Shopping for Handicrafts?:
This small store offers a surprisingly varied selection.
Looking for old Cretan weaving? This shop is for you.:
The shop is jammed with fine examples of old Cretan weaving and embrodiery.
Check the Cases for Hidden Gems:
I had extra time while waiting for the staff to take care of other customers. The more I looked, the more treasures I saw.
Eva Grimm - Handicrafts, Weavings, and Jewelry:
At first glance, this small shop opposite the Venetian Loggia and near the Four Lions Fountain smells expensive. I winced as I passed the window, my attention pulled by an unusual Medusa-headed antique silver bracelet displayed there.
Surely it would be too expensive - with the price of silver rising, even modern generic Greek "chi" design necklaces promised as gifts were getting out of my reach. But I couldn't pass it by. Finally, I took a deep breath and went inside. Other things caught my attention - squid-carved sealstones, modern but nice; old weaving equipment, including a shuttle carved with clasped hands and fish, almost identical to one I had just seen in the Historical Museum; a literally dizzying collection of antique weavings, some hung from near the ceiling, requiring a wrenched neck to fully appreciate them.
I could delay no longer. I bravely asked the price of the bracelet in the window. The assistant hemmed and hawed to give himself enough time to open the case, remove the bracelet, and turn to firmly clasp it on my wrist before telling me he would have to ask the owner. I was then treated to an elaborate description of the bracelet's merits - how old it was, how fine the workmanship, how rare, as the assistant nodded agreement or added a word or two.
At last, we reached the matter of price. The owner looked regretful and my heart sank. "It was 130, but it has been here awhile. In any case, I must get 99 for it." "Ninety-nine?" I repeated. Even at the appalling exchange rate, that was still only about 125 in US dollars. I was so elated I dug for Euros without even bargaining.
Any buyer's regret? Yes. He had a second bracelet, similar but not identical to the first. Wonder if it will still be there on my next trip?
Eva Grimm
25th August Street
Near the Lions Fountain
Across fro mthe Venetian Loggia
Telephone (011 30) 08102 82547
