Lace -- Most lace vendors center on Piazza San Marco. Although the price of handmade Venetian lace is high, it's still reasonable considering the painstaking work that goes into the real thing. It can cause damage to a woman's eyesight. Authentic hand-tatted lace is cheaper in Venice than it is back home, and it's even cheaper on the island of Burano, where stores don't have to pay high-priced Venice rents. But no one ever called handmade Burano lace a bargain, even on its home turf.

Regardless of where you buy lace, however, make sure it's the real thing. The lace shops are like the glassware outlets, selling the whole gamut from the shoddy to the exquisite. Much of it -- even on Burano -- is shoddy, and a lot of it isn't handmade in Venice but machine-made in Taiwan. Shop carefully and know what you're buying. If a price seems too good to be true, it probably is.

For serious purchases, Jesurum, Mercerie del Capitello, San Marco 4857 (tel. 041-5206177), is tops. You'll find Venetian handmade or machine-made lace and embroidery on table, bed, and bath linens, as well as hand-printed swimsuits. Prices are high, but quality and originality are guaranteed and special orders are accepted. The exclusive linens created here are expensive, but the inventory is large enough to accommodate many budgets. Staff members insist that everything sold is made in or around Venice in traditional patterns.

Leather -- Marforio, Campo San Salvador, San Marco 5033 (tel. 041-5225734), was founded in 1875 and is Italy's oldest and largest leather-goods retail outlet, run by the same family for five generations. It's known for the quality of its leather products, and there's an enormous assortment of famous European labels, including Valentino, Armani, Ferrè, and Cardin, among others.

Bottega Veneta, Calle Vallaresso, San Marco 1337 (tel. 041-5202816), is primarily known for its woven leather bags. They're sold elsewhere, but the prices are said to be less at the company's flagship outlet in Venice. The shop also sells women's shoes, suitcases, wallets, belts, and high-fashion accessories.

Furla, Mercerie del Capitello, San Marco 4954 (tel. 041-5230611), is a specialist in women's leather bags but sells belts and gloves as well. Many of the bags are stamped with molds, creating alligator- and lizardlike textures. You'll also find costume jewelry, silk scarves, briefcases, and wallets.

Every kind of leather work is offered at Vogini, Ascensione, San Marco 1291, 1292, and 1301, near Harry's Bar (tel. 041-5222573), especially women's handbags, which are exclusive models. There's also a large assortment of handbags in petit-point embroideries and in crocodile, plus an assortment of men's and women's shoes. Brand names include Mosquino and Robert Di Camerino, plus products designed and manufactured by Vogini itself.

Markets -- If you're looking for some bargain-basement buys, head to one of the little shops lining the Rialto Bridge. The shops there branch out to encompass fruit and vegetable markets as well. The Rialto isn't the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, but for what it offers it isn't bad, particularly if your euros are running short. You'll find a wide assortment of merchandise, from angora sweaters to leather gloves. The quality is likely to vary widely, so plunge in with your eyes open.

Paper -- Florence is still the major center in Italy for artistic paper, especially marbleized paper. However, craftsmen in Venice still make marble paper by hand, sheet by sheet. The technique offers unlimited decorative possibilities and the widest range of possible colors. Each sheet of handmade marbleized paper is one of a kind.

Il Papiro, Calle del Piovan, San Marco 2764 (tel. 041-5223055), carries absolutely gorgeous stationery, plus photo albums, address books, picture frames, diaries, and boxes covered in artfully printed paper. It is also the best outlet for purchasing leather-bound blank and lined journals, a unique gift.

Stylish Piazzesi, Campiello della Feltrina, San Marco 2511 (tel. 041-5221202), claims to be Italy's oldest purveyor of writing paper (opened 1900). Some of its elegant lines of stationery require as many as 13 artisans to produce. Most of the production is hand-blocked, marbleized, stenciled, or accented with dyes that are blown onto each of the sheets with a breath-operated tube. If you want impressive paper for your social thank-you notes or wedding invitations, Piazzesi will undoubtedly have it in stock. Also look for papier-mâché masks and commedia dell'arte-style statues representing age-old professions such as architects, carpenters, doctors, glassmakers, church officials, and notaries. Seeking something more modern? Consider any of the whimsically decorated containers for CDs and computer disks.

Wood Sculptures -- A unique outlet in Venice is Livio de Marchi, San Samuele, San Marco 3157 (tel. 041-5285694). De Marchi and his staff can take almost any item, from cowboy boots to a Vespa to a woman's handbag, and sculpt it in wood in hyper-real detail. Even if you don't buy anything, just stop in to take a look at these stunning items sculpted from wood.