Mozaik Creations

The place to come for cards and stationery. The cards are hip and cute with lots of other gift ideas to boot. Mozaik will personalize albums which make a great gift and have many baby books, livres d'or (guest books) and fun photo albums and calendars. A new product that seem to have caught on evidenced their appearance on store windows and displays are the wall decals shown in the picture. They're a great way to jazz up a room and are temporary so they don't spoil the paint. They began by carrying the brand le Pré d' eau
www.le-pre-deau.com but are now making their own. Many of their cards come from France as well as the fun prints my favorite of which are the Mini Labo from France www.minilabo.fr They also make darling plush toys. I look forward to special occasions which necessitates me buying a greeting card and of course a trip to Mozaik Creations.
www.mozaik-creations.com

Dédée K.

In the parvis of Trinity church at the end of Rue du Bailli Dédée K. my favorite jewelry store to hang out and browse because everything is displayed on tables and the customer is encouraged to handle the merchandise before buying. You don't have to wait for the salesclerk and then wrestle your way through French to look at any of the stylish braclets, necklaces or earrings. It's amazing that beautiful €180 necklaces are sitting out and until recently there was no security system at the door. Let me tell you that Dédée's son who regularly is slumped behind the caisse would not have done much to protect the inventory. Within this equal opportunity atmosphere Dédée shows off her fantastic taste in costume jewelry with most of her peices in the €30-€100 range.
www.dedeek.be

Zao

Zao is one of my favorite places to buy gifts and things for Lu. There's an excellent selection of stylish baby clothes, toys and bedding from France. They also carry the anne-claire petit line of stuffed toys from Holland. www.anneclairepetit.nl Many of the items are Asian inspired and range from candles and perfumes, notebooks, quilts and tea sets. You'd be hard pressed to leave this place without a little treasure to take home. I can't walk past the display window without stopping for a browse. I recently checked out the jewelry display case and found some unique, handmade items. Also they carry the line of French baby dolls, Petitcollin www.petitcollin.com The friendly saleswomen will wrap anything you buy so I even ask them to wrap gifts I buy for myself. It makes the experience all that much more special.

http://www.zaodeco.be/

The Coffee Club

What has been a home away from home for me where I can order a coffee a la Starbucks and 'to go' no less, is the modern and sleek Coffee Club on Rue du Bailli. It's so inviting in fact that I've began to enjoy lingering like the Belgians to sip my carmel machiato rather than run out the door to my next destination. It's hip and comfortable with a lovely garden out back covered if necessary with a retractable awning to protect from the high likelihood of rain showers. I saw recently an advertisement for WiFi there too and I plan to bring my laptop next time I visit. The Coffee Club is fun not only for their sweet coffee drinks with a variety of toppings, but they have luscious desserts and amazing salads and sandwiches. My favorite salad which I can't resist ordering each and every time I stop by for lunch is the salad 'Jazz'. It's made up of mesclin greens, tzay, pinenuts, parmesan cheese and sweet red peppers. The salads all have muscial titles and you can make your own salad to order as well. There is also a pasta bar that I've never tried. The hours are typical Bruxellois; open from 9 to 6 meaning Breakfast, Lunch and Teatime and of course closed on Sunday. Add to the modern decor with comfy suede armchairs, a fantastic music repertoire and funky art exhibitions, the Coffee Club is one of my favorite hangouts.


http://www.thecoffeeclub.be/