JT outlet
 

Looks like you have to take the skytrain and then change lines and get a taxi at the last stop to get to the J thompson outlet(from Sathorn bridge)...Can you take a boat to the port authority and get a taxi as well? how much to get a taxi to take you all the way?thanks

I’m not sure if you are referring to Jim Thompson’s main outlet, which is on Surawong, or to his house which is on Rama 1.

To get to the shop you would have to get off the train at Silom station, four stops from the bridge (it’s actually Taksin Bridge) and walk from there.

If it is the house you want, then you don’t need to change trains. Go to the end of the line at the National Stadium. From there you could walk to the house.

the outlet is on soi 93, sukhumvit road...

you take the skytrain to the last stop on the sukhumvit line--on nut...

you can walk from there but i prefer to take a taxi---less than 35B....

the shop is a 5 story building on the left side of soi 93, down about 2 blocks from sukhumvit....there is a large brown jim thompson sign out front....the doorman will get you a taxi when you leave or you can walk...

the first two floors are fabric....floor 3 is fabric and some merchandise....floor 4 is general merchandise....the is now some merchandise on floor 5 as well as a limited service cafe...

savings of about 60% generally...

fabric is a fabulous buy..

there is also a very small outlet on suriwong rd towards the river from the main store and on the same side as the main store....probably a 5-10 minute walk....they have mostly fabric---99%

Can you tell me what kind of "general merchandise" the outlet carries? I will be trying to get to both the JT House and the outlet in my brief afternoon in BKK-I'll be looking for scarves, clothes, etc. for gifts but not fabric.

What the outlet has varies wildly. They are likely to have some purses, placemats, jewelry boxes, some clothing, etc. If you have a very limited time and must buy JT goods, go to the main store (on Suriwong) it has everything and in all the newest designs.

kathie has good advice...or go to the house if that is for a tour and then to the main store....the store at the house is limited...

at the outlet, we have found very limited clothing except T shirts....there are purses, sachels, ties, scarves, placemats, tablecloths, kids stuff (mostly T shirts), all kinds of small gift silk items (lipstick holders, eye glass cases, small cosmetic bags, some cloth toys, occasionally some leather items, pool wraps..
savings can be to 80%, but with limited time you might just be better off at the main store....good place there for lunch also...

outlet is soi 93, sukhumvit rd
main store is suriwong rd at the corner of rama IV

Thanks so much! I hope to do a tour of the house, shop at both the main store and the outlet, grab a bite, in 4hrs or so but maybe that's not realistic.

if you run and have directions exactly..

We walked from the skytrain to the outlet but with your time frame you'll want to taxi -- the skytrain ride alone from the house to the outlet takes a bit of time.
Not sure whether you're thinking the outlet for gifts or fabric ?? then the time to get there might make sense -- otherwise the house/shop might work fine.

actually using the skytrain from the house to the outlet is quite quick....it takes about 5-10 min to walk house to skytrain---maybe 20-30 minutes on skytrain----then 5-20 minutes to get to outlet....
returning is slightly longer if you take a taxi because of the one way streets, but walking to skytrain might not be a good option because of carrying packages if you buy very much...

remember it is hot as hell...

door man will get you a taxi...we alsmost always take the taxi to our final destination because of the packages....

Maybe I'll just shoot for the house and main store to begin with and if I find myself with extra time, the outlet. We're staying at the Four Seasons which I think is not too far from the house. Not interested in fabric, just gifts for myself and family.

house is not all that far from 4 seasons....while at 4 seasons make sure you eat in biscotti....italian, but fantastic...

main store is not all that far from there either---just at the other end of the street--long street...not walking distance...

good shops at 4 seasons and at hyatt and also at peninsula plaza next door...

Bob, if she's only got 4 hours that 20-30 minutes times 2 eats up a ton of time -- so that's what I meant by a bit of time.
moremiles -- there's a small JT shop in the 4S complex, too. That's where I bought my JT bag so if you don't buy at the house and want something last minute, you have that as a backup. It's small but they do carry nice things in many of the latest styles. To get to the house from 4S, take the skytrain at Ratchadamri (right near the 4S) to National Stadium (it's only a few stops), it's about a five minute walk from that stop to the house. We really did enjoy their cafe for lunch -- good option if you have to wait a bit for your tour to start.
We used the skytrain alot for transportation in BKK as that station is so close.
Did you get a driver for any of your time? If not -- the skytrain to river taxis works well enough for GP, Wat Po, Wat Arun. We also used it at night for our dinners at Face and Bed, although the walk to Face was a bit spooky along a dark soi. The concierge is great with all options and maps, and you can take one of those little cards with directions back to the hotel in a taxi if you get overhot/tired.
Narai Phand is walkable from 4S too for gifts.

Thanks so much! I've only got a few hours in the aft. since we are coming back to BKK from CM and then my flt home leaves early a.m. the next day but I'll make the most of it. We will have one quick night pre-CM at the Pen and they probably have a JT shop too-wish it was a longer trip since I haven't been to BKK for 20yrs and would LOVE to stay longer.

i don't think the penn has a JT shop, oddly enough....but you can take the boat to the other side and its a short taxi ride from the penn location on the other side or from river city where the penn boat goes hourly....nice place to poke around---river city...our silk shop there has some ready made things---js thai silk on the first floor opposite the info booth....tons of other shops with good things on the 1st two floors...open evenings too...

