I am happy to welcome today Deepa for the first of my summer guest posts! She is a freelance writer, lives in Amsterdam with her little family and runs the lovely blog Currystrumpet. Since I have always liked a lot her Amsterdam images, I asked her for some shopping tips and she came up with this wonderful article about A Store Without A Home.

“If you thought all shopping streets were the same, let Haarlemmerstraat and its twin Haarlemmerstraat, in the cool, laid-back city of Amsterdam convince you otherwise. Because it’s lined with independent, one-of-a-kind shops and not your usual shopping-street brands, it’s hard to be memorable on a street like this. But Store Without A Home, one of my personal favorite interior and living boutiques, does the job of standing out quite nicely.

Store Without A Home carries a quirky assortment of modern, unusual and finely crafted items from an international mix of independent brands and designers. It offers select pieces of furniture, tableware, lighting, soft furnishings, jewelry and gifts—not to mention a selection of ceramics that I know Gudy, with her passion for ceramics, would just love. New items are added to the store nearly every week, many of them available in the online version of the store as well.

What began as a temporary gallery space for design, art and fashion, drifted around Amsterdam (which explains the name Store Without A Home) until its found its permanent place on Haarlemmerdijk, the second half of what’s considered one of the best shopping streets in all of the Netherlands.

Each item reflects the modern taste and design sensibilities of owner Janwillem Sanderse, who does nearly everything for the store himself.

From choosing items for the store’s collection, to its visual merchandising and arrangement, to hand-lettering every single price tag himself (in the neatest handwriting, no less!), Janwillem’s exacting eye for design and passion for the particular is what makes Store Without A Home the lovingly cultivated treasure that it is.

What I love about Janwillem’s thoughtfully considered little universe is that his choices make you rethink the ones you’ve made for your own home. Why don’t your houseplants float in glass bubbles? Why can’t your wardrobe make you smile like a cartoon does? Why not make a choice that adds a little more humor, color or whimsy to your life?

Good questions, indeed—and perhaps Store Without A Home is a good place to start looking for the answers!”

Store Without A Home

Haarlemmerdijk 26
1013 JD Amsterdam
www.storewithoutahome.com
www.facebook.com/storewithoutahome
Webshop: www.storewithoutahome.yokaboo.com

Thank you Deepa for this great story! It has been difficult to choose between all the wonderful pictures you sent me. xx.G.