Where and What in Nowa Huta, Part II
Recently I wrote about small craft service points and shops offering quality products, and today I’d like to continue that thought. I believe it’s worth buying products and services locally, not necessarily online. Maybe I’m old fashioned, but I like having everything nearby, and the best way for these shops and service points to survive is simply to give them business. That’s why I try to shop close to home — and below are some practical notes from doing just that.
A small print shop and copy point “Duradruk”, os. Teatralne 3
I’ve been to this print shop a few times to print official documents, and I also ordered my business cards there. I’m very satisfied — solid cooperation, reasonable prices, and quick turnaround.
The print shop is located in a gateway about a hundred meters from Rondo Kocmyrzowskie on Gen. Anders Avenue (formerly the October Revolution Avenue).
Bieńczycki Market, Kocmyrzowska Street
When I first moved to Nowa Huta and visited Bieńczycki Market for the first time, I witnessed a Gypsy bargaining with an old lady over the price of a chicken. If you uploaded that scene to YouTube in black and white, you could easily caption it “Nowa Huta, 1950s.”
The market is located on the edge of Old Huta near Kocmyrzowska Street, Arka, and os. Niepodległości.
What can you buy there? Eggs, cream, cheese, homemade whey. Often a half plucked chicken or duck straight from the countryside — the kind that was still running around the yard yesterday, as evidenced by its slightly dirty feet. Believe me, broth made from such a chicken tastes completely different from supermarket poultry.
You’ll also find bunc, sheep cheese with nigella or wild garlic, homemade smoked meats, and — in season — white asparagus, which is hard to find in Małopolska. Mushrooms: porcini, saffron milk caps, bay boletes, and other forest treasures.
Bouquets of wildflowers or seasonal garden flowers. Fresh vegetables and fruit in every variety. Plus people selling old cups, glasses, porcelain, used shoes, or toys on small blankets. Most of these things I wouldn’t take even for free, but sometimes you can find something interesting.
Haberdashery “Pętelka”, os. Teatralne 4
Recently I was asked to buy stocking clips for an eighty something aunt. After visiting several haberdasheries in Kraków, I finally found them in Nowa Huta on Kocmyrzowska Street. They have all kinds of ribbons, yarns, and other little things that a man usually has no use for — but it’s good that such shops still exist and offer such a wide assortment.
Tailoring point “Domato”, Hutnicze 2
Shortening trousers, replacing a lining, sewing in a zipper — we all need this at least a few times a year, regardless of age or gender. Since my neighbourhood has a luthier and a bookbinder, of course there must also be a tailoring service nearby. For a small price and within a few days they’ll reliably alter your clothes.
Cepelix, Centrum B 1 at Plac Centralny — souvenirs from Kraków and more
If you’re looking for a solid wooden toy for a child, artistic handicrafts like wall tapestries, a good leather wallet, or a Kraków souvenir such as a doll in traditional costume (my grandmother had one), visit Cepelix (formerly Cepelia), which has been selling quality products like these for over 70 years. It’s worth stopping by just to admire the wonderfully preserved interior — ceramic chandeliers and a coffered ceiling decorated with hand painted plates.
Glass and framing workshop, Teatralne 10
I received a magazine rack from my uncle — one his mother, a music teacher, used for sheet music. I didn’t need a stand for music or newspapers, but a bar cabinet? Absolutely. Since I had already been to this glazier for glass for my desk and coffee table, and had framed my paintings there, they didn’t disappoint this time either. I’m attaching a photo of the finished piece.
Kraków’s Nowa Huta stands for quality
You can find truly everything in Nowa Huta. To this day, small craft workshops survive here — located in modest, purpose built municipal spaces — where you can repair a watch, shoes, clothes, and much more. It’s worth visiting them, because it’s good that they still exist. We need to give them business.
That’s yet another reason to visit Kraków’s Nowa Huta.
Want to explore it with me? Let me know.
