Via de 'Ginori 23r — Local services in Florence

Easily my favourite leather shop in the whole of Florence, and trust me, I’d spent two whole days traipsing around the city checking out almost every shop of repute.

So what sets Via de’Ginori 23r apart from the rest? The quality of their leather bags and other products was excellent and could easily rival those of other artisan shops in Florence, but they were also far more reasonably priced. When I visited Cuor di Pelle (another great choice for leather) after having bought my tote, the owner commented that €180 was more than a fair price for the quality and amount of leather used. Most other places had prices more than double what I paid. The stitching was close and tight, and the leather quality great. Furthermore, their bags were more fashion-forward than most other shops whose bags tended more towards classic silhouettes (nothing wrong with that, but when you have as many bags as I do, you start getting bored). Via de’Ginori 23r has embraced the rather modern trend of creating bags with multi-purpose uses through simple modifications - the bag I got could transform from a tote to a backpack to a cross shoulder with ease. Excellent!

Next, their level of service was spectacular. There was no pressure whatsoever to buy, and I was encouraged to touch whatever I liked and take as many photos as I wanted. When I indicated interest in any of the designs, the ladies who attended to me would bring out all the other colours and encouraged me to bring them out to see their natural colour in the sunlight. They were also highly knowledgeable about the products and could tell me what grade of leather it was (mine was top grain), which part of the cow it came from as well as little tidbits about the production process (e.g. with limited edition products). That truly impressed me.

Via de’Ginori 23 was one of the first few leather shops I visited, and I left without getting anything at first, wanting to explore my options before reaching any decisions, but I came back two days later not having found any other shop which quite rivaled it. Needless to say, I was one very pleased and impressed customer. Definitely a must visit if you’re looking for...

Update!!! I just went back here now (2 years later) and still amazing store. We got another purse and a belt. Lovely people and so kind.

I want to give a huge shout out and recommendation to this store in Florence for their leather goods. We went to many stores around the area. I wasn't quite sure what I wanted, but knew I was going to treat myself and spend some serious money. Almost everywhere we went had beautiful things, but one of the biggest problems were how pushy the sales people were. As I wasn't sure what I wanted, I just wanted to look and imagine and think. That is hard to do with someone who keeps shoving things at you and asking how much you want to spend.

Finally on advice, we walked into Via de Ginori 23. It was a beautiful store and the best part was the very experienced sales people gave me space. They let me look without breathing down my neck. They were available for all questions, but backed off and gave me time and space to decide. They never tried to sell me anything. They were just in the background. I ended buying a large carry on duffle style bag and a large purse. They were very kind and easy going. I would go back there in a heartbeat. Prices were very competitive and obviously worth the quality. Best part also was their simple after care instructions. Just wipe with non alcoholic baby wipes and every few years, wipe down with cows milk.

They close for lunch around 1:30-4pm. This also tells me that they value their time and store and not just...

This is one of the rare instances I write a review for any sort of establishment. Walking around Florence, you are just inundated by leather goods stores and the research you do on social media points you to establishments that are just jam packed with people who’ve seen the same posts as you. The owners of this store are a lovely couple who went out of their way to explain the products they designed or even helped with resizing a belt I just purchased. What struck me was how reasonably priced everything was. In this era of hyper luxury goods, where you feel like you cannot get traditional, quality and ethical goods without paying an arm and a leg, this store was a startling oasis of honesty. So much so that we came back almost everyday to just buy things we were thinking about from the day before. This is one of those places where the service and products leave you wanting to come back for something you might’ve missed the first time around. Very rare any retail establishment makes me feel like that nowadays. When I return, I hope that blue messenger bag with white stitching will still be there. Simply...