Istanbul_ The Collected Traveler_ An Inspired Companion Guide - Barrie Kerper [218]
Cocoon (Halıcılar Caddesi 38 / cocoontr.com). Cocoon’s main outpost is in the Arasta Bazaar (see page 493) but its little shop in the Grand Bazaar actually caught my eye first. A few years ago, Cocoon owners Seref Ozen and Mustafa Gokhan Demir branched out into the world of design and fashion, and in this location is a bright, colorful collection of wool-felt items—headbands, pins, necklaces, bracelets, hats, handbags, and other accessories—that are hugely appealing. The original designs are terrific, and everything is handcrafted. I bought oodles of things for my daughter and my nieces—though, make no mistake: Cocoon is not meant to be a store for kids. Happily, everything is lightweight and easy to fit into suitcases that are already jam-packed.
CS Iznik Nicaea Ceramics (Takkeciler Caddesi 34-36 / +90 212 512 2872 / hakan_yaginli@hotmail.com). Hakan Yağinlı has a nice selection of good quality ceramics, many with fifteenth-and sixteenth-century Iznik designs. This is good to know about if true Iznik wares are beyond your reach. Hakan will pack up your selections for safe airplane travel.
Deli Kızın Yeri (delikiz.com). Former New Yorker Linda Caldwell is the creative genius behind this upbeat shop, which offers inspired gifts and wearable items that reflect Turkish culture and design. The name of her shop translates to “the crazy lady’s place,” referring to the fact that Caldwell’s friends have long called her crazy because she seems to follow the same road but is always trying to do the impossible. If “impossible” is defined as creating really cool and fun Turkish mementos and gifts, then I hope she stays crazy forever. Caldwell started Deli Kızın Yeri in 1998 after she and her husband retired to Istanbul. She’d fallen in love with Turkey and its traditional arts in 1973, when she first visited, and her goal is to create flat, packable items that travelers will have no trouble fitting into their bulging bags. She also tries to make them useful, so that they (hopefully) don’t languish in someone’s dresser drawer. I think she and her staff create must-have bookmarks, key chains, and cards—among other items—at reasonable prices. Caldwell believes she is the first foreign female to own a shop in the Grand Bazaar, an accomplishment worth celebrating. Caldwell used to fill mail orders, but does no longer, so her wares are only available right here.
Derviş (Keseciler Sokak 33-35 / +90 212 514 4525 / dervis.com) is similar to Abdulla yet offers completely different spa-and hamam-related stuff. Owner Tayfun Malik Utkan promises visitors will be addicted to his shop after only one visit, and he’s right. He’s especially proud of his Anatolian silk items, which admittedly are beautiful, but I lusted after his peştemals in hand-spun organic cotton and extra-virgin olive oil soaps—which come in square, round, and large cube shapes—scented with rose, oregano, and other fragrances. Utkan also has a gorgeous collection of dowry cloths from all over Anatolia, most more than forty or fifty years old.
Dhoku and EthniCon (Takkeciler Sokak 45/47, 49/51, and 58/60 / +90 212 527 6841 / dhoku.com and ethnicon.com). Dhoku (which means “texture”) and EthniCon are sister companies, Dhoku specializing in wool kilims in modern designs by top designers and EthniCon specializing in reinvented and repurposed rugs—taking pieces from damaged antique carpets, nomad tent coverings, scraps, etc., and patching them together to make one-of-a-kind weavings. Both are quite hip, though EthniCon rugs have probably received more publicity as they are also sold in Conran stores in the UK and the States. “Arty modernist carpet collages” is how Seth Sherwood refers to EthniCon rugs in The New York Times, which I think is spot-on. My friend Amy