Mechelen

A household name in Mechelen for twenty years, traditional baker's Matthys is synonymous with delicious products prepared with tender loving care, like the typical Flemish 'vloerbrood' - bread baked on the stone floor of the oven - and traditional 'pistolet' rolls. Moreover, all the ingredients, such as custard and leaven, are homemade. Baker Willem Matthys is the fourth generation of bakers, which makes Bakkerij Matthys a truly traditional establishment! The speciality is the pointed shortbread called 'Mechels Torentje'. The stone pride of Mechelen, St Rumbold's Tower has been transformed into a delicious crunchy biscuit.

Edouard Gauthier set up his praline business in Mechelen in 1964. These days Gauthier is an established name in the city and surrounding area. Everything that is sold in the shop is handmade, without preservatives of any kind. Moreover, Gauthier is one of the few chocolatiers in Belgium that still makes marzipan from raw almonds.

It was Maria Petit, the great grandmother of the current owner Inge Goderis, who established the original shop in Lange Nieuwstraat in Mechelen in the early 1900s. In those days it sold not just knitting wool and sewing cotton but also groceries, etc. The business has always been passed down from mother to daughter and gradually began to specialize in needlecrafts in the broadest possible sense.

Master shoemaker Franciscus Milis set up in business in 1953. Geert Milis took over in 1983. In 2002 the shoemaker's was extended and modernized. Milis-shoes also carries a wide range of Van Bommel quality shoes for men.

In 1870, five generations ago, craftsman Willem Lenaerts set up a saddlery and leather business in Mechelen's beguinage. It was handed down from father to son and survived two world wars. In 1904 the shop moved to No. 17 Bruul where, thanks partly to an excellent after-sales service, subsequent generations managed to survive amidst the growing number of chain stores. Lenaerts specializes in handbags, rucksacks, suitcases, computer bags, umbrellas and small leather items and is a household name in the wider region around Mechelen.

At Simon Lévelt you can choose from 30 different sorts of coffee and more than 150 different sorts of tea and most of them are organic and fair trade. That may sound rather a lot to choose from, but Simon Lévelt will advise you and you can always settle for a few smaller ‘tester packets’. Simon Lévelt also sells a special Mechelen blend of coffee, the ‘Taste of Mechelen’, and a Mechelen tea, the ‘Wonder of Mechelen’ with dreamy hints of bergamot, orange blossom and lavender.