Reykjavík Grapevine - 13.07.2007, Blaðsíða 18

B14_REYKJAVÍK_GRAPEVINE_ISSUE 10_007_SHOPPING
Pay Attention!
As many comparisons as Iceland gets with Ha-
waii, it certainly seems to lag behind its Pacific
counterpart in the way of Surf and Skate apparel
stores. Brim, an enormous surfwear, skatewear,
and snowboard shop on upper Laugarvegur
seems to compensate for downtown Reykjavik’s
noticeable drought of Xtreme sports stores. A
recent move in late April saw the shop open up
two full levels of men and women’s beachwear
and surf and skate accessories.
The upper level of Brim features backpacks
from major skateboard companies, ranging
from 3,900 ISK to 6,900 ISK, and other skate
and streetwear accessories such as hats, belts,
wallets, necklaces and sunglasses. In the sum-
mertime, most of the items found on the top
floor of Brim can be spotted on the wrists,
necks, heads and backs of Icelandic teens in
nearly every part of town.
Downstairs, Brim is loaded with colourful
women’s bathing suits and men’s board shorts.
Once can find streetwear from all the major
surf and skate companies (Billabong, Element,
Nikita et al.) on the bottom level, with volumes
of men’s skate shoes on the closest wall. In the
back of Brim is a skateboard shop where anyone
can come in and assemble their own custom
board from a wide selection of decks, trucks,
wheels and bearings. While decks generally start
at 6,900 ISK, Brim features a make-your-own
skateboard deal ranging from 14,900 ISK to
about 20,000 ISK (making it one of the cheapest
in town.)
Brim
Laugarvegur 71, 101 Reykjavík
At Nexus there is a display case full of small figurines in-
tended for fantasy gaming. Still the figurines are artistic
and kitschy enough to be popular decoration for flats
and office desks. This ‘Warhawk Riders’ figurine from
Games Workshop is just one of many intricate fantasy
game pieces available at Nexus.
Nexus, Hverfisgata 103
1,495 ISK
From Element’s ‘Earth’ line of footwear is the ‘Dune’
(feature in ‘Camel/Kensington’ colour above), a skate
shoe designed for both vigorous skateboarding and
leisurely city walking. The style is just one of many
available from the extensive catalogue of skateboard-
ing footwear at the summer apparel store Brim.
Brim, Laugavegur 71
9,900 ISK
Bertie Wooster, the company whose name is taken from the
works of the quintessentially English author P.G Wodehouse,
specialises in gentlemen’s formal wear. Herrafataverzlun Ko-
rmáks & Skjaldar features various B.W items and accessories
(like this grey top hat) that help complete the wardrobe of the
aspiring chap. The delicate English Pewter flask is a perfectly
hipster and iconoclastic accessory to the Reykjavik pubcrawl.
Herrafataverzlun Kormáks & Skjaldar, Laugavegur 59
6,400 / 39,000 ISK
With summer at its peak, it’s no wonder that the newly re-
leased Nerf N-Strike Maverick is one of the most popular
items at Nexus, the comic book and gaming store on Hver-
fisgata. The ooze of Nerf guns, The ‘Maverick’ has a rotat-
ing 6-dart barrel and comes with an advisory label calling for
protective eyewear.
Nexus, Hverfisgata 103
1,995 ISK
If Ingolfstorg square on a mid-summer’s day is any in-
dication: skateboarding is a very big part of Iceland’s
youth culture. While most skaters use the shorter
boards for difficult skating, many use the longboard
(like this Black Label Longboard from Brim) as a per-
fect way to peacefully cruise around the smooth
streets and long hills of downtown Reykjavik.
Brim, Laugavegur 71
19,900 ISK
Not many people think to look at the feet around them in Reyk-
javik, but if they did they’d probably notice that men care about
there shoes in the capitol. The Sophos shoe shining kit (from
Herrafataverzlun Kormáks & Skjaldar), comes with two polish-
es, three brushes and a shine cloth for the involved and careful
process of shining expensive shoes.
Herrafataverzlun Kormáks & Skjaldar, Laugavegur 59
3,400 ISK
L AUGAVEGUR 86 -94 • 101 RE YK JAVÍK • S ÍMI 552 8090 • BASK . IS
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arrived home and told his wife that
he was three days late because he
had been swallowed by a whale.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez (b. 1928)
The Guardian Newspaper, 1999
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A JOURNEY INTO THE OCEAN OF WORLD LITERATURE
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