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Articles in Shopping

27.3.2013

Next Stop: SHOP!

Never underestimate the power of tiny Iceland to capture the world’s attention with financial crashes, volcanic eruptions, and a tourist campaign that went a little too far (here’s hoping no one ever actually renames Iceland “Jump For Joy Land”). Lately, Iceland has been garnering attention for something else too: its blossoming fashion scene.
21.1.2013

No Place For H&M

An hour before ATMO’s grand opening on November 15, CEO Ásta Kristjánsdóttir was far from ready in a flowing white top, grey jeans and pink and grey Nike sneakers.
19.12.2012

A Christmas Commerce Carol

As Tom Lehrer once famously sang, “God rest ye merry merchants may you make the yuletide pay.” Whether you celebrate with midnight mass and Gregorian hymns or Tim Allen movies and pyjamas, Christmas just ain’t Christmas without a few shiny parcels under ye ol’ holiday shrubbery.
19.7.2012

The Best of Reykjavík 2012: Shopping and Commerce

Downtown Reykjavík is starting to feel like some sort of Disneyland puffin mall, what with all the numerous new stores that cater exclusively to tourists in dire need of puffin or volcano related souvenirs. It’s understandable, though, because all you wonderful travellers need to bring back items for your loved ones.
15.5.2012

Accessorised Fantasy Worlds

At this year's Reykjavík Fashion Festival (RFF), designer and illustrator Hildur Björk Yeoman creates a fantasy world that is colourful, adventurous and playful.

15.3.2012

Don’t Get Too Excited About Your Authentic Icelandic Souvenir…

Walking down the main shopping street in Reykjavík, it is hard to miss the abundance of lava jewellery for sale.
9.3.2012

The Grapevine’s 2nd Annual Product Awards

Last year we launched The Grapevine Product Awards.
9.1.2012

Does E-Commerce Have A Future In Iceland?

When’s the last time you heard, “Attention shoppers, the time is now 20:50 and the store will be closing in 10 minutes” over an intercom at a large department store?
21.12.2011

Icelandic Skating Culture Gets A Boost

After somewhat of a lull in popularity over the past decade, the art of skateboarding is gaining ground in Reykjavík, its streets and skateparks once again crowded with newcomer skaters and experienced veterans...
15.12.2011

Let's Go Shopping At Christmastime!

Winter has tumbled from the sky and the holidays are nearly upon us. Soon the tree will be up and stockings will require stuffing
9.12.2010

Your Fancy Christmas Gift List

It’s the quintessential Christmas quandary. What to buy for the ones you love, the ones you like, and the ones you always end up buying something for out of obligation. We compiled a list of a few quirky choices that might just bring a smile to their dial.
7.9.2010

All Kinds of Everything

Just take a peek in the windows of Fríða Frænka, the little grey corrugated metal house in downtown Reykjavík, and you’ll be hooked.
17.8.2010

A Quiet Statement Against Mass-Production

“Whenever I get hold of a piece of fabric it calls for a certain volume,” explains Jet Korine, proprietor of a new fashion store by the same name, nestled up on Skólavörðustígur.
3.8.2010

No Fleas At This Market

On a good weekend stroll in downtown Reykjavík there is an indispensable stop that any sensible (and batshit insane) person will not miss: Kolaportið.
28.7.2010

Leather Alchemists

“To see something so unattractive as a raw fish skin turn into nice leather—it’s a beautiful process,” Gunnsteinn Björnsson said as he led me through his factory.
8.7.2010

A Proper Haberdashery

If you have been in Reykjavík for any significant amount of time, you may have taken notice at how (some of the) men’s style is a cut above.
7.7.2010

The Belle Of The Bar

The bar Ölstofan located on Vegamótastígur is a cosy, laid-back pub known for a fine array of local and imported brews.
6.7.2010

Your Style Salvation

If you’re still shopping-hungry after Laugavegur and you want a real taste of Reykjavík fashion, head to the wrong side of the tracks, the grisly underbelly of Reykjavík style, the Salvation Army.
5.7.2010

Eat, Breathe, Live Your Art

It doesn't take a scholar to recognise Reykjavík's devotion to the arts.
11.6.2010

Reykjavík Needs Rockabilly!

