Another super-cute Buenos Aires design boutique, Cualquier Verdura has much more than its humble…read morefront door would suggest! It's located in the touristy San Telmo area, so if you come here for the weekend market (as we did), make a side trip to this quirky and charming store.
The shop consists of a series of connected rooms that open onto a small courtyard, and the idea is that each one is themed like a different room in a house, with inventory to match. So there's a "kitchen" with vintage Pyrex and novelty kitchen tools, a "living room" with records, small-press books and self-published zines, and so on. As you browse, you'll find colorful vintage housewares and gadgets, hand-crafted Etsy-type gifts (I loved the miniature knitted cactus soft sculptures), stationery, gag gifts, vintage clothing, and plenty of dishes and glassware. My boyfriend really enjoyed the sexy-lady toothbrushes in the bathroom.
Beyond the themed rooms, it's not particularly organized, which makes it more of a treasure hunt. Take your time looking at the shelves, cases, and tables overflowing with crazy STUFF. Prices are pretty reasonable (or, you know, vintage reasonable) and there's tons of cute items for truly unique souvenirs and gifts for the folks back home. Plus, of course, it's Instagram heaven if you want to make everybody jealous of your cool shopping trip!
If the endless stalls of the San Telmo market are giving you tourist fatigue, duck into Cualquier Verdura, soak up the hipster goodness, and fill a bag with cute handmade and vintage gifts instead.
