Leuven is known as a city filled with students and lots of bars and cafés. But Leuven has so much more to offer. So, if you've conquered your hangover, you can go shopping, because Leuven has a lot of original shops that are worth discovering.
The Bondgenotenlaan and the Diestsestraat are filled with ‘commercial’ shops. H&M, Zara, WE, ... Those are interesting for students, because most of them are cheap. But if you’re looking for something else, go and visit the shops that are described here. Most of them are situated in the Mechelsestraat or the Parijsstraat, both in the center of Leuven.
Tante Jojo
Colour is the keyword for Tante Jojo, a cute store in the Jan Stasstraat. If you are looking for an original present for your best friend, this is the place to be! Everything there is unique and most of the stuff is handmade. Tante Jojo sells gadgets, but also home-decorations and much more. Everything is trendy and romantic and provided with bright colours. Prices vary and the shop assistants are very friendly.
Jan Stasstraat 10, 3000 Leuven, 016/620500, www.tantejojo.be
Pakjeshuis
If you’re looking for an original gift with a funny twist, het Pakjeshuis might be the right place for you. In this shop in the Mechelsestraat you can find, apart from presents and gadgets, also some design stuff to decorate your house with. Things aren’t very cheap, but you’ll get an original item in return.
Mechelsestraat 30, 3000 Leuven, 016/201215, www.pakjeshuis.com
Living Lounge
Retro is cool! And that's something the people from Living Lounge understood very well. If you’re looking for wallpapers from the 60’s or 70’s, or a funky lamp, you’ll find it here. Apart from home decorations, they also sell fun gifts and books.
Naamsestraat 128, 3000 Leuven, 016/227745, www.living-lounge.be
Sumo
A girl can never have enough shoes… and Sumo has the prettiest shoes in all of Leuven. Unfortunately they are expensive, but it’s worth the effort to save some money every week and eventually buy a nice pair from Camper, Dries van Noten or Chi Mihari.
Mechelsestraat 7, 3000 Leuven, 016/221485
Hippo
In this shop, you can find a great mixture between vintage and new clothes. Apart from clothing, they also sell purses, jewellery and accessories. Everything is rather girly and a lot of the clothes have colorful prints. They also sell children’s clothes.
Parijsstraat 27,
3000 Leuven
, 016/656510, www.hippovintage.be
Gobelijn
This place must be heaven voor fans of comic books. Gobelijn has a huge collection and they not only sell comic books in Dutch, but also in English and French. Apart from comic books, they also sell collector's items, posters and gadgets.
Mechelsestraat 35
, 3000 Leuven
, 016/235586, www.gobelijn.be
Picarto
If you’re an exchange student and you want to send a postcard home, buy it here! This shop has all kinds of postcards and greeting cards for every occasion. They also sell calendars and agendas.
Mechelsestraat 12, 3000 Leuven, 016/236891, www.picarto.be
JJ Records
If you’re a music fan and you’re looking for a record, go to JJ Records. Most of their records are rather alternative, but they also sell more mainstream music. If you’re not a music fan, you can still use the cool record covers to decorate your room.
Parijsstraat 32 , 3000 Leuven , 016/234027, www.jjrecords.com
31 maart 2010
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