Kookoovaya

Spacious and elegant, right on St. George’s square, this shop with handmade gifts and souvenirs is nothing like the others!

The bright exception to the rule
Unlike any other touristic souvenirs shop, the “light” of this place, comes out from a ... star, as translated from the Italian language the first name of Mrs. Stella Rizopoulou, who is the very soul of the shop -the such a distinct and ... ingenius Kookoovaya (means “owl” in greek)!... It's a place of art and expression of creation that can hold you inside for hours!
Whether you want to buy something very small, a symbolic gift, such as a magnet or a sous-verre, or if you have decided to renew your home and search for a particular decorative, such as a board or a decorative boat, Kookoovaya proves to be your wise choice.
It is one of the few times that I find my words to seem too few to describe the harmony, the aesthetics, the originality and the variety of objects. Although the items may be a lot, the space however is “breathing”, everything is laid in a nice order, color everywhere, and a positive aura and tranquility that inspires you to examine more and more of them...

Everything started from an empty stand
I cannot hide, however, the object that attracted my interest from the very first moment: the collectible thimbles with the unbelievable designs! How karmic; Mrs. Stella explains how everything started from here -from these thimbles. More accurately, from an empty stand that she gazed at back in 1996 and imagined it full of thimbles! It was then that she decided to start her own company, named “Margaro” (inspired by the name of her daughter, Margarita), creating handmade gifts and souvenirs and distributing them in stores, bringing in a real new air to the tourist products. Indeed, Stella traveled a lot, she participated -and is still participating- in folk art exhibitions and her desire to create souvenirs for the tourists, unique items, that you could not come across elsewhere, finally became a reality.

A “Kookoovaya” full of wisdom and elegance
Mrs. Stella decided to open “Kookoovaya” in December 2016 at her place of origin, the city of Nafplio. She speaks to me in her calm voice, tells me about her satisfaction, when people like and appreciate the items, and that everyone wish to buy something when going in, she also tells me about how much emphasis she gives to the good wrapping, when even the simplest little souvenir magnet becomes a nice gift.
She proudly shows her creations, the thimbles, the decorative bells, a string of trees, the watches in animals figures hanged on the wall, and she talks about the value of handmade things, the amount of inspiration and the days they need to be made. With the same joy as well, she also shows me the objects of her collaborators, creators with whom she moves on the same wavelength and shares the same cultural views and aesthetic.

The stamp of personal style
Well-dressed herself, with her own distinctive style, she brings and exhibits to the store special clothes of timeless aesthetic, made of linen and cotton in abstraction lines, as well as pashminas and hats (that her husband Petros is very fond of) and many jewelry also, that all your friends ask you where you bought them from.
Think about how much we need the beauty of things and of people, how important it is to fill up your friends with the love of a small gift, your home with travel memories, your heart with Greece’s colors!
What a beautiful thing to share, just as Kookoovaya shares with all of us her love for aesthetics!

Did you know that?
The thimbles are the No1 collection object in all over the world.
Even the name and the design of the Kookoovaya logo are carefully selected to remind harmony.
The store remains open 365 days a year.


Open
All year

Opening Hours
Monday - Sunday: 10:00 - 22:00