Flea market series part 1: Vallila, Helsinki

As I'm a passionate flea market goer myself, I thought that maybe some of you would want to hear of my experiences and recommendations on flea markets! So I decided to start a series of flea market posts and introduce you the flea markets I go to and what there is to know about them. Starting off with my favourite flea market neighborhood, Vallila!


For the past 4 years I've more or less lived really close to the neighborhood of Vallila. It's been seen as one of the "up and coming"-neighborhoods of Helsinki and I'm not surprised! It has a lot of young people and an awesome, slightly rugged vibe. It also has quite a variety of flea markets.These are the ones I've visited the most as I used to live in this neighbourhood. I think this is one of the the best parts of Helsinki for some serious second hand shopping.

Hesyn perintöpuoti 

Mäkelänkatu 34

Small place with a good variety of books and especially good quality china. So if you're planning to buy a full set of some china by Arabia, check this place out. It's not overpriced but not the cheapest option. The money they make will go to take care of homeless animals. They also have another shop with more lower quality items and clothes at the headquarters at Itä-Pakila (Yhdyskunnantie 11). For more info, visit: http://www.hesy.fi/elainsuojelukeskus/perintopuoti/ where you an also find other ways to help homeless animals.

Emmaus Vallila 

Mäkelänkatu 54

A volunteer operated shop with no-profit agenda. All the money goes to support volunteering and for different projects in development aid. It has a christian agenda behind it. Well kept place with relatively good quality stuff and low prices. Wide range of items from clothes to light fixtures but no bigger home appliences. One of my "regulars" and the service has always been good. My best find has been gorgeous cream Max Mara two piece for 15 euros. More info: http://www.emmaushelsinki.fi/fi/kirppu.html

Löytöretki 

Mäkelänkatu 54 or 56

A flea market with self-service. Pretty messy place to be honest. A lot of stuff though and here you get the real excitement of finding something really nice with a low price. You just have to look past all the clutter first. A real "dig-and-find" flea market. And the owners keep their dog here from time to time so if you're totally scared of them, don't go. Only cash accepted.

Samaria-Shop 

Sturenkatu 37-41

Cheap homeware. Not really much to say about this place, quite a "normal" middle-sized second hand shop with some kind of christian charity behind it. Again, quite a range of items, pretty cheap as well. Not very pleasant service from the staff though. I think there are several ones in Helsinki, at least one other on Runerginkatu in Töölö. More information: http://www.samaria.fi/samaria/samaria-shop_kirppikset/

Vallilan Stoori 

Sturenkatu  36

This is a newcomer and oh boy what a newcomer it is! It's a combination between a cafe and a fleamarket, with superb quality on the stuff! Basically it's a normal self-service flea market where people leave their clothes to be sold but the staff here organises it in a really nice and slightly hipsterish way. It seems to be popular among young moms as well. It has had some awesome stuff every time I've been there and it's really easy to get to. You can check out their website on: http://www.vallilanstoori.fi/

Second-hand finds

So, I went to the Valtteri Flea Market the other day and this is what I found:

Isn't it just the most adorable little bag ever? Good condition, genuine leather, a Finnish manufacturer... and best of all, the price was 4 euros! A real find there!

As I really like the design of the purse, I googled a little bit more about the brand, Three Bags, and I found out there was a couple of bags by the brand on internet auctions. And that's where I then found this baby:

I've been looking for a bag that would accomodate my other baby, Asus Zenbook laptop I bought a couple of months ago and now I found it! How didn't I come to think of traditional suitcases before? And the colour is just to die for.

Another colourful second hand gem I purchased with the first bag:

Isn't it cute? Can't wind it up though as it makes such a noise I can't sleep, haha. :D

The Flea Market Valtteri, Vallilan makasiinit

Living in Vallila, there's probably one flea market I've heard the most about, Valtteri (http://www.kirpputori.com/valtteri) . So of course I had to pay it a visit the other day. Even with all the rumours I didn't really know what to expect. This is what I came across with:

It was huge and packed! (And just for info, this is only one half of the indoor space in use plus there's also an outdoor space for more tables and furniture when the weather is better)

The selection here is rather impressive, it covers basically anything and everything. Most notable "genre" of stuff on sale was still young women's clothing so for that kind of pieces, this is a good place. No chance for fitting anything properly on though! But of course you can buy so many different things here as it's based on rented salestables so the items vary based on whatever people want to sell: I saw everything from fake "chanel" purses and used mobile phones to antiques and children's utilities. There's also a fixed antiquariat and cafe in case one gets a bit thirsty going through this massive hall of re-usable goods.

Btw at the antiquariat section I found something curious:

 Note it's the second one of the series, I just wonder how many of these there are in total....

 

  Anyhow, I really liked the place and made some pretty awesome finds too but more about them on my next post. I think I'll definately visit Valtteri again but I'll wait for a while before so the selection changes a bit.

And of course after tiring second hand shopping, I had to treat myself with some Laskiaispulla and hot chocolate at Kulmakahvio at Karhupuisto, which I can highly recommend, the staff was super friendly!


UPDATE: The flea market has been closed.