Felt products. Till Sunday you can get innovative and decorative Finnish design products made of felt here. 

You can find out more about the products and the company under dekorando.fi. The pop-up store is open on weekdays 11 - 19.00 and on the weekend 11 - 18.00.

Time for summer vacation

Are you still in Helsinki? Then you will have realized that it got pretty quiet in the city by now. Many will have left the city already to their mökkis where they will spend the next days and weeks.

During July Helsinki is always a much more quiet place. Many small businesses will be on vacation so don't expect your shoemaker, tailor or hairdresser to be open till the beginning of August. Also some restaurants and bars might be closed. But don't worry, all big supermarkets and most popular places in the center stay open the summer through.

Have a nice and hopefully warm Finnish summer!

The hidden Stockmann Outlet

It seems as if it disappeared. The Stockmann Outlet that was located at Keskuskatu is not visible anymore. But that doesn't mean it's gone.

Just a few weeks ago a new Nespresso shop opened its doors where the outlet used to be. But if you enter the new shop you will find steps leading down to another store. 

And that store is the Stockmann Outlet. There is no sign outside giving any hint that you can still find it here. Apparently Stockmann doesn't really want any customers there. But check it out. You might find really good deals here.

Got everything for Easter?

Maybe check your fridge and your cupboards if you still need something for the upcoming weekend. During the Easter holidays most shops and supermarkets are closed. Well, at least on Friday, Sunday and Monday. So there is still a chance on Saturday if you realize you forgot something.

And then there is always still the K-Market inside Kamppi that is open every day of the year and can help you out if you figure out that something is still missing from your shopping list.

Have a wonderful Easter weekend!

Sweet stuff from the US and the UK

Are you a fan of Cadbury's? Or fancy a Pop Tart from time to time? Or maybe some super sweet, unhealthy but delicious Fluff? Yes, there are lots of nice treats from the US and the UK. But where to get them in Helsinki?

Therefore there is Behnford's at Keskuskatu. This small shop has almost everything your heart desires. And not only the sweet stuff. You also get cooking ingredients, sauces as well as teas and sodas here.

Check it out. They are open daily. You can also find their selection online.

Over 1000 good deals for 2014

With the new year also came the new CityShoppari 2014 for Helsinki. You might wanna consider buying it if you are into shopping and going out.

The book costs 27 € and is filled with over 1000 coupons that give you discounts all over Helsinki in shops, restaurants, cafés, hair salons, theaters, gyms and much much more.

The CityShoppari can be bought at several places around town. Or order the CityShoppari mobile card for your smart phone app to get the same benefits for just 24 €.

All deals can be found from the CityShoppari website (just in Finnish).

Check it out.

Organic food and more

Friends of ecological products will love Ruohonjuuri Ekomarket. No matter if it is superfood, rawfood, fair trade or organic products you will find it all here. Everything is well sorted and the friendly stuff will help you if you don't find what you are searching for right away. Unlike other places there are also always enough employees around for you. They have an amazingly big assortment of almost everything you would need for your everyday life.

You can find four branches of Ruohonjuuri Ekomarket in Helsinki. The easiest one to find is at Kamppi right next to the shopping center. Ruohonjuuri can also be found in Tampere and Turku. Or if you want you can also order the product you like online at there online store.

Check it out!

Hyvä Helsinki at Design Forum Finland

The Design Forum Finland just started its campaign Hyvä Helsinki/Awesome Helsinki. The Design Forum is without doubt one of the best places to look for Finnish design in the city. And with their shop-in-shop campaign they feature several great design companies from throughout the city.

Till February 1 you will find everything from fashion to furniture, from interior items to textiles. Featured brands are Costo, Diohel, Kauniste, Mifuko, Trash Factory, Uusix workshops and Woodnotes.

The Design Forum is always worth a visit. But especially during the following four months. Check it out!

A real record store

Digelius at Viiskulma is one of the few real record store that can still be found in Helsinki. Here it’s all about the music. Not just CDs but also lots of LPs are lined up in the shelves here and waiting to be listened to. You can find both new and second hand.

Digelius has a great selection of World and Jazz music. And also has some small treasures like special music books or special CD collections for sale.

The shop has a long history. And through all this time is has been taken care of by Emu, the guy working here already for 40 years. If you are searching for something special or need some recommendations he’s definitely able to help you.

Drop by and bring some time! It’s a great place!

The Aalto Vase

The so called Savoy Vase from Alvar Aalto is probably one of the most popular Finnish design products of all times. It can be found in almost any Finnish household and is – like most Finnish design products – timeless.

The famous designer Alvar Aalto created it together with his wife Aino Marsio for the luxury Savoy restaurant in Helsinki in 1936. With the vase Aalto also participated in a design competition of then Karhula-Iittala glassworks factory.

Even though the vase is extremely popular till today Aalto never made any money with it since the design was owned by the factory.

If you are searching for a nice souvenir from Finland this is probably one of the most typical gifts you can find. The vase is sold in several different sizes and colors nowadays and can be found from almost any department store or online.

Stockmann going crazy again

Tomorrow this year’s second Hullut Päivät start again at Stockmann in Helsinki and all their other branches throughout the country.

As always most offers are just valid for one of the five days. It might make sense to take a look at the catalogue in advance and make a plan when to come to Stockmann during those days. Remember that some products are sold out quite quickly and sometimes it’s recommended to be there already early in the morning to ensure you still get them.

More information on the special offers can be found from the Hullut Päivät website (just in Finnish and Swedish). Hullut Päivät are on till Sunday October 13.

Enjoy the crazy days!