Imagine missing the train on Christmas Eve; your family will soon be enjoying a picture perfect…read moreChristmas Eve dinner without you. You are all by yourself, wandering the streets, somewhat lost... You turn a corner when all of a sudden sparkling window lights brighten your view. Intrigued by the four meter wide window display, your eyes slowly glide onto the scene behind the glass, until you hit the entrance. A smart looking chap with a curly mustache stands outside the door opening, lights a cigarette and says: "Welcome to GROOS!" You stumble in and realise you have arrived in what seems to be a candy store for grown-ups. From limited edition prints, stunningly appliqued cushions, rainbow-coloured trousers, cups and saucers with hand-painted characters, quirky books, custom furniture and birdhouse lamps, every corner of the shop is filled with something of interest. Everything is for sale and every item has its own story to tell. Shop-owners Tjeerd and Joost are always on hand to tell you where each item comes from and what on earth the store's name means. Groos: an old Rotterdam slang word meaning proud. And that makes perfect sense, because this newly opened concept store is filled with items designed exclusively by designers from Rotterdam. And there's no crap being offered here, I can tell you. All you can see here is rather special and lovingly made. GROOS takes 'retail is detail' to an awesome new level. And there's more! GROOS uses its store for Sunday afternoon events, where you can watch, taste, listen and enjoy even more of the city's coolest stuff. As seen on I Know This Great Little Place in Rotterdam (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.619499714755342.1073741904.103845866320732&type=1)

Great one stop shop for your gifting needs! Shirts, sweaters, etc. are located in the basement…read more The gentleman at the checkout was SO friendly. He let me try to talk with my broken and unrefined Dutch I have been working to learn. He even taught me a few words to say! Great stop for the little trinkets. I wish I had room in my bag for more.

They're actually open until 6pm. This shop had all of the touristy type souvenirs I needed:…read moremagnets, shot glasses, tulips, postcards, even thimbles and music boxes. The lady working there was very nice. They also sell international stamps if you need them for your postcards.

Lovely little shop with an array of souvenirs. I was looking for some Dutch souvenirs to send home…read moreand this place was a great find. The items all appeared good quality and there was a huge variety (not just the usual pair of clogs). I ended up purchasing several items, including some tasty chocolate for myself. The cashier was super nice and when she found out my friend was from Norway she became very chatty and legitimately interested in what we were doing on vacation. I recommend stopping here and picking up some gifts for your family and friends!

What a cozy cafe! I am so happy we carved out some time to stop in, as this ended up being one of…read morethe highlights of our day. The owners are so friendly, and over the course of our conversation, offered multiple solid dining/tourism recommendations that proved to be quite credible. Our tasty beverages were ready just as we were about finished shopping the souvenir selection (cookies, candies, local beverages, housewares, art, accessories, books). Go earlier in the day to maximize your delicious pastry options. I can vouch that their Haagse Hopjes go perfectly with with a cup of coffee, as the baking has softened the coffee caramel in the middle. We strongly considered getting a second slice of their Dutch apple pie after tasting how yummy it was with whipped cream. My one regret is not buying out all the "Granny's Dutch apple pie" giant stroopwafels, with their oozing caramel and chunks of dried apple slices throughout; the coffee-flavored stroopwafels were memorable with the nice hint of bitterness to balance out the flavors, and the chocolate-flavored ones are definitely suitable for people with a sweet tooth.

So much lace. We went to a few lace locations and found this location and Lace Jewel to be our…read morefavorites. This location seemed to have more Tapestries (not interested) than the others. The quality was top notch. The prices seemed a bit higher here, but you pay for quality. We actually came in the store two ties during our trip just to make sure we did not miss anything. Ultimately, we did not make any purchases here as my wife did not want any additional pieces after making several purchases elsewhere. Besides, I think she was all laced out.

After French airport security confiscated my newly purchased wine at the checkpoint, I decided to…read moreget socks instead at the Schiphol airport, especially when I saw different varieties being offered at a decent price. NI souvenirs allow the discount based on international destinations based on your boarding pass. I could tell the young lady behind the counter was getting upset because the wifi wasn't working fast enough to show proof of getting the duty-free discount. This was the reason behind the 3 star rating.