Paulistanos work hard to line their pocketbooks, and they spend their cash with the same zest as they earn it. To a large extend, the sprawling city is organized by shopping districts, with certain kinds of shops congregating on a particular street or in a specific neighborhood. Product highlights include Brazilian designer clothing, art, antiques, jewelry, handicrafts and articles for home decoration. Here are some tips should you want to follow in their footsteps. (For more on Brazil’s biggest city, see the BrazilMax São Paulo Travel Guide. Find Brazilian handicrafts online on Novica.com
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25 de Março Street – If you think of shopping as a spectator sport, go to the Rua 25 de março downtown to watch Brazilians of all stripes shop ‘till they sometimes literally drop. An average of 400,000 a day flock to this shopping district, once known as the Street of the Arabs. You can find just about anything there.
Amoa Konoya - This shop sells nothing but indigenous arts and crafts. The owners travel throughout Brazil, visiting remote communities, and return with great hard-to-find stuff. Pinheiros. Rua João Moura 1002, Jardim America. Telephone: 3061-0639.
Daslu – This haute shopping mall is so exclusive that there is no pedestrian entrance. If you can’t afford at least a car, you can’t afford to window shop in this exclusive building full of high end boutiques. But if you don’t want to drive, or if your driver calls in sick, there’s always the heliport.. Avenida Chedid Jafet, 131, Vila Olímpia. Telephone: 3841-4000.
Livraria Cultura – Rival bookstores like FNAC and Saraiva count among the anchor stores in most of São Paulo’s leading shopping malls. The Livraria Cultura has branches in many malls, too, but its flagship store shares the first floor of a high rise building on Paulista Avenue with other retail establishments and restaurants. Cultura is probably the best bet for English-language books in São Paulo.. Avenida Paulista, 2073, Jardins. Telephone: 3107-4033.
Mimosa - Perhaps Brazil’s most complete crafts store. Rua Joaquim Nabuco, 275, Brooklin. Telephone: 5561-6705.
Oscar Freire Street – The Rua Oscar Freire in the fashionable Jardins district has been compared with Madison Avenue in New York and the Foubourg Santi-Hornoré in Paris. A nine block strip offers a gamut of upscale boutiques and shops that include the Tabacaria Lenat (smoke shop), Agua de Coco (beachwear), Fause Haten (provocative women’s fashion), Huis Cios (elegant women’s fashion), Iódice (men’s and women’s clothing), Fórum (fashion), Diesel (designer jeans), Clube Chocolate (women’s fashion, music, books, decoration); Schutz (women’s footwear), Mont Blanc (pens and more) and Osklen (outdoor adventure fashion).
Art Galleries
Nearly all of Brazil’s top art contemporary galleries are located in São Paulo. The São Paulo Art Map, distributed free at sundry venues, including leading galleries, can help you get your bearings on the art scene.
Gabinete de Arte Raquel Arnaud - Perhaps the most venerated of Brazilian galleries of contemporary art. Rua Arthur de Azevedo 401, Pinheiros. Telephone: 3083-6322.
Galeria Brito Cimino - Represents many leading Brazilian contemporary artists. Rua Gomes de Carvalho 842, Vila Funchal, Vila Olímpia. Telephone: 3842-0634.
Galeria Fortes Vilaça - The home of cutting-edge contemporary art. Rua Fradique Coutinho 1500, Vila Madalena. Telephone: 3032-7066.
Galeria Luisa Strina - Paintings and photography by national and international artists. More than 20 years of experience in the field. Rua Oscar Freire 502, Jardim Paulista. Telephone: 3088-2471.
Galeria Nara Roesler - From the mainstream to the edgy. One of Brazil's leading galleries. Avenida Europa 655, Jardim Europa. Telephone: 3063-2344.
Galeria Thomas Cohn - Once Rio de Janeiro's leading gallery of contemporary art, this gallery has also been long based in São Paulo. Avenida Europa 641, Jardim Europa. Telephone: 3083-3355.
