It’s a November Saturday in the northern hemisphere. We all know what that means. Although most shopkeepers are desperate to get people in, not everyone is welcome. According to YLE a shopping centre in Lahti has apparently decided now is the time to try a techno-fix to get rid of adolescents who hang around, not being nice and not buying stuff. The gadget emits a high-pitched noise that adults can’t hear but young people with good hearing can. It has already been tried in Britain and Holland at least. Unsurprisingly it also has a good number of oppenents, like the campaign group Liberty, who view it as an infringement of young people’s rights.
But our concern is Helsinki. Here a few Ullanlinna/Eira window displays – photographed before any of them had time to hang up the fairy lights and other “seasonal” decorations.
Korkeavuorenkatu has long had a reputation as a top-end shopping street. Well, by some standards it’s quite small as an area, but for all that rather lively.
Older, newer, home decoration and antiques, fashion for him and her, old and not-so-old, a few cafes, flowers, chemist, goldsmith/watch repair shop, a few restaurants. Many of them “atelje”, “boutique” and so on, all of them kivijalka or “foundation” shops, that is independently run, of course.
It’s not obvious who the people are who have the opportunity to wear the creations on display here, but whoever they are, the window shopping isn’t unpleasant at all.
Pingback: Correction to post of 14th: December is shopping-month « Jees Helsinki Jees