Posted by: Chica
Shopping Secrets in Spain - 01/19/02 11:42 AM
Hi all!
I thought I would dedicate this thread to little known or out of the way places to do shopping in Spain for great deals. I love the challenge of finding an excellent deal and will go to great lengths to find one...
Thought I would share some of my favorite spots with the board members. Anyone else who has a favorite shopping spot, please let us know!!
LLADRÓ - Spain is famous for it´s Lladró ceramics. The company ( www.lladro.es )is located in a small town just outside of Valencia called Tavernes Blancas. There is a bus that stops in the Plaza de Ayuntamiento in Valencia that goes to Tavernes Blancas. While Lladró is much cheaper in Spain than the US, even more cheaper in Valencia, the best place to buy a piece is at the factory outlet store in Tavernes Blancas just around the corner from the factory itself. The pieces sold in this store are "seconds" and have a slight defect in them (most hardly noticiable). I have bought pieces from there for less than half their price in the US. The only caveat is that these pieces don´t have much (if any) resale value or "collectible" status because of their defects and the famous Lladró tulip insignia is scratched off from the bottom of each piece.
Leather Coats-- Also in the Valencian region is a small town called Llombay (Llombai) which is southwest of Valencia Capital. I have, over the years, purchased two leather coats of incredible quality and style in this town. I paid $85 and $250 for coats that would have easily cost $150 and $400 respectively in the USA. For some unexplicable reason, Llombay is chock-full of leather shops. Besides coats, you can find all kinds of cool fashionable leatherwear from pants and skirts to shirts, vests, etc.
Ceramics (general)-- There is a small town just outside of Valencia Capital (can you tell that I lived there?? :)) called Manises (it´s actually where the airport is). This town is filled with quaint little ceramic shops which I have found to be a great place to go when looking to pick up some mementoes to bring back to the US! The train station itself is beautifully decorated in ceramic tile.
Books -- Casa del Libro on Gran Vía in Madrid, hands down. Three floors of every kind of book imaginable. A book lover´s paradise!
Happy Shopping!
[ 01-19-2002: Message edited by: Chica ]
[ 01-19-2002: Message edited by: Chica ]
I thought I would dedicate this thread to little known or out of the way places to do shopping in Spain for great deals. I love the challenge of finding an excellent deal and will go to great lengths to find one...
Thought I would share some of my favorite spots with the board members. Anyone else who has a favorite shopping spot, please let us know!!
LLADRÓ - Spain is famous for it´s Lladró ceramics. The company ( www.lladro.es )is located in a small town just outside of Valencia called Tavernes Blancas. There is a bus that stops in the Plaza de Ayuntamiento in Valencia that goes to Tavernes Blancas. While Lladró is much cheaper in Spain than the US, even more cheaper in Valencia, the best place to buy a piece is at the factory outlet store in Tavernes Blancas just around the corner from the factory itself. The pieces sold in this store are "seconds" and have a slight defect in them (most hardly noticiable). I have bought pieces from there for less than half their price in the US. The only caveat is that these pieces don´t have much (if any) resale value or "collectible" status because of their defects and the famous Lladró tulip insignia is scratched off from the bottom of each piece.
Leather Coats-- Also in the Valencian region is a small town called Llombay (Llombai) which is southwest of Valencia Capital. I have, over the years, purchased two leather coats of incredible quality and style in this town. I paid $85 and $250 for coats that would have easily cost $150 and $400 respectively in the USA. For some unexplicable reason, Llombay is chock-full of leather shops. Besides coats, you can find all kinds of cool fashionable leatherwear from pants and skirts to shirts, vests, etc.
Ceramics (general)-- There is a small town just outside of Valencia Capital (can you tell that I lived there?? :)) called Manises (it´s actually where the airport is). This town is filled with quaint little ceramic shops which I have found to be a great place to go when looking to pick up some mementoes to bring back to the US! The train station itself is beautifully decorated in ceramic tile.
Books -- Casa del Libro on Gran Vía in Madrid, hands down. Three floors of every kind of book imaginable. A book lover´s paradise!
Happy Shopping!
[ 01-19-2002: Message edited by: Chica ]
[ 01-19-2002: Message edited by: Chica ]