A Trip To A Very Cool, Eco Friendly, Plastic Free Souvenir Shop

Going on a trip is always fun as we all love a good adventure. Buying souvenirs for your friends and loved ones is also part of the adventure as bringing back something that reminds you of the place is a must. Unfortunately buying good quality souvenirs at a reasonable price is a real challenge as most of the times vendors are looking to make a quick profit and nothing more. I've seen this all over Europe and know already how to avoid it.

Today I'd like to invite you to a very cool souvenir shop, that is mostly for kids and youth, but not only. The shop is very close to the city center of Targu Mures, you can get there on foot as you'll be in the neighborhood anyway if you're site seeing.

How To Get There

On the way to the medieval fortress from the city center, there's the first street on the left. It's on the Poștei street. Unfortunately the facade of the building was covered at the time of my visit, because there were some construction works going on, so I can't show you the shop from outside, but you'll notice it for sure.

Plastic Free Artisan Wonderland

Stepping in the store is like stepping into a fairy tale. The idea of creating this wonderland started to eliminate plastic and all the toxic materials used to create toys, as well as help artisans. 38 artisans and two factories are selling here their products.

The uniqueness of the shop lies in that you can find some unconventional toys and souvenirs here, that you don't find elsewhere.

Right at the entrance there's this carpet, which has the pattern of an old game on it, that all the kids used to play at a certain age, outside. We used to draw this pattern on the asphalt with chalk, throw a stone and play. Now it's possible for your kids to play it in their room as this carpet fits the purpose perfectly, plus it has a textile cube as well.

Cloth, thread and yarn, to keep it simple ans as natural as possible.

At a place like this, there must be a corner where creativity has to be tested and indeed there's this table, where you can color the Dino world. I'm a bit old for this activity, but as you see, there have been others who fitted the profile already.

Teaching kids is never easy, but with the right tools, it can be perceived as a game. Here you have a kitchen table and cabinet made of wood and vegetables placed into the canvas shopping bags.

This was something I've never seen before, but it is a brilliant idea. The denture made of wood, with the name of every tooth and you have on paper the age at which those teeth grow. I'm not sure if I'm right, should have asked back then, but I suppose you can place the teeth fallen out in the box and use it as a keepsake box.

Having toys made of wood is not only echo-friendly but it's also cheaper on the long run as it can be gifted when it's not necessary anymore. Wood is durable, so the lifespan of these toys is way longer than the others.

There's souvenir here for every age category. Motivational quotes as book signs and greeting cards.

This is where things get interesting for adults. Handmade, wooden jewellery, which fits a certain style. Also there are those wooden things you hang at the entrance, that says Sweet Home.

And more goodies for adults, starting from mugs, to handmade cosmetics.

These were extremely tempting (handmade cosmetics, soaps, bath salt), not the price range though.

Wooden toy is a huge thing nowadays, for the above mentioned reasons. Up until two months ago, these artisans used to sell their products at fairs only. Now they have a shop, where you can buy these products every day.

This cabriolet looked amazing! So classy!

Another shelf with a lot of unique goodies. Kids hate slippers and lose them all the time everywhere in the house, but gifting them such a cutie can change that pretty fast.

Every parent likes to measure their kids and make a note with their height on the door frame. You often see in the movies, how they get attached to the house and mention how many memories they have, including the measurements in time on the door frame. These are fun ones that you can take with you, wherever you go.

Now comes the interesting part.

No Plastic Bags Or Wrapping

I bought a few souvenirs as that is why i went there in the first place and look what I got. No plastic means no plastic, so wrapping gifts is done the same way as a hundred years ago. I'm sure you remember those movies from the 20's, I mean 1920, when gifts were wrapped in brown paper and tied with a string. Here we are, after 100 years we're doing the same as what came after is not healthy. The lady had paper cut to different sizes and made an envelope on the spot, without using glue and tied it with a string. I love it.

And this is my souvenir, a fridge magnet by FAVOLART. Unfortunately they are only shipping to Romania and Hungary, but that can change in the future.

So if you want something unique, this is the place to visit.