Vegan Iceland?
As regular Grapevine readers will know, Iceland is not the best place for vegetarians. But newcomers and old Reykjavík hangabouts alike may be interested to know just what challen
A Buffet of Quality Icelandic Designs
The interior design exhibition and trade show ‘Home and Design’ takes place for the second time at the new Laugardalshöll Hall, October 19 – 21. As part of the three-day
Belleville
Owned by a young couple, Bjarni and Anna, the small store Belleville is stuffed with trendy streetwear designs for fashion conscious shoppers. Limited-addition sneakers, skateboard
Kron
That old cliché about women having a soft spot for shoes is alive and well in Reykjavík, especially when those women pop into shoestore Kron on Laugavegur. Co-shop owner Hugrún
A Day at the Mall
Everyone loves the mall. This has already been established and the video evidence made available by Kevin Smith. In the greater Reykjavík area, there are two malls worth visiting:
Sink This Beer
Last April, Grapevine journalist Steinunn Jakobsdóttir visited Seyðisfjörður, a small and extremely charming fishing village on the East coast of Iceland, where she met Eyþór
Forynja
Designer and Naked Ape shop-owner Sara María Eyþórsdóttir doesn’t waste any time when a new business idea pops into her head. She and her creative co-workers have established
Etching Bold Patterns
Twenty-seven-year-old Ingibjörg Finnbogadóttir, or Imba as she is known in the design world, has been working on a host of independent projects as a patternmaker and stylist in N
Thorvaldsens Bazar
Located inside a dignified wooden building on the corner of Austurstræti and Veltusund, Thorvaldsen’s Bazar is among the oldest shops in Reykjavík. Opening its doors in 1901, t
Quest for the Icelandic Wool
I found the following assertion on one of the websites dedicated to the Icelandic wool: ‘Wool is cool.’ Unchallengeable, indeed. Wool is a source of Iceland’s national pride,
Kolaportið Flea Market
You know the saying – ‘one man’s junk is another man’s treasure’. That’s exactly the feel inside Kolaportið on any given weekend. Kolaportið, Reykjavík’s indoor fl
Dead
In an alley stretching off of Laugavegur, Jón Sæmundur Auðarson’s Dead label has found a permanent home in his store of the same name. The former owner of Nonnabúð and [&hel
Classic Toys Return
Back in the old days, Icelandic children couldn’t run out to the next over-stuffed toyshop to stock up on plastic dolls, action figures or computer games, if they happened to [&h
Brim
As many comparisons as Iceland gets with Hawaii, it certainly seems to lag behind its Pacific counterpart in the way of Surf and Skate apparel stores. Brim, an enormous surfwear, [
Selection From the Sweets Shop
When the editor summoned me and told me to explore the field of Icelandic candy, I thought it would a dream assignment. It was, and it wasn’t. I got an […]
Skyr: A Beginner’s Guide
Skyr (pronounced ‘skeer’) is a traditional Icelandic dairy product made from pasteurised skim milk without omitting certain kinds of milk cultures and bacteria. The milk is gen
Liborius
Attracting a mixed clientele with an eye for unique design and quality fabrics, fashion shop Liborius has relocated at Laugavegur 7. Opening its doors three weeks ago, this one-of-
Sirkus Street Market
This summer, the Sirkus street market will be open every weekend on Fridays and Saturdays, much like it has been the last five years. The market offers a collection of […]
Fígúra
The newest addition to the downtown shopping opportunities is the small designer shop Fígúra on Skólavörðustígur 22a. The shop just opened three weeks ago but already stocks
Kaldi: The Coolest Beer in Iceland
It seems that the introduction of an Icelandic microbrewery has been long overdue: it was nearly twenty years ago that the ban on beer was lifted, and since then big-brand [&hellip