Ok, I like this Swedish department store for totally different reasons than you will, Yelpers.
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The Yelp Review For Everybody Else.
One. This is a beautiful place.
The store was built in 1915 by a Swedish art nouveau architect and he did a wonderful job.
The store is build around a four story atrium with galleries on all four sides with wrought iron balconies.
There are all sorts of places to sit in those galleries where you can look down on the courtyard below. We spent much of our afternoon doing just that.
Two. One third of the floor space of NK is given over to restaurants and cafes. You are never more than ten yards away from something lovely to eat and drink.
(Yeah, my barista who couldn't have been more than nineteen years old put old milk into my otherwise well made latte. However, the mint cookie that came with it was delightful. I am writing off the old milk as a fluke.)
Three. NK is alive and thriving - unlike American downtown department stores. People pour into NK and are buying things in every department.
Visiting Macy's or Marshall Fields can feel like visiting your grandmother in the nursing home.
I suspect having a local government that makes things hard on competitors like Walmart has much to do with the vigor of Stockholm downtown department stores.
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Now, heh heh, the Yelp Review for Me.
Samuel C. is a classical music fiend.
Better yet, he likes all the niches of classical music including many forms that are disdained by American classical music lovers.
The classical music niche that is dying the fastest in the U.S. is leider and art songs.
One of the areas of the world whose classical music is generally disdained in the U.S. is Scandinavia.
Sweden distinguished itself both in art song and producing amazing singers for the operatic and lieder repertoires.
In America, it is hard to find an art song recital, or find lieder cds that are not Schubert or Wolf.
NK's book and music department has the best selection of classical cd's in Stockholm and arguably in Sweden.
It is very strong on all classical genres including massive selections of two good budget labels, Naxos and Brilliant, and very strong coverage on a variety of labels of every composer you can think of.
They are excellent on Swedish composers - composers whose work you can hardly find anywhere else.
Better yet - they are AMAZINGLY strong on all forms of vocal classical music: opera, choral and art song alike. They have huge selections for every famous opera or lieder singer you can think of, and many you have never heard of. They have a deep stock of recordings of the best choirs from all over the world, with Sweden well represented in the pack.
They have tons of repertoire I have never seen anywhere else ... and I have shopped in classical music stores all over Europe including ones that promote the local national tradition.
(It does not hurt that they also have good selections of the Swedish traditional folk songs and folk fiddling. These were the musical roots that led to the Swedish classical music tradition in the first place.)
The wife and I left the store with bags full of goodies.
We also had huge grins on our faces as we went home to count up the swag.
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You, fellow Yelper, may not be as excited about Swedish art songs as we are.
But they have a lot of different departments at NK.
One of those departments may have something that appeals to your secret id as well.
And if you can't find anything you like, no big deal.
Find a comfortable chair and the snack of your choice, and enjoy the wonderful turn-of-the-century view. read more