Shopping in Tallinn: handicraft and design shops

Authentic Estonian handicraft made in Estonia by native Estonians isn’t something you find in every Old Town souvenir shop. If you want to support local manufacturers and take home a real piece of Estonia, you should visit the shops of the Estonian Folk Art and Craft Union and buy products that have an authentic handicraft label.

Kaarmanni Käsitöö shop is in the heart of Tallinn’s Old Town, next to the Town Hall. Here you can find a wide selection of Estonian-made handicraft, including wool socks and sweaters, wooden utensils, accessories and toys.

The Eesti Käsitöö Maja (Estonian Handicraft House) located on Pikk Street also offers a large selection of Estonian handicraft products. Additionally, the shop acts as a folk art gallery, where exhibitions of Estonian handicraft masters change every three weeks.

If you left your shopping until the last minute, the handicraft shop Hää Eesti Asi (Good Estonian Thing) located in Tallinn Airport will come to your rescue. Here, in addition to various handicraft products, they sell authentic Estonian foodstuffs, from sweets to cured meats. Another Hää Eesti Asi shop can be found on Viru Street in the Old Town.

What to keep in mind when buying handicrafts in Tallinn:

• There are numerous souvenir shops in the Old Town, but many of these sell mass produced items made elsewhere. Be careful and look for handicrafts made in Estonia.
• Amber is never an Estonian product. Amber primarily comes from Latvia and Lithuania. Sometimes, products advertised as amber are actually just plastic jewellery, so it pays to be cautious when buying amber.
• Matryoshkas are dolls associated with Russian culture and have no connection whatsoever with Estonia. Instead, look for handmade dolls dressed in Estonian folk dress and made in Estonia.
• If you’re buying foodstuffs to take home with you, look up ahead of time what sort of customs requirements are in place in your country. Certain foodstuffs (such as pork) can’t be brought with you into certain countries.

Solaris Centre – multiple excellent design shops in one place

The Solaris shopping centre in the city centre is where you can find multiple design shops in which the best of Estonian design has concentrated.

In the Estonian Design House shop you can find, without exception, only the works of Estonian designers. Close to a hundred local designers are represented here. Among the products of the Estonian Design House, you can find clothes, furniture, accessories, jewellery and much more.

Levi is the largest design shop in the Solaris Centre by total area. Here you can find large quantities of work by Estonian designers, but the shop also stocks foreign design. Although Levi’s selection of products is quite large, the shop places emphasis on products made responsibly and in small batches.

Krunnipea (Bun Head) is a design shop with a fun name and where you can find works by Estonian, Finnish and Baltic designers. The shop stocks special clothing pieces, from skirts to cool T-shirts. Additionally, Krunnipea offers a wide selection of jewellery and accessories.

A design oasis in Rottermann quarter – Tallinn Design House

Inside the lively Rottermann quarter you can find many beloved international clothing brands, but there is one shop where only the work of Estonian designers is represented. Tallinn Design House calls itself the showroom of Estonian design. There you can find a wide selection of design products, including clothing, accessories, jewellery, furniture and furnishings. Tallinn Design House also offers the opportunity to organise events in their rooms, with both a presentation room equipped with a TV wall as well as a separate meeting room.

Estonia’s largest design shop TALI in Telliskivi Creative City

TALI located in Telliskivi Creative City stocks products from close to 50 design businesses. On offer are both Estonian as well as foreign design goods, such as clothes and accessories, but also interior furnishing goods. It also pays to look into other Telliskivi shopping street shops, where you can find numerous design shops as well as bakers, a games’ shop, an ice cream manufacture and shop, and many other great businesses and service providers.