Thanks again, but no time at the Pen other than to sleep, breakfast, and take a look at their shops before heading back to the airport for flt to CM. I will only be in Thailand for 6nts, 2 of them very short nights. I probably won't have time to even adapt to the time zone.

the pen has a jt shop. got a good selection too.

thanks nikki....it may be new....there are very few shops at the penn however...

Bob there are very few shops in the pen, you are right about that (or not many that held our interest anyway) the JT shop was at the pen the first time we visited a couple of years ago but still no substitute for the main shops ( although i have to say muffin and i didn't care for the outlet store much!!)
However if time is short it still has some nice things and i seem to remember i bought stuff from there both times we stayed at the Pen

nikki---seems to me that you have bought things in most every shop in bkk---isn't that true??

Me a shopper nah you got me mixed up with someone else....... (now Muffin wishes that were true)

We just got back from BKK yesterday morning and are still a bit jet lagged. Will post a timely report - to avoid penalties - soon.

Concerning JT, although we had wanted to go to the museum and main house we didn't make it there. However, following someone's very good suggestion on this board (maybe Sue or Kathie), we headed for the JT store in Siam Paragon. We took the Skytrain to Siam, walked across the street and Paragon is right there. The JT store there is very large, was well stocked and had at leat ten times the amount of mercandise as compared to the JT store at the JW in Phuket. We were also told in BKK from other tourists who had gone to the outlet that its selection of "gift like" items, was limited.

If you have limited time, I think the Paragon store is a good location to head for. Following more suggestions on this board, we then headed straight to the 4th floor of Paragon and it has terrific local Thai stores, with a very large selection of everything - silks, shoes, homeware, soaps (there's a very nice Harn store), clothes (there was a cool shop that sells items such as great quality T-shirts and some small inexpensive jewelry items made by Her Royal Highness, not sure which one, I can't really keep track). Also found some beautiful silk scarves and the like. The items on the 4th floor were all well made, perhaps a bit more pricey than at other spots but, everything was there, it was super easy and I would recommend it. We also found a travel agency/store that sold "Thai Shop" items, like TG umbrellas and die cast models that we wanted to buy.

And, as others have said, Paragon is really something else. I do not like malls but, Paragon is something to see. Most impressive mall I've ever been to. The food court and the Gourmet Market on the ground floor are outstanding. Indeed, we had some gelato at a stand in the Market and it was some of the best Gelato we've ever had - anywhere.

Finally, if all else fails, there is an pretty good sized JT shop at Suvanabum, which seemed to have much merchandise. My daughter, now looking over my shoulder as I type, tells me the prices on at least some of the items were the same. And, for those looking for good baby gifts, JT has some great stuff. Really soft and well made silk stuffed animals (elephants, of course), T-shirts and incredibly cute elephant booties.

It doesn't sound like I'll have any problem finding JT shops in BKK, even with limited time. Now I just have to research the shopping in Chaing Mai too. Thanks for all the replies.

What do you want to find in CM moremiles? You probably already read somewhere that the night market is sprawling and the best shops are inside the white building -- you just have to make your way through alot of packed streets/vendors to get there.
If you're considering anything "antique" without the "" I cannot recommend the people at Baan Mai near the 4S enough - they took exceptionally good care of us.

Thanks jenskar, and no, I haven't read too much about the shopping in CM yet. I need to do some more searching here and also get a guidebook. I am most interested in silk, jewelry(not high-end) and handicrafts. Does the FS have any good shops or are they very over-priced?

the best shopping guidebook that i have seen for thailand is:

ron krannich's: the treasurers and pleasurers of thailand and mynamar

available on amazon

The 4S gift shop is hugely overpriced. Down the road (walkable) are some other shops but mostly statues, etc so not sure you'll find anything down there.
Their concierge's shopping list is, however very good. You can get a great deal handicraft-wise at the night market (again, white building!)
North of the night market along Tha Phae Road going west are a collection of shops including Lost Heavens that have higher priced tribal handicrafts, also some buy by the oz. Hilltribe silver, and silk and textiles. Nimmanhaemin Road has some good housewares shops near the intersection with Huay Kaew and on side streets south of that. That's a tuktuk ride from the other side of town.
Are you doing a spa treatment at the 4S? I would really recommend doing one at night as it adds a whole extra layer of atmosphere to the experience. Of course you could get less expensive treatments in town but ... I really loved falling into bed after mine.
Can you tell this is much more fun than going upstairs and starting to clean out 13 years of accumlated stuff in the attic?

hypatia ... sorry to have drifted from your original post !!

luxe guides do a great little guide to chiang Mai... they are not everyones taste but i find their shopping section fantastic, i also like to compact format and we used the BKK and Singapore ones extensively and i have already bought the sydney and Hong Kong ones for this years holiday. You can get them in good hotels in BKK or in C or alternatively buy online at luxeguides....

Thanks all and I will print this out to take with me! Yes, I will definitely be getting some spa treatments at the FS too-already have the menu. This is a bit of a celebration trip.