One thing that has always puzzled me about the music scene in Reykjavík is the unfortunate lack of rockabilly. I know there are a handful of crusaders carrying the rebel torch over here, but they alas only hold a small candle to the other Scandinavian countries and the rest of Europe.
10.6.2010

Grapevine Shows Some Love

We are generally inspired by Iceland and the stuff going on here. We wanted to bring y'all the good news happening in our fair country and why we love living here.
4.6.2010

Red Cross Revolution

“I can go crazy over an old coat,” laughs Helga Pálsdóttir. “If they fit and they’re of a nice fabric, I can go nuts,” she says, then pauses. “I will go nuts!”
25.5.2010

The Hawkers And The Foragers

Kolaportið, Reykjavík’s one and only flea market, is a chaotic writhing mass. Every species occupies a niche in this harbourside warehouse: vendors of all stripes, and buyers to match. Some are shedding old things while others are gathering them back up.
10.5.2010

Góði Hirðirinn: Treasure From Trash

A fluorescent-lit warehouse with an ambiance to match, Góði Hirðirinn is an almost-free-for-all of junk.
9.3.2010

Ka-ching!

With an afternoon to kill and a wallet full of cash, I naturally headed to the mall where I could spend not only my time, but also my money.
14.12.2009

Santa's Best Helper

Going home from Iceland for Christmas? Visiting Iceland over the holidays and looking for presents to bring home? Worry no longer, Grapevine is here to help.
24.11.2009

Fresh Stock

Say, have y’all noticed how many new stores have sprouted from the soil over the last few months? Who woulda thunk we would get such a great retail harvest during this economic drought!
15.7.2009

Brynja, We Love You!

If you need screws you have to go to Brynja, that big red storefront on Laugavegur that has occupied that same spot since 1929.
7.7.2009

Celebrating a Downtown Institution

If you are literate and have walked the length of Laugavegur it is likely that you have ventured into Bókabúð Mál og Menning. With tables of touristy books stacked on tables out front, and hoards of people bustling in and out endlessly during these summer months, it is hard to miss or resist. Thus it has been since 1961, when the shop first opened its doors at Laugavegur 18.
11.5.2009

Thailand in the Heart of Reykjavík

Mai Thai makes for a good resource for those hungry for Asian food as well as major corporation boycotters; a welcome component of Iceland’s otherwise monotonous grocery scene.
6.3.2009

Style Icons

Why are they called weird girl again?
6.3.2009

Design March

Although Iceland is currently bankrupt, the bombastic local art festivals that are still peaking, such as Iceland Airwaves, Culture Night and Reykjavik International Film Festival, have shown that we’re undeniably only broke on money.
6.3.2009

Seething Kraum

The popular Icelandic design shop, Kraum, was opened in 2007, a collaborative effort of some 30 designers to produce a communal designer store. The shop initially bought and sold work from up to 60 to 70 designers and has grown to sell the works of over 100. In 2008, Kraum was awarded by the Icelandic retailer council, “Tourist Shop of the Year”.
4.12.2008

A little Shop of Ink

In 2006, Össur Hafþórsson’s interest in tattoos led him to organise the first Icelandic Tattoo Convention. After the third successful instalment of the Convention, Össur decided that a yearly festival was not enough to infuse the Icelandic tattoo scene with international influence, and the next logical step was to establish a studio for international guest artists.
6.11.2008

How To Look Fabulous in a Financial Depression

Inevitably times will be harder for the people of Iceland. It seems the only appropriate thing to do is to prepare for this economic change and face some harsh cutbacks, but don’t feel blue. Here is a 10-rule guide to looking fabulous in a financial depression.
4.9.2008

Fashion

The hottest looks.
15.8.2008

Eat Burgers, Bathe and be Merry

Welcome to yet another instalment of Cheap Reykjavík, where the Grapevine’s resident misers share some of their patented money saving tricks and tips.
29.7.2008

We Got It for Cheap

Hey. Welcome to another instalment of Cheap Reykjavík, where the Grapevine’s resident misers share some of their patented money saving tricks and tips.
15.7.2008

A Cosy Colonial Store

We pack up the baby clothes at night and move on to the beer
14.7.2008

Icelandic Skateboard Design

As one of few sports that endorses individual strength and independence, skating has had a profound and often underestimated influence on fashion and art
2.7.2008

Útúrdúr

A different kind of book store
2.7.2008

Documenting Icelandic Culture

“Iceland has so much new talent these days, I think it deserves it… I came here and I was so amazed. It just begged to be made.”
20.6.2008

Overpriced Bargaining A-Hoy!

