The Shopping Hit List:
We assume our readers are a bit nutty and prefer shopping to having a bite to eat first thing they do after arriving in Amsterdam so we begin the day by targeting a few of the shops in Amsterdam that deserve mentioning. De Negen Straatjes (the nine streets), filled with lively cafes, outlandish second hand shops as well as your externally fresh boutiques, this trendy area will steer you away from the extremely touristy streets of Amsterdam where it now seems to be quite difficult to avoid. First shop stop is SPRMRKT, Rozengracht 191-193, is a supermarket-converted shop (hence the name) that sells clothing collections ranging from Acne to Raf with a touch of retro designer furniture pieces in the entrance. If you’re in the right place at the right time, you might be able to witness a photo shoot going on in this store, better yet; at Hartenstraat 36 you will find the SPRMRKT outlet store, here you can find clothing at a more affordable price than that seen at SPRMRKT. Still along the line of affordability and De 9 Straatjes, Episode, Berenstraat 1 and Zipper, Huidenstraat 7 are just 2 of the many second hand boutiques that personifies the Amsterdam retro trend.

If you want to step out of ‘high-end’ fashion and move onto urban-modern, head down to Waterlooplein where 290 sq meters, Houtkopersdwarsstraat 3 is evidently a concept store that has worked in all ‘290 sq metres’ of space with clothing, accessories, artwork by Futura and even fixed-gear bikes. With 290 sq metres of space to play with and ongoing events, you might be able to bystander magazine launches, art exhibitions or even the international launch of NIKEiD, you are never too far away from ‘the happenings’ in this city. Guaranteed.

When it’s music and records that you’re after, Fame Records, the Dutch equivalent of HMV or Virgin Megastore just off Dam Square (Kalverstraat 2-4) will be your best bet for CD, game, DVD and music book purchases with its impressive 3 storeys of goods and copious amounts of discounted goods.

Yet when it’s the more specialised record stores that you crave for, the two best shops to go down to are Record Palace on Weteringschans 33a which features an impressive two storeys of mostly second hand 7 and 12” vinyl ranging from Balinese Gamelan music to musician signed records hanging from the wall (a Lou Reed signed Velvet Underground and Nico LP to name but one). Furthermore Jan, the shop’s friendly and very knowledgeable proprietor would be glad to chat about records all day long.

Rush Hour, a much smaller and very much independent minded record shop around the corner from Dam Square opened in 1997 is one of the smarter looking record shops in Amsterdam with its minimalist interior, urban t-shirts and four listening booths to its credit.

Yet don’t let the size of the shop fool you though as Rush Hour acts also as an official distribution point for many leading independent labels as well as being a well-respected Dutch label themselves. Their website rushhour.nl features a truly impressive selection of records from the mainstream to the downright outlandish with the ability to serve mail orders to the four corners of the globe. And although they’re specialized in electronic music (techno, house, disco, hip-hop, dubstep, new jazz and broken beats) their supply of funk/soul, rock, latin, jazz, Brazilian and reggae LPs are not to be scoffed at.