Where do I find it? Specialty Neighborhoods

Ries

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(This is meant to be a reference thread- please feel free to add actual information to it. Please refrain from lengthy discourse on how you hate the pizza in Argentina, or how the CIA is controlling your mind- we have plenty of other threads dedicated to both those subjects)



Specialty Neighborhoods-

Like the old Garment District or Diamond District in NYC, similar businesses in Buenos Aires tend to cluster in the same neighorhood.

Here are a few of them.


Fabric- (Telas)
In Once, mostly on Lavalle, between Callao and Peuyrredon. But really, there are
fabric stores for blocks in all directions.
This neighborhood is also the Jewish barrio, and there are kosher restaurants,
stores, and delis scattered about.

Yarn-
Scalabrini Ortiz, starting at the corner of Cordoba, and going south, towards
Corrientes, for about 3 blocks, both sides of the street. Amazing variety, good
prices, everything from polyester to llama.

CD's-
The best selection I have found is right around Callao y Corrientes.
Zivals is the grand dame, with a huge selection of books and CD's, very knowledgeable staff, and the ability to hear anything before you buy it.
http://www.zivals.com/disqueria.html
Notorius, a few blocks down Callao, is also very good. They often have instore shows by bands.
http://www.notorious.com.ar/
There are several other places nearby, with different specialties.

Clothes to embarass your parents-
Its a universal truth that, upon turning 15, a certain percentage of the population seeks to distance themselves as much as possible from their family, and, for the last 35 years, Punk Rock has been one of the main methods of doing this.
Buenos Aires is no exception to this rule. The Bond Street Galleria, on Santa Fe between Rodriguez Pena y Montevideo is the epicenter of this in BsAs. Need to get pierced, tattooed, or buy Fluorescent Pink hair dye? this is the spot. Lots of goth, heavy metal, punk rock, skater, and other subculture clothes, shoes, and accessories in the galleria proper, and more stores scattered for a few blocks around. Satisfy those suppressed needs for plaid bondage pants and vinyl copies of the Ramones first album.

Electrical gizmos, cords, computer parts,and adapters-
there is an entire galleria on Calle Florida 537-
Galleria Jardin
http://www.galeria-jardin-bsas.com.ar/
and then there is a neighborhood- Parana y Sarmiento.

Musical Instruments-
Callao y Sarmiento, down Sarmiento towards Montevideo. A whole cluster of the best music stores in town, mostly new, some used, with everything.

Hardware- curiously, the same neighborhood that has musical instruments is also the builders hardware neighborhood- with great stores full of doorknobs, towel bars, window latches, handles, hinges, and more. You can often match the hardware in a 100 year old apartment here. Sarmiento, mostly.

Jewelry Stores-
Calle Libertad - start in Corrientes and walk towards Avenida de Mayo - there are three or four blocks with nothing but jewelry stores.

Kitchen and Restaurant supplies-
JuJuy, right around the autopista from San Juan to Juan de Garay.
also, Doña Clara, Av.Corrientes 2561 is highly recommended.

Antique furniture and recycled building parts-
the center of this neighborhood is the Mercado de Pulgas- the permanent flea
market on Dorrego and Niceto Vega. they are building a new building for it one block away, should be open soon.
It has booths with regular sellers of furniture, knickknacks, and some china and glassware.
But the entire neighborhood around it is full of junk stores, antique stores,
and used furniture stores.
Around the corner on Cordoba, there is a cluster of ceramic tile stores, many
with New Old Stock of great old tile, and ceramic trim and fixtures dating back
for years and years. There are also stores nearby selling recycled metal parts,
like railings and windows, recycled flooring, panelling, doors, stained glass,
and just about anything else you could salvage from a building.

Leather clothes-
Calle Murillo, in Villa Crespo, the 600 block near the intersection of
Gurruchaga.

Books-
there isnt really only ONE book neighborhood.

There are a half dozen bookstores on Corrientes, starting around 9 de Julio, and
heading west.
Gandhi is a good one, but there are lots of them.
http://akworld.net/BAweekly/?p=453

El Ateneo bookstore is a must see- an old 30's movie theatre on Santa Fe that is one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world.
http://argentinastravel.com/268/el-ateneo-in-buenos-aires-a-bookstore-to-end-all-bookstores/

There is also, at the opposite end of the spectrum, a completely dumpy, totally jam packed, messy architecture and design bookstore on Calle Florida- the really knowledgeable older couple who run it know everybody, and everything, about architecture and design in argentina, and much of the world.
CP-67 is the name of the store, at 683 Florida, behind a tacky mini mall of
leather jackets and travel agents, but well worth a visit.
http://www.cp67.com/

There are two book flea markets, that are open most days. One is on Santa Fe, just past Plaza Italia across from La Rural, in the median in the middle of the street. The other is on Rivadavia, at Parque Rivadavia, 4900 Rivadavia.

