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Langemunt and Veldstraat are the major shopping streets. Smart fashion boutiques cluster along Voldersstraat, while Brabantdam and Vlaanderenstraat serve up a couture blizzard of designer stores. Plenty of vintage, antiques, and secondhand shopping is to be found in Oudberg and the area around Sint-Jacobskirk, on Serpentstraat, Baudelostraat, and Ottgracht. But for something a little different, there are an increasing number of artisan food shops worth exploring in Ghent, from the Gruut Brewery (see Nightlife) to some local gems that have been perfecting their recipes for hundreds of years.
The second you step through the door of this bookshop and café, you know you're somewhere special. It is set in the site of a former casino, concert hall, and theater built in 1844, and was one of few old buildings to survive the World War II bombing intact. It's as much a cathedral to literature as a shop. Browse the English-language section, then settle down with a coffee to read awhile.
