Wherever we travel i'm addicted to visiting the local equivalent of "Home Depot" and I stumbled…read moreupon the Barcelona version, Servei Estacio. 6 levels of hardware, electrical, lumber, etc. If I could figure out how to fit the elegantly carved wood trim moulding into my luggage, it would be coming home to the US with me. I bought a simple inexpensive landline phone, an article that has become nearly impossible to find back home. I also purchased a 2 meter length of plastic wire channel, that I will fold into a checked bag tomorrow.

In the eighteen years I have lived here in Barcelona I have spent 1000's€ in Servei Estació: it's…read moreoverpriced, but it has everything; I've enjoyed buying my DIY stuff there. Today I took back a simple spanner that was about 3mm too small for the purpose I had purchased it for; I had a purchase receipt so I went to return it to change for a larger spanner. The 'reception' area on the left at entry point were very polite, told me to take it back to Planta 5 where I could change it. Different story when I got there; I have never been treated with such arrogance and deference: because I'd cut off the plastic tag (to use it for the intended purpose, note), I was given a very arrogant brush-off. Once bitten twice shy; I'll never shop there again: my advice is to buy online where it's cheaper and you don't get insulted and treated like sh*t!

Fantastic little knife shop that was recommended to me by a friend. The gentleman who helped me…read morespoke only a little English, but with a lot of smiles and some confused looks (and frequent referencing to my phrasebook) we found the perfect knife for me that was both exceptionally well-made and lovely. There's probably over a thousand knives in the place, along with all sorts of other bits and bobbles that are "blade" related, including straight razors, kitchen tools, and hunting gear. Note to Americans: You can choose to pay either in Euros or USD via credit card (only Euros if you're paying cash), but I found my bank gives me a better rate in Euros.

I have a strange obsession with stationery, and am always on the hunt for stationery stores when…read moreI'm travelling. I was lucky to be staying nearby and found Konema on Yelp- I had to make time to stop by. Konema is a very well rounded stationery shop- they offer low, mid, and high end pens along with a large variety of papers, journals, leather office goods, and random other knick knacks you'd expect from a stationery/gift shop. I picked up some stationery as souvenirs to bring home for my friends. They carry a great selection of adorable stamps and washi tapes for a very reasonable price. I was mainly attracted to the wall of pens- when you first walk in, the entire left wall is just pens. The sales lady was very patient as we looked at several pens and let us test whatever we wanted. As we paid, the cashier (different than the floor saleslady) was even friendlier and chatted with us about pens. She even recommended me a brand I had never tried before, and had the floor saleslady take out a pen for me to test- knowing that we already bought what we wanted and the odds of us buying more pens were very low. I tried the pen (and I loved it) but couldn't bring myself to spend more money at that time. The staff were so friendly, I'd go back just to chat with them about pens. My experience was very good here- it felt personal. I'd definitely recommend stopping by if you want to pick up any small (or not so small) pens/stationery/gifts.

Konema is a well located stationery shop just off the Rambla de Catalunya. It features a wide and…read moreinteresting array of products, ranging from quality pens and trendy reading glasses to beautiful, locally made notebooks. The only negative aspect about Konema is that its store manager is without doubt the rudest, most disdainful woman I have come across during my frequent visits to Barcelona. Thank goodness for the kind and professional saleslady, who made the effort to help me find the items I specifically came for!

Good selection of products helpful staff. Prices aren't low but seem fair.read more