Sweet Tel Aviv Crafts Market

If you enjoy being outdoors as I definitely do and are searching for something different and creative then a lovely and colorful stroll through south Tel Aviv’s Nachalat Binyamin Street on a Crafts Market Day should definitely be on your to do list.From the late 1980’s this street located next to the Carmel Market, has hosted many talented artists and crafts people , who lovingly display their wares on market stalls and will happily explain the material, source and inspiration of their handcrafted products.I often visit Nachalat Binyamin when I am stuck on what to purchase as a gift for friends or family, or when I require an item out of the ordinary with more individualism and creativity than I myself can muster (you know I opt for those sweet scrummy chocolates or a half way decent bottle of plonk…)

There is no shortage of choice either, since over 200 crafts people promote their products twice weekly, with their specific stall sited according to a street number. Items range from colorful pottery ornaments and statuettes, carved wooden signs, hand-blown glass wear, intricately designed jewelery, sweetly whimsical pictures, silk hand-printed scarves, beautifully glazed hamsas- palm shaped amulets popular in the Middle East, supposedly to ward off the evil eye (no winking please) and so much more. Each product is developed and executed in the finest fashion and displayed with care by the artist. Not all are permitted entry, as prior to trading the arts/crafts person and their products are vetted by a committee who decide whether they are worthy of a spot on this renown street.

This market is a bustling array of people spanning all age groups, with bobbing heads of those inspecting the items of interest displayed on stalls or pitches. Children being entertained by puppeteers who jiggle their hand made bright creations and jugglers who whirl and twirl their sticks as easily as talking! There is color everywhere, either from eye catching pictures, stuffed soft children’s toys, clay molded bowls or polymer figurines plus a pleasant atmosphere of awe and amusement. The street itself is well known as a place to shop for fabrics at reasonable sums, where traders can offer yards of cloth or remnants suitable for home ware accessories, upholstery or clothing. plus a couple of swimwear outlets where the window displays are as enticing as the less than normal retail prices.. It ‘s a Arts & Crafts market that never fails to put a smile on my face ( and a little hole in my pocket..)