Hundreds of Icelanders convened in an empty warehouse on the outskirts of Reykjavík last weekend. While the levels of excitement displayed by the hefty crowd are usually reserved for car-dealership BBQs or reality TV auditions, this particular Saturday was different, for neither instant-fame nor hot dogs were up for grabs.
8.11.2007

TopShop

6.10.2007

Belleville

6.10.2007

Vegan Iceland?

As regular Grapevine readers will know, Iceland is not the best place for vegetarians. But newcomers and old Reykjavík hangabouts alike may be interested to know just what challenges their animal and environment friendly co-travellers face.
21.9.2007

Kron

7.9.2007

Forynja

7.9.2007

Sink This Beer

27.7.2007

Dead

13.7.2007

Brim

29.6.2007

Liborius

15.6.2007

Fígúra

31.5.2007

Green Apple

31.5.2007

Ghetto Yoga

4.5.2007

Kisan

13.4.2007

The Naked Ape

8.3.2007

Trilogia

30.6.2006

A Tuba

30.6.2006

Optical Mouse

16.6.2006

Use This Book!

2.6.2006

Iceland Review

2.6.2006

Vespa

2.6.2006

ACME Catalogue

2.6.2006

Black Mud

19.5.2006

Sudoku Puzzles

19.5.2006

Retro Radios

19.5.2006

TREO

7.4.2006

Páskabjór

7.4.2006

Free Legal Aid

7.4.2006

Draumalandið

7.10.2005

Buy Sweets

Iceland is not a country of long traditions in bread culture – in fact, back in the old days the local habit was to put butter on dried fish. There were very few grains in this country of one percent arable land, and the lack of wood to be burned made ovens a rare luxury, too. In modern times, many locals admit that bakers haven’t picked up on the finesse of bread baking. One baker told us to take the following into consideration: “A hundred years ago we were all still living in mud houses.” That said, the sweet Danish influence on local products adds significantly to the quality of life in Iceland. Here’s what you’ll be chewing on.
2.10.2005

Culture Club

The marketing folks in Iceland may enjoy painting the nation’s cuisine as replete with pickled ram’s testicles, sheep’s heads, putrefied shark, and spiced innards, but there is food originating from this little island that is delicious, flavour-packed, and cheap. And no, I don’t just mean hot dogs. Skyr is the quintessential Icelandic dairy product. Some describe it as thick yogurt, others as sour curds. It is high in protein and calcium and very low in fat – a fitness fan’s dream. Skyr is heavily marketed as one of the best fast-food health products in the country, and while this is most definitely true of pure skyr, the popular fruit varieties are full of sugar and less healthy than the tourist department would wish you to believe.
2.10.2005

Toni & Guy

2.9.2005

It’s in the Air: The Sweet Smell of Reykjavík’s Asian Foodshops

Coconut milk light, octopi, pickled eggplant, instants for tofu pudding and “frozen snowballs” – Asian foodshops do resemble a museum of sorts. But the two shops in the Reykjavík city area, Filippseyjar and Sælkerabúðin, offer much more than just peculiar Asian specialities.
5.8.2005

Buy Fruit

The rumour has long been that it’s a dedicated (or fabulously wealthy) soul who decides to eat vegetarian in Iceland. As most fruits and vegetables have to be imported, they tend to be more expensive than locally raised, grass-fed meat-makers – even more so if you want organic. But you needn’t necessarily take out a six-figure loan just to do a week’s vegetarian grocery shopping, provided you know where to shop.
5.8.2005

Night and Day: Two Very Different Approaches, If Shirts Are Your Thing

Only blocks apart from each other, two local craftsmen have done wonders with... the shirt. Different as night and day, or maybe as different as the left and the right hemispheres of the brain, Indriði and Jón Sæmundur, owners and creators of Indriði and Nonnabúð, respectively, are making shirts that feel more like art than clothes.
22.7.2005

Buy Shit

For a country with as few cows as it has, Iceland has managed to discover every treatment of cow’s milk there is except for fermentation (only recommended for horse milk). On a recent stroll through the dairy sections of Bónus on Laugavegur, we counted 15 different forms of dairy ranging from standard milk, butter and cheese to skyr-like runny concoctions that smell like primary school paste. This lactal labyrinth is capable of reducing people to tears as they try to decide what to put on their muesli. And this is why we’ve decided to do the tedious label-reading for you, and give you this handy guide to Icelandic dairy:
10.6.2005

