On Tuesday morning, our Israeli hosts took the journalists to two local shopping districts—Sheinken Street and the Nachlat Binyamin Market. Our guide for this morning was Sigal Admony, deputy director, North American Department, Foreign Trade Administration, in the State of Israel Ministry of Industry, Trade & Labor.
Left to right: Yulia Runova, editor, Jewellery Russia magazine, and Sigal Admony, deputy director, North American Department, Foreign Trade Administration, in the State of Israel Ministry of Industry, Trade & Labor. We are on our way to Sheinken Street.
Sigal explained to us many of the buildings in Tel Aviv are built in the Bauhaus style, which explains why nearly every building I see looks like a white box.
Sigal took us to Tel Aviv’s version of Soho, and brought us to some of her favorite stores (Candles on Sheinken and Laline, which is like Bath & Body Works). I couldn’t resist buying some soap at the latter.
The sign states the “10 Commandments of Good Health” in Hebrew. Many who read the sign think that rule No. 5 should be at the top of the list.
There is a lot of construction and renovations taking place in Tel Aviv. This tiny space will shelter a retail store sometime soon, though it looks more like a walk-in closet.
We stopped in a jewelry store with a Kabbalah niche; all the jewelry was religious. Our extremely knowledgeable salesperson noted that a number of the pieces had “special healing powers,” protected the wearer, and even increased intelligence. Hhm, everyone should own one of the latter.
This piece notes the many faces of God. All designs are sterling silver with gemstones.
The entrance of the Market, shown here, was bombed a number of years ago, but, no worries today.
This building façade, adjacent to the Market, is also undergoing renovations.
Sigal arranged for a guided tour of the Market with Daniel, an artist and retired, self-proclaimed “skipper.” Vendors of handmade crafts sell their creations along the Market streets on Tuesdays and Fridays. The Market is significant because it’s an easily accessible place for the independent artist to sell his and her wares without committing to a professional show like Jovella. Israel is a hotbed of creative talent.
Daniel, an Italian transplant to Israel, was a lifelong fisherman with his wife. They settled in Israel to raise their children, and now live on a houseboat in the Tel Aviv area.
A glassblower always commands an audience.
A street vendor sells silver jewelry.
A street vendor named Rebeka Kedem sells silver jewelry.
I’m holding a colorful toy.
It’s easy to spend an entire day on the street, as the vendors are extremely talented. Other merchants not shown make cutting boards, placemats with dried flowers, blown glass and household objects. I wish I had more time to shop! I would have liked to buy some of the silver jewelry. This is a great place to ‘discover’ some little-known independent artists and offer your customers jewelry that they won’t find elsewhere. Plus, some of the gifts are well-made and unique enough to place in high-end stores.
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