Mini meeting 27th September 2002 and other Antwerp, Belgium Shopping Tips

Name of Shop: De Vagant shop

At the opposite corner of the pub The Vagant, you will find this little shop with the same name.
Here you can find a plentitude of not only Belgian jenevers but also some other local liquors.

What To Buy: It is really a hard nut to crack... LOL
Ask Chiara! she didn't knew what she had to chose but evt she made her choice and bought 3 different mini bottles of jenever.

What To Pay: Looking at Chiara's gesture I think it was affordable...
she seems like to say... it only costs this little `-)

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Theme: Food and Drink
Address: Corner Pelgrimstraat and Reynderstraat
Directions: Old city centre
Website: www.devagant.be

Name of Shop: Lace shop

Around the 17th/18th century 1 out of 2 people living in Antwerp worked in the lace production. When the harbour opened again in the 19th century, the underpaid lace producers started to work for the harbour.
The lace industry was in the hands of a few families. Plantin Moretus was one of them.
When the lace industry collapsed, the production shifted to Bruges.

What To Buy: Most affordable lace is made mechanical.
Handmade lace is very expensive as it demands hours of work and quite some skill!
You can visit the lace museum at the Carolus Boromeus church(Hendrik Conscience plein) on Wednesday and Thuesday afternoon and get some expert explanation of the women who are still making handlace and who are doing restoration or giving courses.

What To Pay: Real lace is very expensive but if you an settle with machine made... there are really nice designs

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Theme: Other
Address: Groenplaats
Directions: Just in front of the Groenplaats and the Rubens statue

Name of Shop: Jewelery shops near Central Station

Near Central station you will find a lot of jewelery shops. How can you tell which ones are the good ones? Well I really can't help you with this one. I can only say that when something is cheap you need to be careful.
Because of some fraudes in the little shops there has been some razzia's a few years ago. The aim was to spot illegal trade, to find stolen goods or to check the "Karat"imprints on the gold, if they were correct.

Fact is that people who run honest business have to see how others take away their clients with lesser quality and giving all the shop keepers a bad name.

I think the razzia's were a good thing and establish trust in the local shops.

What To Buy: I would only buy from a shop if I know personally good recomondations.


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Theme: Jewelry
Directions: Around Central Station

Name of Shop: the Century Centre shopping mall

At a few footsteps from the Central Station on the De Keyzerlei you find this shopping mall, called the Century Centre Shopping Centre.
It is established somewhere in the 70ties I think.
One of the exits of the metro station, stop Diamant" gives out in this shopping centre.

What To Buy: You mainly will find clothing and shoes here but also other stuff.


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Theme: Other
Address: De Keyzerlei, Antwerp
Directions: Leaving the Central Station at your back, the Shopping mall is at your left.

Name of Shop: Slaets

At the VT-meeting in December 2002, Rudy's watch went down, well the batteries did and we really could not miss it!
So we decided to try to enter one of the shops nearby the Central Station where we saw they sold watches (ok... they were gold with diamonds but he!).
The first one we went in was a Jewish shop and my goodness... that guy looked at us after we asked if he had spare batteries if we just stepped out of a pile of sh>>t!
I have never seen such a disapproval face in my life before! How humiliating!
So we tried again in a shop I knew that was really renomated and fair.
This shop was Slaets, just a few shops further away.
I must say... they treathed us like we were noble! we could wait in a salon while they took care of the watch. I thought... my goodness, are we going to pay a fortune for this excellent service???
But no! The price was normal, nothing special.
So this tip is for being treathed with class by a shop who knows how to run business for already many years!
Bravo!

What To Buy: No need to say that if I even won the lotery I would NEVER go back to that first shop!

Slaets, however has a very good name as far as I can remember. They also showed good class and style.
If I won the lotery, you will find me here, picking out some nice jewelry and a fancy watch!
They also have nice ear rings but I tend to lose them `-)

What To Pay: A fair price for a fair product

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Theme: Jewelry
Phone: +32/(0)3-213.50.80
Address: De Keyserlei, 42-46-48,B-2018 Antwerpen
Directions: With Central Station in your back a little bit further then the Century Centre shopping mall

Name of Shop: The Burie

One of the many things Belgium is famous for are its fresh hand made chocolats.
Being very tasty, seducive and addicting... there is more about it then just "chocolat"!

This statement needs no more proof then a view through the shop window of the Burie chocolat store.

Many designs in chocolats are at display but those are the ones of today...
This chocolatier has golden fingers! A look at their website will show you some of the previous designs they had made, fabulous!
I don't think I would be able to eat some of those... they are so beautiful I would leave them untouched!
Do visit the website!

What To Buy: They have so many things for sale, from the ordinary (although that is an understatement) chocolats, to the more extraordinary creations.
What about asparagus in chocolats? or a birdhouse even!
The Bourla theatre in chocolat or some Sheik's palace?
aaah maybe that last one would be too big...

What To Pay: The chocolats are not cheap but they are from very good quality and worth the price.
They also make arrangements of guided tours, combined with a taster and a little surpise afterwards. More info about that is found on their homepage.
You can order online at their website!

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Theme: Food and Drink
Phone: +32/(0)3-232 36 88
Address: Korte Gasthuisstraat 3, B-2018 Antwerpen
Directions: A pedestrian street, side street of the Meir) near the Wilde Zee
Website: http://www.chobel.be/burie/
Other Contact: fax:+32(0)3-

Name of Shop: Wim Meeussen

A little bit hidden, in the little pedestrian streets that leads from the Melkmarkt towards the Conscience plein, you will find a couple of jewelry shops.
One I always liked to stop at is the one of Wim Meeussen. Maybe it is because I once was there with a VT member who wanted to suprise his wife at home with something specific from Antwerp.
Yes... this is more Antwerp then the golden rings and diamonds near central station.
Why? Because Wim Meeussen had his training in Antwerp and he designs his pieces himself.
They are quite recognizable.

He also was very friendly and attentive and helpful.
It is worth a visit.

What To Buy: He has his own designed pieces of white or yellow gold or a mixture or silver and gold.
His rings are nice and I saw some children's jewelry on his website that are soooo cute :)

What To Pay: What you pay depends on what you buy :)

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Theme: Jewelry
Phone: +32/477 - 340 373 (mobile)
Address: Wijngaardstgraat 11 - 2000 Antwerpen
Directions: Between Melkmarkt and Conscienceplein
Website: http://www.wimmeeussen.be/
Other Contact: info@wimmeeussen.be

Name of Shop: Chocolates can make ->YOU! melt!

"AAAAAaahhh!" "Ohhhhhh" and "I want some more" that is all you could get out of us when we tasted those terrific chocolats from Del Rey.
I don't think I have ever tasted something as refined as these!

Lucky for us it was our colleague who bought them on occasion of his retirement as they are quite expensive!
But I guess quality has a price :)

What To Buy: In this box, that was completely filled, there was not a single chocolate double!
All where different and I bet they even had many more in store!

What To Pay: It is quite expensive, most expensive but still cheaper then you will get them abroad `-)

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Theme: Food and Drink
Phone: +32/(0)3 233-2937
Address: Appelmansstraat 5, 2018 Antwerp
Directions: Side street of the De Keyzerlei, very close to the Central Station
Website: http://www.delrey.be/