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If you’re looking for unique clothing to take home as a souvenir, head over to Squash Blossom on the Decatur square. Squash Blossom opened in 1999 by mother and daughter Ettie Wurtzel and Talia Wurtzel Blanchard, who were devoted to featuring the work of local designers and artists. In addition to the lesser known brands, they carry clothing from Free People, Frye Boots, BB Dakota and more. Be sure to check out the sale section in the back!

Prozna street has a tragic history. Most of the Ghetto buildings were totally destroyed. Only a few of them are left. Prozna street is unique because this is the only street in the historic Jewish part of Warsaw where tenement buildings have been preserved on both sides of a street. They were never restored after World War II. After years of preparations finally started the revitalization of the historical tenement houses. Every September, Warsaw holds the festival of Jewish Culture “Singer’s Warsaw.”

If you are looking for truly unique and beautiful gifts from Andalusia, Spain, look no farther than the Zoco Artisan Market in Cordoba. This shop is filled with jewelry, hand painted tiles, shawls, pottery and other local crafts. There are workshops and studios on site so you may even have a chance to see some artists at work. Even if you’re not in the market to shop, the beautiful inner courtyard is worth a peek for its hanging flowers and burbling water-feature.

Fusta’m is a small and inviting space to search out unique housewares and furniture. Unlike other shops in Barcelona selling similar wares, there’s plenty of space to move around, and everything is carefully restored and repaired by staff.


That said, even for Barcelona’s generally expensive vintage scene, this store can be pricey, so bring lots of willpower, and in its absence, wads of cash.

This unique concept store is crammed with distinctively Cambodian objects, from vintage shop signs typically found in rural Cambodia to hand-crafted wooden ox and buffalo carved by a farmer discovered by the owners of trunkh, art director and designer Douglas Gordon and Marianne Waller. Expect kitschy tea-towels featuring iconic symbols and sights, such as Angkor Wat, to quirky fish-printed travel pillows and Christmas stockings in the shape of elephant trunks. All the Cambodian made products are either found or designed by the owners or sourced locally. The shop is located on gritty albeit increasingly hip Hap Guan Street in an emerging shopping, drinking and eating area the local business owners have branded Kandal Village. It’s one of my favorite Siem Reap spots and despite its compact size you can while away hours here.

The real deal for vintage. A well-regarded, strong-word-of-mouth gem on the south side of Santa Fe hovers at over 2,000 square feet of denim, cowboy boots, belt buckles, Navajo blankets and moccasins, leather World War II flight jackets, vintage flags and old photographs. It’s virtually endless. There’s something unique for the traveler looking for that one-of-a-kind item. Make certain to call ahead, the shop is by appointment only. And, for those who want to stay downtown, the proprietor recently opened a smaller shop called Santa Fe Vintage Outpost.

There are 14 outposts of the famed chocolate shop in and around town, but the one to go to is its flagship, which occupies a prime corner perch on Paradeplatz. There are gorgeous displays of Sprungli’s signature sweet, the Luxemburgerli, Lilliputian takes on the macaron; its exquisite line of truffles; and its dense, rich, uniquely shaped Truffe cake—quite possibly the best chocolate cake ever. Don’t miss its gorgeous second-floor café.

Notice the archangel. Looks like a sculpture, doesn’t it? Actually, it’s a painting. After generating over 1,000 responses to his question, “What object represents the spirit of community to you?” nationally-known artist William Cochran incorporated their ideas in the form of 180 unique images and symbols from a chameleon to the Big Dipper constellation. Utilizing the trompe l’oeil style (meaning “that which fools the eye”) of painted “carvings,” Cochran transformed a once simple Carroll Street Bridge into the illusion of an meticulously carved, ivy-covered stone bridge.

Jewelry designer Michele Mercado’s showroom and work space in Boston‘s historic South End is filled with metal treasures. Her award winning designs feature 100% recycled Harmony Metals and she is a big champion of up cycling clients old pieces into new designs that will fit with their lifestyle. The timeless styles are minimal, clean and modern. Also on display is a unique grouping of handcrafted pieces of fellow jewelry artists. During my visit the hammered wall compositions of clouage artist Robert Kobayashi were incredibly detailed and meticulously constructed out of old metal.

Want to impress your travel friends and show off your passport prowess? Then don’t miss getting a passport stamp from the southern most city in the world - Ushuaia Argentina. Once you make it all the way down there to the tip of Argentina - but sure to stop in at the tourist office near the port and get your passport stamp that will say Fin del Mundo - End of the world. They have different sized and stamps to choose from - a fun way to remember this unique location.

Hmmm, what to buy when you want a New Zealand souvenir that’s not a tacky plastic tiki or kiwi-shaped ashtray? That’s when you head to Pauanesia (pron. Pah-wah-nesia). Named after the Maori word for abalone, this High St. Auckland store has unique and interesting gifts. From authentic pounamu (greenstone) pendants that you traditionally gift to friends (never buy one for yourself) through to tea towels with 1970s motifs on them, you can be sure no one else will have what you’ve brought when you get back home.

Become a Paniolo (Hawaiian Cowboy) for a day and do an actual cattle drive while on the Big Island of Hawaii. Even though it was a rainy, moody day, it was the perfect unique experience to have in Hawaii. Hawaii is much more than beaches! More information about my experience at Dahana Ranch: http://www.ottsworld.com/blogs/cattle-herding-in-hawaii/ Dahana Ranch P.O. Box 1293 • Kamuela, HI 96743 • toll free: (888) 399-0057 • p (808) 885-0057 • f (808) 885-7833 • [email protected]

A contemporary arts and crafts shop with an attached café in a lovely restored casona in Barranco. Dédalo, the brainchild of an artistic couple that studied arts and literature in Florence, features unique, carefully curated ceramics, glassware, toys, frames, clothes, jewelry and decorative pieces for all tastes.

Founded in 2004, this exquisite Chinatown boutique sells unique jewelry pieces designed by Cindy Yokoyama. “I started as a painter and fell in love with abstraction,” she says. “Many of my pieces still reflect elements of this, including asymmetry.” She also plays with order and chaos, and mixes urban elements with natural organic ones beautifully. Expect seeds and shells mixed among metallics... and the azure hues of Hawai‘i’s sea and lush greens of its slopes. Of special note: earring sets where two teardrops complement each other, rather than matching—showcasing stones like lapis lazuli, fossilized coral, and bumble bee jasper.

The Rocks is undoubtedly one of Sydney‘s most beautiful areas. Follow George Street until the very end and it’s almost like you’ve stepped back in time—there are cobblestones under your feet, quaint stores to browse, and great pubs to visit. One of the best experiences you can have in Sydney is to visit the Rocks Markets, especially on Friday nights during spring and summer for the Rocks Markets by Moonlight. The warmer months in Sydney are the most exciting; pair them with all the beauty of the famous Harbour Bridge, Opera House and this historic hub and you’ve got the best version of this amazing city. There are stalls offering everything from handmade gifts and sweets to unique jewelry and fashion, but the atmosphere is set off by all of the other quirks that you would never have expected—puppeteers and magicians roaming the crowd, dozens of people young and old wearing headphones and dancing at a silent disco, musical performances and pet displays with some of the most enormous cats and rabbits you’ve ever imagined. All of this set among historic buildings and Sydney’s oldest sites makes for a truly unique experience indeed.