FEIARTE - International Art Fair

The Feiarte is an international art fair. It gathers the best of the craft from the five continents and from many Brazilian states. The int'l atmosphere in the fair is very exciting with people from all over the world and lots of languages spoken around. Kenya, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Iran, Peru, Bolivia, Italy and Russia are only part of the list of countries that are participating in the fair. There are sculpture, jewelery, fabrics, bags, etc.

Every day there is a folklore dance show at a certain hour.
Apart from crafts, also food is being sold, like acarajé and tapioca from Bahia, nuts from Rio Grande do Norte, sweets from Uruguay and more.


Dates: 2 - 11.5.08
Address: Parque Esportivo da PUC-RS. Parking lot available (The fair is literally in the parking lot).
Hours: 14:00-21:00
Ticket: 7R$. Kids up to 12 years old free. Most of the booths accept credit cards.

Lacoste Factory Store in Sapucaia do Sul

The factory Paramount Texteis in Sapucaia do Sul, 20min drive from Porto Alegre on BR-116, is manufacturing the famous crocodile fashion. Lacoste accessories and garments for men, women and children are being sold in a store by the factory for good prices.

Some of the clothes are in perfect shape and others are missing the crocodile badge or the neck label. It takes some patience to look through all the merchandise but eventually you can find good bargains. The collection changes often, according to the factory production.

Address: Av. Luiz Pasteur 450, Sapucaia do Sul. Tel. (51) 3452.8770

Lady Shoe Shopping in Novo Hamburgo

Novo Hamburgo is a city located 40min drive from Porto Alegre. There are many shoe factories in Novo Hamburgo area and few big shoe stores that sell local and international brands for very good prices. The biggest outlet shop with lots of int'l brands is Armazem das Fabricas.

This shop has feminine shoes only from some well known makes that are made in Brazil for exportation, such as Hush Puppies, Geox, Bass and others. They are sold with discounts of up to 70%. Usually you get another discount for paying in cash.
Apart from large variety of shoes they also have accessories and bags.

They also have an online shopping site where it is possible to see all the models available.

Address: Av. Cel. Travassos 719, Novo Hamburgo. Tel. (51) 3595.2606 Opening hours: Mon-Fri 9:00-18:30, Sat 9:00-18:00. There's also a store in Gramado - Av. Borges de Medeiros, 1455 lj. 2/3 Tel. (54) 3286.5996

Another 2 stores with more Brazilian look shoes is Arezzo Outlet by the Novo Hamburgo shopping mall. Rua 5 de Abril 445, bairro Rio Branco. Tel. 3593-5454. And Mercado do Sapato: Rua 24 de Maio 222, bairro Vila Rosa. Tel. 3527-0232.

Get your new Havaianas for the summer

We've been to the Bourbon Country supermarket this morning and
saw an extended Havaianas department. They usually have a nice selection of flip flops, but now they have plenty more!
(Sorry for the poor quality of the picture, I didn't imagine there would be something THAT exciting in the supermarket today)
Another store that always has a nice selection of Havaianas flip flops and accessories is HSC Concept on Padre Chagas St. They also sell socks to fit flip flops (in shape and color) and have bling charms to add to the flip flops.
Address: Padre Chagas 400, Mon-Sat. 10:00-20:00, Sun. 14:00-18:00

Buying Furniture in Porto Alegre

There are many furniture shops in Porto Alegre and it's impossible of course to mention them all. Here are 3 areas where you can find lots of shops in one place:
DC Shopping Navegantes - This is an open mall with several furniture shops (also carpets and accessories). All of them are of high quality and the prices are according to that.
Avenida Ipiranga - on this street, starting from about Av. Ipiranga 7000, there are tens (!) of shops with huge furniture selection of different quality level. You can find a wide price range in these shops, according to quality and brands.
Rua Quintino Bocaiúva - A street in Moinhos de Vento neighborhood with lots of luxurious furniture shops.
Another furniture and accessories store chain is Tok&Stok, it looks very much like Ikea, just not as cheap. It has a large selection of furnitures and a nice show room. Address: Av. 24 de Outubro, 1538.

Ideas for presents to take home

What presents do we bring from Porto Alegre when we go home for a visit?

1. Instant Pao de Queijo powder to make at home
2. Cachasa
3. Havaianas + Havaianas socks
   
4. Brazil flag
5. Inter/Gremio flag, t-shirts etc.
6. Jewlery with Brazilian stones or the stone itself
7. Art work from the Brique fair
8. Coffee beans
9. File mignon
10. Chimarrao kit
11. Caipirinha kit
12. Soaps or creams made of Brazilian plants
13. Guarana

If you have any other ideas, please add your comment!

Kitchenware in Porto Alegre

There are lots of places with good kitchenware in the city. I will recommend 2 of them that are cheaper:

Knetig - This store is basically for restaurant and hotel owners, but they also sell to the retail market. They have basic kitchenware, cookware, plastic goods etc. for cheap. If you pay in cash, you get another 6% discount. Address: Av. Farrapos, 3059. The store is closed everyday for lunch break between 12:00-13:00.
Free parking is available just beside the store.

Vista Alegre - This is the factory store of the famous Vista Alegre porcelain in Portugal. It has a nice verity of porcelain dishes. Address: Av. Dom Claudio José Gonçalves Ponce de Leão - Nº 140. Opening hours: Mon.-Fri. 9:00-18:00, Sat. 9:00-13:00. Free parking is available in front of the store.

Moinhos Shopping Membership Card

The Moinhos Shopping mall is giving out a membership card named "Cartão Inteligente". For every Real you spend on shopping in one of the mall's shops, you get 1 point. When you have enough points you can choose a present. My favorite present is 12 free parking hours at the mall (imagine how much shopping you can do in 12 hours... ). The card is free and can be issued at the customer service desk in the mall.

The Brique Art Fair

The Brique arts and crafts fair is happening every Sunday morning until dark. It's in the Redenção park by Bom Fim neighbourhood in Porto Alegre. It is a place to walk along the different booths where artists sell their works. On another part of the fair they sell antiques, food and beverages. In the same area, there is also a small entertainment park for kids.

Supermarkets

The 2 biggest supermarket chains in Porto Alegre are "Zaffari" and "Nacional".
Zaffari has bigger shops that are called "Bourbon" and Nacional has "Big". Nacional was recently purchased by Walmart. On this Nacional site, it is possible to buy groceries on-line.
Both supermarkets are good and each specializes in different areas.
We think that Nacional is better for imported foods, while Zaffari has a bigger verity of foods in general. The best Zaffari store that usually has everything fresh is the one on rua Plinio Brasil Milano. The best Nacional store is on rua Lucas de Oliveira.
Important: Only Nacional accepts credit cards. Zaffari only accepts debit card or cash (of course...)