Reykjavík Grapevine - 03.07.2015, Blaðsíða 21

21The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 9 — 2015
Best Second Hand Shop—
Hertex
—
Garðastræti 6
Okay, we gotta start by clarifying some-
thing: the difference between a vintage
shop and a secondhand store. One is not
better than the other by nature, but they
are very different in terms of price, qual-
ity and overall store selection. For a long
time, this category has been handed out
to a vintage shop (good quality, prices
that reflect this quality, and a limited
curated selection). Now it’s time to give
it back. At Hertex, the Salvation Army’s
shop on Garðastræti, you get the best real
secondhand experience in town. “You
have to dig a bit to strike gold, but the
clothes are in really good condition and
they have great stuff and it’s actual sec-
ondhand prices,” enthused one panelist.
“One time, I found an actual Dior jacket,
and it cost nothing!” That’s a really lucky
strike, but it’s that kind of you-never-
know place. The store is clean, quaint and
run by a couple of sweet, friendly grand-
mothers who keep the place ship-shape.
We love it.
Runner-up: Fatamarkaður
2014: Spúútnik
2013: Spúútnik
2012: Fatamarkaðurinn
Best Shop For
“High Fashion”
GK Reykjavík
—
Skólavörðustígur 6
We might ruffle a few cummerbunds
here, but our panel of fashionista experts
have declared it so. Swooping the glory
away from KronKron for the first time,
GK Reykjavík has a good solid range of
high-end designers and brands, and,
as our experts noted, a wider and more
democratic price range. They have a big
beautiful location with a great-looking
layout, good selection and collection
turnover. “At KronKron they would of-
ten put the old collections on sale and
then put them back on the floor at regu-
lar price, which is just not right,” one ex-
pert noted. “When GK puts something
on sale, that’s the last time you see it, and
there’s new stock after.” Way to keep it
classy, GK.
Runners-up: KronKron, JÖR
2014: KronKron
2013: KronKron
2012: Kronkron
2011: Kronkron
Best Haberdashery
Kormáks og Skjaldar
—
Laugavegur 59
This is never a tough one. To be perfectly
honest, this category is singularly domi-
nated by this high-end menswear shop,
and we would be surprised to see another
shop give them a run for their money. In
fact, we patiently await the challenge,
just to see a little healthy competition.
But really, Kormákur and Skjöldur know
what they’re doing, and they keep on do-
ing it well. Keep it up, guys.
Runners-up: No one holds a candle
to them.
2014: Herrafataverzlun Kormáks &
Skjaldar
2013: Jör
2012: Herrafataverzlun Kormáks &
Skjaldar
2011: Herrafataverzlun Kormáks &
Skjaldar
2010: Herrafataverzlun Kormáks &
Skjaldar
Best Place To
Shop Organic
Frú Lauga, Laugardalur
—
Laugalæk 6
Don’t be fooled by the little outpost shop
in downtown: for real local organic qual-
ity food, one has to go to Frú Lauga’s
mothership in Laugardalur. The branch
out there is completely different, with a
bigger space, wider selection and even
their own greenhouse for growing and
selling their extremely fresh produce
right on the spot. It doesn’t get any more
greenhouse-to-table than this—who can
argue with that kind of quality?
Runner-up: Yggdrasill
2014: Frú Lauga
2013: Frú Lauga
2012: Frú Lauga
2011: Frú Lauga
Best Record Store
Reykjavík Record Shop
—
Klapparstígur 35
This newcomer has quickly become a
local favourite. With a small but well-
groomed selection, what you see is what
you get. “There are less records than
at Lucky, but there is higher product
turnover and the records are always in
excellent quality. You can always find
something really good at a reasonable
price,” said our crate-digger panelist.
“Sometimes it has really weird, rare and
obscure albums that are unexpected
alongside new beautiful records by cur-
rent bands.” Plus, the owner has been
known to be a bit of a personal shopper
to some local DJs, helping them get the
records they need to keep Reykjavík
crowds dancing. Keep up the good work!
Runner-up: Lucky Records
2014: Lucky Records
2013: Lucky Records
Best Place to Buy a Wool
Sweater
Rauði Krossinn
—
Laugavegur 12 & 116, and Mjódd
As anyone who regularly interacts with
tourists in Iceland can attest, one of
the questions you are frequently asked
is, “Where can I buy a nice traditional
sweater?” Handprjónasambandið (The
Icelandic Hand-Knitting Association) is
great, but their prices have followed the
tourism boom. At Rauði Krossinn (the
Red Cross store) you can buy a really nice
lopapeysa knit by a real Icelandic grand-
mother for a decent price. They have nice
staff and a nice location on Laugavegur,
plus you might find some other second-
hand bargains.