Guide to Travel Food

Whether you go by rental car, bus, or hitchhike, one of the most important parts of travelling around Iceland is your food. Sure, you could stop at every gas station you find along the way and cram yourself full of pre-packaged sandwiches, but who wants to pay five euro for a sandwich? Your best bet is to go with the staple qualities that have kept nomadic bellies full for centuries: nutrition, preservability, portability and affordability. As hard as it may be to believe, there are actually a number of options in Iceland that fit these requirements to a tee.
6.5.2005

Gallerí Gel

Gallerí Gel opened about three years ago on Laugavegur 51, above Sputnik’s old location, with the intention of catering to a younger clientele than some of the more established salons downtown. When Sputnik moved to its current location on Klapparstígur 27, Gallerí Gel took up residence a few doors down, at the corner of Klapparstígur and Hverfisgata.
8.4.2005

BUY SHIT

8.4.2005

Bónus

8.4.2005

CAPPUCCINO CHANGE-UP: Iceland’s 2005 Barista Competition

How do you announce a coffee competition? I still really don’t know. I know this: There is a story of a sultan who dressed up to see what his villagers were saying behind his back. When he hid among the vineyards, he found that the people were drunk and were happy. Then he dressed up at a coffee house, and the people drinking coffee were discussing the bad things about the country. So he blamed the coffee. This would be a funny story once. Twice even. At fifty, you just pray for death.
3.12.2004

GLAMÚR: Is Fashion the New Punk?

The coming of winter does not stop new shops from budding and blooming in Reykjavík. It seems like there is a new wave of young designers with a do-it-yourself attitude towards fashion opening shops on and around Laugavegur. In this creative spirit it is thought to be unnecessary to get a degree in order to learn how to design clothes – after all, all you need are some good ideas and the will to follow them.
8.10.2004

WHY DOES EVERYONE DRESS THE SAME IN ICELAND?

Trends wash over this country like tidal waves; they come, they go and they disappear. Here the world of fashion with its trendsetters ranging from MTV to S/M can be a confusing one and one look at the latest collections once they arrive in the shops can leave even the bravest a bit nervous. Many fashion fads actually manage to make it to the streets, where in other countries timidness often rakes out the craziest looks. On some Saturday nights Laugavegur can look like a catwalk although, at least to my knowledge, no designer has actually sent his models puking down the runway.
6.8.2004

GIVE US YOUR DIRTY MONEY AND WE´LL CLEAN IT FOR YOU

The Salvation Army getting together with gangsters to fight for the souls of capitalists sounds one stretch too far in the eternal search for a meaningful plot. But as we are in the hands of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, there is most probably less call for alarm than there at first would appear. Happy End is Sumarópera’s (the Summer Opera´s) third production and sees them depart from the baroque themes of its earlier pieces.
23.7.2004

TWENTY MEN AND A MOUSTACHE

On Thursday the 15th of July, the bar Sirkus was full of people. What looked like an audition for the Village People with cowboys, construction workers and leather-clad bikers was actually the third annual Tom Selleck competition, dedicated to the art of growing and mowing a moustache.
9.7.2004

Mother tongue licks t-shirts into shape

Armed with a dictionary, you can go shopping for the perfect little tee to say the thing that’s right on the tip of your tongue. First came the badges. Slapped on caps and bags, they made their first appearance with simple slogans and names of bands, then turned into political opinions in the seventies and obscenities in the eighties. Slogans were born to express the unexpressable: “make love not war,” “say yes to jesus,” “handle with care.” You would rarely tell a stranger that you are with stupid, but you might very well have a badge saying it for you on the lapel of your jacket.
28.5.2004

Enter the Dragon

Keeping up with the high-priced fashions and day-to-day living in Reykjavík can get expensive. A café latte here, a pair of Diesel jeans there - if you aren’t thrifty, things add up all too quickly. And realizing you are too broke to buy beer on the weekends can turn life into an existential crisis.
11.7.2001

“Yeah! Rock ‘n Roll”

Shopping street Laugavegur, the only shopping street in Reykjavik, has its ups and downs, though of course ups and downs depend on what you’re looking for and where your interests lie.
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