GRAPEVINE’S PURCHASES THAT JUSTIFY EXISTENCE

Pocket knives at Friða Frænka
450 ISK.
Pocket knives for healthy young boys. Available at Friða Frænka. If you don’t know Friða Frænka, the antique store Vesturgata with a collection so absurd that it often looks like a large, post-modern gallery, you need to get acquainted. The highlight this month, a bucket of pocket knives. All created from bone-like plastic, the two-inch blades feature young healthy men, often shirtless, smiling at their own exuberance.
Self-powered flashlight at Tiger
400 ISK.
This Danish store really has the goods for all season. And now that daylight has begun to flee, a flashlight that helps you exercise really is a no-brainer. While you should be warned that the 400 ISK model does not come with a lifetime warranty, the Tigers in Iceland are known for standing behind their merchandise, whatever the price.
Puzzles at Hjá Magna
500 ISK and up.
Curious thing about this home of rock bands and leather-wearing, shaved head, rock band member-looking people: when the rain starts, everybody takes out jig-saw puzzles. Everybody. They love ‘em. If you want to fit in, you better love them too.
Icelandic Voodoo Dolls at Nornabúðin.
While my studies of Icelandic folk lore never mentioned an interest in Voodoo Dolls per se, there has been a vigorous history of spell-making, so the curious stuffed things at Nornabúðin, the witch shop, that you poke holes into may be vaguely authentic. In any case, they are amusing. A better deal may be the coffee and cookie for 500 ISK, which you can consume while watching visitors poke at the doll.