Runner-up: Kolaportið
2014: Handprjónasambandið
2013: Handprjónasambandið
NEW: Best Jewellery Shop
Orri Finn Design
—
Skólavörðustígur 17a
Tucked down in a semi-basement on
Skólavörðustígur, the shop is a work-
space and shop for Orri Finn’s beauti-
ful and unusual custom creations, with
such interesting ornaments as cutting
shears, fountain pen tips, moth wings
and straight blades. “I was walking by
the store in a hurry but I caught sight of
the pendants in the window and I had
to slow down,” one of our panellists re-
marked. Indeed, they are head-turning
and remarkable items.
Runner-up: Aurum
NEW: Best Boutique
Aurum
—
Bankastræti 4
This is one of those little shops that just
draws you in from the outside. With one
side of its vitrine dedicated to gorgeous
designer jewellery and the other care-
fully decorated with an array of design
products, accessories and toys, it's simply
irresistible. Inside they boast a great ar-
ray of high-quality local design products,
alongside French perfumes, cool Scandi-
navian bags, and a variety of products for
the household. You can always expect to
get something really nice there, whether
you’re treating yourself or someone you
love.
Runners-up: Hrím, Spúútnik
NEW: Best Cheap Store
Tiger
—
Laugavegur 13 & Kringlan
Where can you go to find a nice new
cookie jar, some lemonade glasses, fin-
ger paints for your little brother, googly-
eye glasses for your niece, cards for your
relatives birthdays, new candles for your
bathroom, comfortable long-johns, a
discreet toilet brush, and a large bag of
turmeric powder, all for under 10,000
ISK? No, not seven different stores. Just
the single, wonderful entity known as Ti-
ger. It’s a big international Scandinavian
chain but damn, they are excellent and
cheap cheap cheap. Tiger, always there,
always reliable.
Runners-up: Geysir, Kría
NEW: Best Goddamn Store
Geysir
—
Skólavörðustígur 16
So many feelings occur when one
sees this shiny unicorn of a store on
Skólavörðustígur—amazement, desire,
lust, envy, frustration. Sooner or later,
one has to give in to the temptation
caused by their pristine window display
and venture in. Inside, their vast stock is
built up by high quality, gorgeously de-
signed brands that are built to last. And
we're not just talking great clothes here.
There are housewares, accessories, es-
sentials and the surprising little things
you never quite knew you needed. The
prices are steep, but what you buy is likely
to last you a lifetime, and the experience
of shopping there is always a pleasure.
It is an all-around wonderful store and
nothing else compares to it in town. God-
damn it, Geysir is great!
Runners-up: Tiger, 12 Tónar
Best Swimming Pool
Vesturbæjarlaug
—
Hofsvallagata
The best pool in Reykjavík is always a
hotly contested category. Whether be-
cause of territorial loyalties, nostalgic al-
legiances, or keen observations about the
minutiae of the various saunas, hot tubs
and other pool facilities, people get very
heated on this subject.
After a long discussion, popular
“hipster pool” Vesturbæjarlaug was our
winner. “I’ve heard some of the funniest
pool stories in the hot tubs at Vesturbæ-
jarlaug,” one panellist noted. “And it’s the
only pool where I’ve seen Högni from
Hjaltalín reading poetry to girls from
a sun chair. You can watch the old men
doing their exercises, and even join in if
you want.” A recent refurbishment of the
pool’s hot tubs and changing rooms was
a big success, with new transparent sec-
tions in the pool’s perimeter fence mean-
ing there’s always sun shining on the
hotpots (subject to sunlight). They also
boast powerful new back-massaging jets.
Finally, the pool’s proximity to the new
Kaffihús Vesturbæjar for a post-soak
snack only helped the case.
Runners-up: Árbæjarlaug, Laugar-
dalslaug
2014: Vesturbæjarlaug
2013: Laugardalslaug
2012: Laugardalslaug
2011: Neslaug
2010: Laugardalslaug
2009: Laugardalslaug
Best Gallery
i8
Tryggvagata 16
Reykjavík is home to a wide range of
small galleries, from artist-run project
spaces to commercial galleries, with new
ones springing up or vanishing quite
regularly. But amongst this flourishing/
turbulent scene, i8 is a constant. Their
programme changes every month, often
offering work by two artists at once from
i8’s roster of Icelandic and international
artists. The gallery has a distinct aes-
thetic despite spotlighting a wide range
of multimedia practise, unified by an
experimental, playful spirit. This seems
necessary in the sometimes po-faced and
academic art world, and this enjoyable ir-
reverence has made i8 a well-known or-
ganisation overseas. The panel remarked
on the clockwork efficiency of their pro-
gramme, and the sheer quality of the
work on offer. So despite some promising
competition, i8 is a clear winner.
Runners-up: Hverfisgallerí, Týs-
gallerí
2014: Kling og Bang
2013: National Museum
2012: National Museum
2011: National Museum
2010: National Center for Cultural
Heritage
Best Of Reykjavík
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