San Telmo Shopping, Buenos Aires

At the end of May, The Traveler’s Collection’s Lianne Zackler headed south to Buenos Aires, Argentina, for ten days. Along with tales of Argentine sightseeing, dining, and siesta-ing, Lianne reports back about her shopping ventures at the San Telmo Market on behalf of The Traveler’s Collection.

The San Telmo Market has a bohemian, run-down feel to it. Although seemingly a hipster hangout, this funky market, which stretches down the cobblestone Calle Defensa, attracts a variety of ages. Because of its timelessness, I was able to get a taste of both Argentina’s past and present.

Walking from booth to booth, fresh beef empanada in hand and clown on stilts to my right, I fully lost myself in this shopping excursion. What mesmerized me the most were definitely the Argentine antiques, which lead me to my first acquisition of the day: antique soda bottles. From a variety of colors I chose two green bottles of different shades, closely resembling dark and light green sea glass- perfect summer tones. Once I saw the date, 1948, imprinted onto the metal spout at the top of the bottle, I knew we had to offer them on the site - I love authenticity!

The next item that caught my eye was a necklace with a pendant of the national stone of Argentina, the Rodocrosita. Rodocrosita, which means rose-colored, perfectly describes the stone, a mélange of light pink hues. Thanks to my modest Spanish-speaking skills, I was able to converse with the vendors and learned about the meaning of the stone, which supposedly fosters happiness and confidence, influences creativity, and helps with a good night’s sleep. Who wouldn’t want una Rodocrosita (or ten) after hearing that?

Buenos Aires is pure shopoholic bliss. In fact, if you’re interested in eating while there, you may want to make yourself a shopping budget- San Telmo will take your money and your heart! If you’re not going to be able to visit soon, however, check out the Traveler’s Collection for the Argentine treasures I brought back with me.