I've been both buying and selling there since it opened and my experience over the years has been…read morevery positive.. Akseli is an upscale flea market - people bring their wares in and sell them used for 1-2 week periods. They are all given 2 bookshelves (one with shelves, one with clothes hangers). The shelves and store are neat, orderly, clean, and very upscale. The items offered also tend to be better than what you find at the local low rent kirpputori. For buyers, you'll find great items at good prices. Come Saturday or Monday for best selection. They accept credit cards and there is a small changing room to try on clothes. For sellers, it's a good place to make money off used items. An average week sales for me (mostly childrens toys and clothes) would be around 800e. Be prepared for shrinkage, though, since they don't seem to be doing much about rampant shoplifting. Several times I saw people walk out with item unpaid - or trip the security alarm and the sales clerk just holds her hand out while the person takes out the stolen item from her purse and hands it to the clerk then leaves. That was depressing to see as a seller. Their seller rates are ok - though they will be charging a percentage of sales in November in addition to the weekly rate. For the extra money you'd make over the local swap meet, I think the extra cost is justified. 4 stars for cleanliness, decent customer service, and an upscale way to purchase used items. 1 star less for serious issues for sellers with items disappearing due to shoplifting.

Lovely multilevel department in downtown Helsinki. I was even able to buy postage stamps for my…read morepostcards here as well as enjoy a wonderful lunch in their beautiful atrium style restaurant. I found some fun Marimekko items in the clearance section. The employees were nice, the store was clean and bright and I enjoyed shopping there. Highly recommend recommended.

This is a fancy, old, classy, expensive department store in the middle of downtown Helsinki. It's…read morelike "All the roads lead to Stockman". At the grocery department you can find all kinds of goodies, pastry, fresh meat, fish, specialty products, and international foods. You also have several options to have something to eat either at the restaurant located upstairs, or at the many coffee/snack shops. This is like a huge fancy shopping opportunity for demanding shoppers. You can shop for beautiful handbags, high-end clothing and shoes, or if you favor a certain domestic or international cosmetic brand, they have it. Don't forget souvenirs, toys, home goods and Finnish design items. The customer service department will ship things for you to destinations all over the world and help you with duty free shopping. Among many other notable things is a big Alko store. This is the government monopolized liquor store. So, if you find great delicatessen for lunch or dinner, you will also have the opportunity to purchase alcoholic beverages to go along with your meals. Really, if you want to spend time and money here, it is truly worth the trip, and everlasting experience while in Helsinki. The best thing at Stockman building is electronics store called Power that I just discovered last Summer. They sell variety of appliances, phones and so on. Found a table phone for my mom who needed to replace her old one. She uses it for Skype calls from the USA. Customer service at this place is priceless. The young men helping me during my visits were so knowledgeable, patient and friendly. One nice traditional point about Stockman is, that they have a clock on the Alexanterinkatu side of their many entrances. That is famous among all people living in Helsinki. When meeting friends, we used to say: "Meet me under the Stockman's clock." Happy shopping and maybe I will see you there.

I love Zicco. Adorable, warm boutique and very friendly, helpful owner. Prices are incredibly…read morereasonable compared to other children's boutiques in the city. I love their selection of adorable children's clothes, toys, and accessories. I don't know how they squeeze so many treasures and treats for little people of all ages into such a cozy little shop. I can say this: they have a great musical instrument selection for infants/toddlers (their high-quality wooden maracas have saved our lives by soothing our baby boy when nothing else would), Jellycat stuffed toys (a huge favorite in the US and hard to find here), and great sales on their very nice and very unique children's and baby's clothes. I can't walk in without buying something. Plenty of room for prams in the front entrance even if it doesn't look like it!