A few years ago, when I was on my first trip to Turkey alone (you can read about it here), I stayed in the old town Kaleici. Here I really got the opportunity to investigate every street. It was something, I hadn’t done for years, so it was quite excited.
Almost right next to the hotel I was staying at, there was the finest little shop, that looked quite different from all the others. Yaz Dükkan it was called.
I have a tendency to fall for things, places, and people who are a little bit off the road, are a bit different or at least can offer something other, than the ordinary and predictable.
And just such a business is Yaz Dükkan. In Turkish, “yaz” means summer (or “writing”) and “dükkan” means shop or boutique. So, as you probably can imagine, the mood is light and summery and a little quirky. In my world, it gives a rather interesting opportunity to explore.
Special and quite its own:
And there is plenty to explore in this small business. They have really very fine porcelain with a fun twist – plates, cups etc with fun motifs and shapes. They especially specialize in Turkish coffee cups with strong colors, but the range varies greatly. But also scents from several Turkish brands, perfumes, creams, decorations for the house, some clothes, jewelry, flower pots, etc.
Especially the fine little jewelry I have fallen in love with. Many of them have such a fine expression, some are quite flimsy, others with fun shapes, colors, etc. It is not real jewelry, but just gildings, but the idea behind is just fun anyway. It is at least jewelry that I have never seen anywhere else.
The price is not very high, so everyone can participate.
The owner Ebru was unfortunately not there when I was there. But it was her husband. He proudly told us that the shop had just started recently (ie about 2½ years ago) and that things were hand-picked at several fairs around.
Yaz Dükkan and coffee:
And if you feel like it, you also have the opportunity to get a really well-brewed, good cup of coffee. Or a little tea or juice, if you prefer. A rather fun initiative, that just fits in very well with this type of business I think.
It is a really charming little shop, so if you are on those edges (in the streets of Kaleici, the Old Antalya), it is definitely worth a visit. It’s a great place to bring a fun little souvenir home. And you are guaranteed something, that is useful and that no one else has.
They also have a small website, but unfortunately there is only a very small selection of their many fun and beautiful things.
You can find it right here http://www.shopier.com/Yazdukkan
Their address is:
Barbaros mh. zafer sk. no31 07100 kaleiçi Antalya and they are open every day from 12-19 except Monday. The business is located in one of the side streets of the broken minaret (Kesik minar).
