Crete is
a rural society and most handicraft is derived from the making of
traditional objects for everyday use: leather boots, woven rucksacks,
simple woven carpets, knives, glazed ceramic and earthenware pots
and jars. Most of these objects have stopped being much in demand
and are now mass-produced for souvenir stores. This doesn't mean
that they are bad or expensive but you will have to search carefully
to find quality items.
The city of Chania is without doubt the best place for handicraft shopping in
the whole of Crete.  Leather
Chania has long been famous for its leather handicrafts, mainly its tough traditional
Cretan boots. The shoemaker street Skridlof, off Halidon Street has now grown
into a tourist leather bazaar and its visit has become a must on organized
tours of Chania. The quality of the work on offer has of course declined but
it may be said in fairness that you can still find good quality work at good
prices (lots of competition!) and even some real bargains around the end of
the tourist season.
It is still possible to have boots made-to-measure but not during the tourist
season as they are far too busy producing the standard stuff: sandals, belts,
cheap bags etc. If you can find a shoemaker willing to make you a pair of boots
expect to have to wait at least a week for the work to be done.
Apart from the stalls some more upmarket leather shops have also opened in the "Leather
lane" as well as elsewhere, and you can find some good bags, belts and other
leather items at very keen prices.
Ceramics
There are only two villages left in Crete where the traditional earthenware "pithoi" are
made. These enormous food storage jars have been made since Minoan times. Due
to the dwindling demand for such items most potters started producing ceramic
items for everyday use and are now forced to work almost exclusively for the
tourist industry. You will find some good items, with the shiny dark blue glaze
of Cretan ceramics. The glaze should be hard enough not to scratch under the
blade of a knife. You will also find a lot of kitsch.
Knives
Knives were very important items for the Cretans, not only to use but also
to display as status symbols and show your ability to defend yourself. There
are a few traditional knives shops left in Chania, surprisingly not yet discovered
by mainstream tourism. Go and have a look at "To Macheradiko" on
Sifaka Street 13. The owner speaks good German and some English and if you
are lucky he might have a bit of time to share his passion and knowledge
of knives.
Weaving, carpets and kelims
This type of work is more common in Central Crete but there are a few good
shops in the Topanas area of the old town of Chania where you can find good
quality items.
Jewellery
Both Rethymnon and Chania have a multitude of jewellery shops and the intense
competition keeps the prices fairly low. A lot of it is mass-produced (in
Greece and abroad) but there are also a few shops with quality handmade or
hand-picked items.
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