For english language books, there is Walrus, Estados Unidos 617 in San Telmo.
http://www.walrus-books.com.ar/

Also recommended by many here is the BookCellar-
http://www.bookcellarbsas.com/

Dental Equipment-
I know, very few travellers or expats will ever NEED dental equipment, but the fact that there is a whole neighborhood dedicated to it is kind of amazing nonetheless.
It is on Marcelo Alvear, right around Ayacucho. If you need a spit sink, or a few miles of floss,now you know where to go.


Ferias-
which translates somewhere between fair and flea market.

Here is a city web page which lists the main ones.
http://www.buenosaires.gov.ar/areas/cultura/parair/paseos.php?menu_id=11229

The antique fair is in San Telmo, Plaza Dorrego, Defensa y Humberto, on Sunday mornings. Its not junk, and its not being given away, but by European or North American standards, the prices are very good.
In the neighborhood nearby are a couple of antique malls, and another dozen or more antique stores, with all kinds of things, at medium to high prices. Not as pricey as the antique stores in Recoleta, but definitely not flea market prices.


The one in front of the Recoleta Cemetery is hippie style arts and crafts.
The one at Parque Centenario, and the one in front of the Chacarita Cemetery, are mixed old and new, great stuff and junk, shoe repair and incense, aunties attic and power ranger pajamas.


Food

There are only a few indoor food markets left in Buenos Aires, with lots of
little stalls each specializing in one type of food.
But they are fun to visit, and often have better food cheaper than the corner
store will.
One is in San Telmo, right off Defensa at Carlos Calvas.
http://www.welcomesantelmo.com/san-telmo-guide/rmb3jqv6p9/

Another is in Caballito, the Mercado Progersso, on Rivadavia at the Primera
Junta subte stop.
http://www.mercadodelprogreso.com.ar/

Dan Perlman of Casa Saltshaker has a great page of stores where he buys cooking supplies, equipment, and specialty foods.
http://www.saltshaker.net/buenos-aires-food-drink


a few I need to do further research on-
I am pretty sure that there is a stretch of either Gaona, or Angel Gallardo, that is tools and contractors supplies.
And that there is a bunch of sewing machine stores around Corrientes and Scalabrini Ortiz, but where, exactly?
 
my own favorite speciality is the shop dummies street in Once (sorry cannot recall the street name) but laughed loud at the men, women, kids in all their various shapes, sizes and colors filling not only the shops but the pavement also...
 
In english, Mannequin- in Castellano, Maniqui.

Lavalle, between Pueyrredon y Gallo, mas o menos.
 
Great post Ries. A few more:

Furniture: Avenida Belgrano

Leather: Avenida Boedo (Cochabamba down to Asamblea)

Fireworks: Jujuy also

Clothing outlet stores: Avenida Cordoba also Avellaneda in Flores (roughly Nazca to Segurola)

Chola outfits, dancing/fighting videos: Jose Leon Suarez between Rivadavia and Ibarrola

Camping/fishing gear: Parana
 
Santerias: Cuzco between Rivadavia and Amadeo Jacques
 
There is also a fancy dress/party supplies zone on Lavalle just east of the mannequins.
 
A few years ago, the Jardins Galleria on Florida was raided by the local authorities for selling contaband. They probably still are. I bought a "Hewitt Packard" printer, there. It's now in my storage room collecting dust. I don't want to sound like a plutocrat, but most of the neighborhood listings seem to be for lower cost stuff. Sorry, I don't know no Latin, but "Let the buyer beware"; especially in BA.
 
I highly recommend the book cellar for books in english and other languages other than spanish (actually he has spanish collector books also)...prices are much better than the Walrus, but why i love it is that its so fun to go there...Daniel is a walking encyclopedia of info on books and is so much fun and so enthusiastic about stuff....his place is in belgrano...off the beaten path, but combine it with Chinese lunch and shopping....
thebookcellarbsas.blogspot.com his blog has listings of most of his books....he will also buy your used books
 
Could someone point me in the direction of an area of jewlery shops selling wedding rings, cheap and not so cheap. Thanks :)
 
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