Shopping in Finland: design and artistic glass to buy

Kaleva Koru is, for example, the brand of a famous line of jewelry crafted in bronze, silver, gold, and enriched with local semi-precious stones, named after a national epic poem: the Kalevala. Many of these pieces were created in collaboration with archaeologists and reproduce symbols, shapes, and patterns from the Viking era.
The craftsmanship of glass and ceramics offers pieces in all shapes both for household items and daily use as well as unique pieces created by renowned designers.
The best-known factories are Arabia for ceramics and porcelain; Iittala, Riihimäki, and Nuutajärvi for glass products. All pieces can be purchased at retail stores or in the department stores of the most important cities. In Helsinki, for example, several showrooms of these brands can be found along the Esplanade.
Those who love fabrics can stock up on fine cotton and linen clothing; warm wool shawls or tapestries to beautify the home. Another significant sector not to overlook is clothing for sports and leisure, with a vast, widespread, and excellent quality offering. There are also numerous department store chains, including Anttila, Citymarket, Sokos, and the well-stocked Stockmann, with outlets in Helsinki, Espoo (Tapiola), Tampere, Turku, and Oulu. Those visiting Lapland can dedicate themselves to Sami handicrafts and the typical local flavors, including reindeer meat and game packaged vacuum-sealed for travel. Finally, it’s forbidden to leave without taking home a flask of vodka or a liqueur made from Finnish forest berries: blackberries and Arctic raspberries (lakka and mesimarja), and bog myrtle (tarpalo).