Il Grifone

Beautiful craftmanship. It doesn’t get more authentic than this!

Found this Gem, again thanks to Unilocalers! Family owned and all made right in the shop. Nice leather purses and accessories. Prices are fare, considering the craftsmanship. The shop is actually one block west of where it’s listed. Right on the corner. fyi.

I bought a leather man bag from Il Grifone 2 years ago. It is the most fantastic bag I have ever seen. I asked the man who made it, how to take care of it. He told me, «the dirtier it gets, the better it’ll get.» The leather is fantastic and everyone asks me where they can get one.

I saw a couple reviews for this place so I made sure to check it out. The owner makes all the bags by hand and although it was a bit more than i wanted to spend on a purse, I love it. The bag is soft and buttery and smells amazing, and the style is not something I had seen often.
I ended up buying a brown/​caramel colored shoulder bag with silver hardware. it’s fully lined with cloth and trimmed on the inside with leather accents.
I could go on and on… Needless to say I heart my bag.
But it was a lovely place. It’s really quite close if you walk from the Piazzale Roma and I was fortunate that I had a decent map, because like all things in Venezia, it is a bit tricky to find.
I can’t wait to return and buy more companion pieces!

I can’t stop smiling when caressing and sticking my nose close to my newly purchased purse from il grifone.
I was in a hunt of a handmade leather purse on my trip all the way from Rome to Florence. I was so tired of seeing many leather shops that were selling similar copies of Chanel or Hermes purses that I thought I was going to return home empty handed. I then completely gave up on the idea of buying leather goods in italy after visiting the highly praised Venetian leather store Mazzon Le Borse, again, i saw shadows of Hermes and Chanel.
I stumbled upon IL GRIFONE when lost looking for the fish market (which turned out we were in a completely wrong part of Venice) — a one man shop with his workroom at the back of the store that you can easily peer in from the cash register.
A shy but smily shop owner who had the look reminiscent of one of the hosts from «Mythbusters» came out to greet us. I couldn’t be more joyful to see and get my hands all over his buttery soft creations. The leather purses are truly unique and handmade. The prices are also shockingly reasonable. A half finished purse in his workroom caught my eye, and he promised me that he would have it ready for me the next day. I went back to the shop three times during my short time in Venice. Everyone in my family got something from this shop and they couldn’t be happier!
There are many colorful key fobs, leather trays, wallets in many sizes, portfolios, belts, men and women’s bags in high quality leather available.
A truly wonderful gem that you shouldn’t miss when in Venice.