Places to buy Malaysian fine crafts
#1
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Places to buy Malaysian fine crafts
I will be in Kuala Lumpur and Penang in November, and would like to visit stores/studios, etc. that sell authentic Malaysian crafts. I like to buy things of high quality that won't be seen in every store. Are there any places that you'd recommend? I'm interested in textiles, but am open to any crafts that aren't produced in mass quantities.
Thanks in advance.
Thanks in advance.
#2
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It's been a few years, but there used to be a speciality textiles shop on the upper level of the Central Market in KL. The textiles there are very high quality. The shops on the main level of Central Market are not as good.
Sorry, I didn't shop for crafts in Penang, so I don't have a recommendation. The other place I found fabulous textiles was in Kuching, but it sounds like you won't be in Sabah/Sarawak this trip.
Sorry, I didn't shop for crafts in Penang, so I don't have a recommendation. The other place I found fabulous textiles was in Kuching, but it sounds like you won't be in Sabah/Sarawak this trip.
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Thank you, Kathie. And it doesn't necessarily have to be textiles. I'd like to find some places that specialize in beautiful local crafts; I have a sizable list of wedding and birthday presents that I'd like to buy during my travels (so any places in Myanmar, Chiang Mai and Singapore would be good, too.)
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Singapore is not the best place to buy crafts. Chiang Mai has excellent crafts. Do you have the Nancy Chandler map of CM? The little booklet that comes with it has a list of fair trade craft sources. These shops tend to have the highest quality crafts in my experience.
In Myanmar, here are where I found the best crafts:
at Inle lake there is a weaving collective on the water that is the only place dive ever seen extraction and weaving of lotus fiber. The lotus fiber items are pricy, but you won't see them anywhere else. At InDien on Inle Lake, the walkway up to the temple atop the hill has stalls on both side of the covered walkway with some of the best crafts we saw.
In Mandalay and in Pwin U Lwin a man named Soe Moe has a shop in each city called Pacific World Curio. This is a heat source for interesting crafts, some old, some new. We spent an hour or so talking with the owner and with his son.
In Yangon, I found mostly mass produced crafts at Scott's Market, with the exception of the famed textile place on the second floor, Yoyamay Ethnographic Textile Gallery. This is a fabulous place for textiles! The owners are very knowledgeable and we spent a long time talking with them. We also found that the shops in the Strand had some superb crafts, as did the shop at the Governor's Residence. The shop at the Savoy also had some very nice things. Clearly, the best hotels have the contacts to get the best crafts. If you only choose one hotel to visit, choose the Strand as they had the most shops and the most variety.
I hope this is helpful. I'm also a collector of fine crafts. Happy shopping!
In Myanmar, here are where I found the best crafts:
at Inle lake there is a weaving collective on the water that is the only place dive ever seen extraction and weaving of lotus fiber. The lotus fiber items are pricy, but you won't see them anywhere else. At InDien on Inle Lake, the walkway up to the temple atop the hill has stalls on both side of the covered walkway with some of the best crafts we saw.
In Mandalay and in Pwin U Lwin a man named Soe Moe has a shop in each city called Pacific World Curio. This is a heat source for interesting crafts, some old, some new. We spent an hour or so talking with the owner and with his son.
In Yangon, I found mostly mass produced crafts at Scott's Market, with the exception of the famed textile place on the second floor, Yoyamay Ethnographic Textile Gallery. This is a fabulous place for textiles! The owners are very knowledgeable and we spent a long time talking with them. We also found that the shops in the Strand had some superb crafts, as did the shop at the Governor's Residence. The shop at the Savoy also had some very nice things. Clearly, the best hotels have the contacts to get the best crafts. If you only choose one hotel to visit, choose the Strand as they had the most shops and the most variety.
I hope this is helpful. I'm also a collector of fine crafts. Happy shopping!
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Thanks, Kathie. I have all those places earmarked to visit. Hopefully the places you visited, and loved, are still as nice as you've described.
I do have Nancy Chandler's map of Chiang Mai, and found some beautiful things (scarves and jewelry) when I was there last year. We're debating whether to explore Baan Tawai this time (we spent about 15 minutes there around closing time) or head back over to Charoenrat or Nimmanhaemin Roads, which were fun to explore.
I do have Nancy Chandler's map of Chiang Mai, and found some beautiful things (scarves and jewelry) when I was there last year. We're debating whether to explore Baan Tawai this time (we spent about 15 minutes there around closing time) or head back over to Charoenrat or Nimmanhaemin Roads, which were fun to explore.
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Another place in Yangon is Pomelo, just down the road from a great restaurant - Monsoon.
http://www.pomeloyangon.com/about-us/
http://www.pomeloyangon.com/about-us/