Altjeringa

Whenever Mrs Sussexspy and I walk from Hove to Brighton, we pass this lovely little shop just by Palmeira Square. They sell what I would call nice things. Gifts and cards and little trinkets. You know the stuff. They also sell more expensive items and clothing too. I like the way so much in this shop is unique. Much is imported from far away and they have a real eye for beauty and bizarre. It’s a nice place to buy a present but beware, it isn’t cheap. I just wish I knew what the name meant. I must ask one day.

I bought a Moroccan leather handbag from Altjeringa, and after a few months of hanging on my bedroom door, I found it was oozing a very nasty sticky substance caused by the leather not being properly cured. I took it back to the shop today, but they refused to admit it was their problem, accusing me instead of not caring for it properly ! No apology or any attempt to compensate me in any way with a small token or gift voucher.
I have a shop myself and would never treat a customer in this way. I would always apologise for any issue with a product and replace it or offer some kind of compensation.

Whenever I want a laugh, I go to Altjeringa. Not because they stock anything intrinsically humorous, but because their pricing is comedy gold. They stock various gifty-​bits, like soaps, and ornaments, as well as bits of jewellery and clothing like jersey scarves and stripy socks, and down stairs they have some art which is generally not to my taste. Their stock is pleasant enough, but ye gods it’s a rip off! It seems that they basically take a simple item, e.g. A jersey scarf, sew a couple of tassels on it, then charge you £90 for the effort. I saw an umbrella in there with a few tatty sequin bits sewn round the edge for again, a whopping £90. A pair of socks will set you back £12, and they’ll gift wrap it for you if you like, but they aren’t exactly generous with the ribbon. It’s a shame, their products are nice, and the staff are quietly friendly and helpful, but I don’t think this shop would survive anywhere other than Palmeria Square — they are obviously catering to a clientèle with more money than sense.

As a 22 year old male, I probably don’t really represent the target audience of Altjeringa, but as 22 year old male needing to buy his Mum a birthday present, Altjeringa was ideal.
It’s a relatively small shop, but they have a very good concentration of lady’s clothes, accessories and home ware. It’s all very tasteful, pastel colours and ‘homemade’ looking items that all seem rather characterful.
I bought my mum two white cushions, slightly embroidered cushions. I also picked up a pair of earrings that had been reduced to £6.
For solving my birthday crisis, I can’t really say a bad word against Altjeringa.

This is a nice little shop in Hove specialising in women’s accessories. It has a homey feel to it which puts you at ease so that you feel comfortable picking things up, touching the fabrics– women love to touch fabric, have you noticed that– and trying things on. I’ve only ever been into the shop in the winter so I can only comment on their colder weather stock– they have lovely soft wool shawls, striped scarves and leather and sheepskin gloves. The prices are quite reasonable… for Hove!