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Erdün Collection (Şerif Ağa Sokak 34/39 / +90 212 526 7628 / erduncollection.com). Owner Bülent Vatandaş has been here for about thirty years and sells a fascinating collection of nineteenth-and early-twentieth-century Anatolian items used in daily life, such as coffee roasters, coffeepots, iron ladles for roasting coffee, lanterns, ladies’ soap boxes for the hammam, cowbells, water jugs and pitchers, yogurt buckets, ink bottles, ceramic doorknobs, wooden spice boxes, and—my favorite—lunch boxes, which are the fanciest and most beautiful you’ll ever see: these are metal and they fold out into different sections, meant to hold soup, meat, and vegetables. Most of these items are family heirlooms, not antiques. Erdün also has a fantastic selection of ceramic mosque balls—these are a bit hard to describe, but they’re beautiful. Besides these, Erdün has hanging glass mosque lanterns, in varying sizes, which I love. The small ones are approximately twenty-five dollars and some have amber or glass beads “woven” into the chain. I hang mine from my dining room chandelier and they are so beautiful that, well, I should have bought thirty.

Eski (Cevahir Bedesteni, directly across from Erdün). A family business since 1960, Eski is jam-packed with things like miniature paintings, silver Torah pointers, kiddush cups, narghiles, gorgeous ceramics, Russian samovars and icons, daggers, cigarette holders, and paintings (which he will sell without the frame if desired) by both Turkish artists and Europeans who came to Turkey (these are more valuable). Prices vary, and Russian icons in good condition sell for approximately $500 to $10,000. With these items, “you have a chance to touch history,” owner Eskici Irfan told me, and I realized that this is precisely what is appealing about nearly all of the merchants I recommend here.

Koç (Kürkçüler 22-46 / +90 212 527 5553 / kocderi.com). I never had any intention to buy a coat in the Grand Bazaar. I only went to Koç because my friends and I needed a place to meet. They were serious about leather. I was serious about etchings. But when I met them at Koç, and Ilyas Koç buttoned me up in an olive green suede knee-length coat, I knew I wouldn’t leave Istanbul without it. If you have even the tiniest desire for a leather jacket or coat, come to Koç and forget about all the other touts luring you into their shops. You will leave (or come back later, which is what I did) with an outer garment that you will have for the rest of your life, and with the knowledge that you paid much less for it than if you’d bought it at home.

Muhlis Günbattı (Perdahçilar Caddesi 48 / +90 212 511 6562 / muhlisgunbatti.net). This is one of the most beautiful stores in the entire bazaar. Friendly and charming Günbattı deals in stunning antique Ottoman and Central Asian clothing and textiles (about 80 percent are Ottoman). Quite literally, some of these took my breath away. While the clothing items are undeniably gorgeous, I was really smitten with the embroidered bedcover weavings, which I envisioned covering my dining room table … and I could also picture a few others hung on a wall. Günbattı’s wares are indeed the crème de la crème of fabrics, and in his fifty-three years in the Grand Bazaar he has built up an international clientele. He told me his best customers are Americans, but he also has a large following in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Dubai. Even if you think you can’t afford anything here, be sure to stop in: there are a number of items that are quite reasonably priced, and coming here first will help you be more discerning when looking at other weavings once you’ve seen the best.

Şehrazat (Kalpakcılar Caddesi Sokak 4-6 / +90 212 526 1353 / aksuilyas@yahoo.com.tr). This tiny shop, managed by Mehmet—who has earned the title of “hajji” as he’s made the pilgrimage to Mecca—and he looks like George Clooney—has a worthy selection of cashmere, silk, and pashmina shawls as well as hand-woven tablecloths and dowry pieces. Prices range