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Essaouira is a great shopping destination. Although the range may be more limited than in Marrakesh or Fez, the vendors are a lot more relaxed and starting prices are often reasonable.
Essaouira is famed as an artisan center expert in marquetry and inlay. Boxes, platters, and picture frames made of local thuya wood make excellent gifts, and the wood-carvers' souk below the skala is a popular place to purchase them. A hard, local wood that shines up to almost plastic perfection, thuya is sculpted for both artistic and practical use. Almost-life-size statues and sculptures sit alongside boxes, bowls, and chess sets. Scan a number of stores to see whether you prefer the even-toned thuya branch inlaid with mother-of-pearl or walnut or one with swirling root designs. To get a bulk price, buy a bunch of items from a craftsman who specializes in them.
The main areas for purchasing local crafts and souvenirs are Rue Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdullah, Derb Laalouj, and along the skala. Colorful, woven baskets hang from herbalists' stores in the spice souk and Place Marché aux Grains across the road. While the bazaars, tended by turbaned men of the South, will sell antique (and faux-antique) silver jewelry, locals tend to buy new items from the jewelry souk off Avenue L’Istiqlal. Dive into the small, shady alleyways off the main areas to find more treasures such as carpets, cushion covers, up-cycled antiques from ruined Jewish houses, jewelry and punched metal, and goatskin lamps.
Essaouira is also home to a number of expat artists and craftspeople. Many restaurants and boutique stores sell their work in glass cabinets at fixed prices.
Habiba Ajaoui was the first female shopkeeper in the Essaouira medina, and she's always happy to pass the time chatting with clients (in Arabic, French, or English) over a cup of steaming tea. She sells spices and argan and cactus-seed oils at reasonable prices and can get you everything you need for the hammam. She also has a large repertoire of henna tattoo designs, which are priced according to their complexity.
Hafida welcomes all her customers with a smile and offers a keenly curated selection of Morocco-made jewelry, leather bags, shoes, small paintings, and other decorative items.
The Makki brothers have taken over their father's herbalist business and turned it into an empire, running several of the shops on Place Marché aux Grains and in the spice souk across the road. They know their stuff and are happy to explain, over a pot of royal tea, which spices are used in which recipes and the difference between real and fake saffron. They also sell a range of solid perfumes, argan-oil products, and ceramics.
Three floors of retro and vintage furnishings and decor at this gallery showcase the collections of Abdelatif, who ran a restaurant of the same name in this space. Explore this treasure trove to discover furniture, artwork, clothing, and decorative objects, both Moroccan and European, from bygone decades.
For tasteful used pewter platters, goblets, and ceramic teapots, as well as new and used English and French books, check this store underneath the ramparts. It also has a large selection of antique daggers. The gallery's owner, Joseph Sebag, one of Essaouira's last remaining Jewish residents, is knowledgeable about the city's Jewish history.
Danish collector Frederic Damgaard is credited with bringing the naïve art (works by artists without formal art training) of Essaouira to an international audience. His Galerie d'Art Damgaard, across from the clock tower, has well-curated displays of work by Essaouira painters and sculptors, and it's also a great place to pick up souvenir books on local art and culture.
Tucked away at the end of the street, Galerie Jama seems more museum than shop. You can browse among wooden doors, mosaic vases, vintage Amazigh rugs, and all sorts of wonderful odds and ends. Get ready to negotiate if you see something you like.
Essaouira's only concept store is located near Bab Sbaa and offers a range of clothing, jewelry, accessories, organic argan oil, and small decorative items. Products are designed locally by Moroccan and international designers. This is the closest you'll get in Essaouira to the modern design stores of Marrakesh.
Amid dozens of other Ali Baba–cave-style shops in the Essaouira medina, La Fibule Berbère is one of the oldest and one of the few that accepts credit cards. The shop displays stunning jewelry, such as huge silver pendants, fibules (clasps for attaching pendants and closing shawls), and bulky necklaces made in the Amazigh and Toureg styles.
This shop in the medina offers a range of handmade items from all over Morocco and the Sahara, including mirrors, jewelry, leather bags, and small pieces of furniture. The kettle is always on, and you'll eventually be invited to join in for a cup of sweet mint tea to seal your deal.
