6 of the best shopping streets
The Sunday Times TravelJanuary 2011
Desperately seeking some designer dress? Vintage vinyl? Old-school sweets? From Stockholm to Shanghai, you’ll find a few surprises in store...
Roll up: Sibyllegatan is a street situated in Östermalm, a quarter of quiet affluence, so it caters to those who like the finer things.
Splash out: Walk uphill, away from the harbor, to Palmgrens (No 7), a supplier of luxury leather goods since 1896. It oozes tradition, but alongside classic saddler are funkier pieces such as was bags in lime or orange. Two blocks up, Modernity’s beautiful showroom (No 6; pictured) is full of mid-century modern Scandinavian design. Everything is exceptional, whether you want a desk or a ‘60s silver necklace by Swedish company Alton. Find cool contemporary furnishings across the street at Asplund (No. 31), a white-walled two-storey shop with everything from rugs and bedside tables to cookware and toys. Now follow your nose a few doors along to Sibyllans Kaffe & Te Handel (No. 35), a holing-in-the –wall lined with tins of tea and coffee and jars of jam. Pick up some Sir William’s, a blend of seven types of Chinese tea, invented by the owner’s grandfather. Ray Urban (No. 49) is a silversmith’s that has resided at the end of the block since 1954. Quiet and classic, it sells jewellery, vases and quirky items such as a sterling silver cap that fits tubes of Kalles Kaviar, the fish paste that’s usually eaten on crispbread.
Take a break: Enjoy some of the best seafood in Stockholm at Lisa Elmqvist restaurant, inside the Saluhall market on the square opposite Modernity.