Brussels has a wide range and variety of goods on offer although
it's not the cheapest of cities in which to shop . There are two main
shopping areas in the city: the city centre around the Grand-Place , and
the south part of the Upper Town . The city centre's main shopping
street is rue Neuve , which is home to City 2, the ultimate inner-city
shopping mall.
Not far from the Grand-Place, Galeries St Hubert accommodates a
smattering of conservative boutiques in stark contrast to the Galerie
Agora , which peddles cheap leather jackets, incense, piercing jewellery
and ethnic goods directly opposite. Behind the Bourse, rue Antoine
Dansaert caters for young, cutting-edge fashion-groupies, housing a
number of young designers as well as shops selling clothing ranging from
the internationally known to such Belgians as the Antwerp 6 and Raf
Simons. Neighbouring St Géry contains rue des Riches Claires and rue du
Marché au Charbon which have streetwear shops and vintage stores.
Uptown, the chaussée d'Ixelles has most of the big stores and a lively
feel in the African quarter around the Galerie d'Ixelles. The
label-conscious will want to shop at the smartest addresses on avenues
Louise and de la Toison d'Or, where shops offer everything from DKNY to
Giorgio Armani, as well as Belgian designers.
The Grand Sablon has a weekend antiques market and the surrounding area
has a good selection of similar shops. For bric-à-brac, it's best to
wander down to the Marolles district - the closest Brussels gets to New
York's Lower East Side - and the daily flea market at the place du Jeu
de Balle. There is a labyrinth of old books in the stores of the Galerie
Bortier near Gare Centrale.
Belgian beer, chocolate and lace - though found throughout the city -
are highly concentrated in the tourist areas around the Grand-Place.
Shops catering to another national passion, the comic strip or "bande
dessinée" (BD), can be found a little further afield near the Bourse and
on the chaussée d'Ixelles near place Fernand Cocq
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