Åhléns City

This Åhlens is like no other. It is the best one out there. It has all the makeup brands that many other ahlens do not carry. Plus, a huge selection of fashion clothes, big shoe selection, good kids department, men’s fashion, and the like. Love this place!

If NK is a Neiman Marcus, Ahlens is a Macy’s? Very accessible, commoners’ department store. You can even find Ahlens City stores at rural area in Sweden. I heard that this is a largest department store chain.

I love Department Stores. Department stores and grocery stores and markets are my top 3 places to hit up when I’m new to a city. All while fuelled by the city’s best coffee. So, I guess *4* places to hit up.
When I was in Stockholm several years ago I remember going crazy at Ahlens, a Swedish-​owned Department store. On every floor they had a mini display of «best of Swedish» brands, and their house-​brand of knitwear really impressed me. Given that my name starts with an «A», the white with bright red «A» Ahlens bag was something I kept for months after my visit, framed in a frame. Hmm. So yes. I really had fond memories.
This trip, however, it felt tired. Maybe the weather was too hot? Maybe it was a weekend and so packed to the gills? Whatever it was, Ahlens was not the experience I had romanticised. The basement grocery store smelled dank and was dark. The «contemporary designers» selection was minimal. The highlighted products were something I could pick up at the airport. Just not…*special*.
I’m sure if I lived in Stockholm Ahlens would be a good go-​to for Department Store staples (small appliances and new socks and pillowcases and functional stuff!). As a tourist, though, it didn’t provide a special experience to go out of my way for. Off with those nostalgic rose-​coloured glasses, I guess.
Unilocal note: the baby stuff is pretty dang cute, I must confess. A newborn in a thick-​knit Ahlens-​brand sweater? Yep, that’s a winning combination right there, so stock up to ensure that the tots in your life are the coolest kids on the playground!