I love to shop! I'm like every other woman. A closet full of clothes and nothing to wear. Buying and consuming has never been as easy as it is today. We are able to purchase on the internet just about anything our hearts desire..clothing, electronics, food, books.. It's all out there, just one mouse click away. The downside is that fysical stores are having a hard time surviving. Especially in the crisis we are dealing with now. Well established brands, megastores and discounters will eventually define our street view. What a shame!
However thanks to a new trend there are new creative entrepreneurs that are redefining shopping. By cross selling and combining several product groups and presenting it as a concept of a certain lifestyle, they are making 'consuming' a new conscious experience. The collection does not represent what the mass wants, it represents quality, beauty, sustainability and consciousness. Hand picked items by local designers, limited edition coffea table books, hand made jewelry and bags.... and organic sandwiches and cakes. Slow retail.I love it!
These concept stores are popular with people like me that are visually orientated and sensitive to the lifestyle that they represent. I love to stroll around these stores, feel the fabric of a clothing piece, know the story behind a certain design, seeing new things, and while i'm at it, drink a cup of good coffea, made with love.
In the old part of Amsterdam, on a canal, near the red light district and across from the Hash Museum is a little gem (and hotspot i'm sure!),
KOKO Coffee & Design, run by two ladies, Caroline and Karlijn, with different backgrounds. They combined their passion for good Coffea, Fashion and Styling and started this inspiring shop about 8 months ago. They offer a platform for young designers and local fashion labels as
Sanne Jansen and
Femke Agema. But also unique (vintage) items and new upcoming foreign labels, like the Finnish label
Samuji, exclusively available at KOKO.
Wander around, enjoy the atmosphere, get that unique item and have a cup of lightly roasted organic coffea. I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I do!
KOKO Coffee & Design
Oudezijds Achterburgwal 145
1012 DG Amsterdam
