Mt Meru Curios & Crafts Market
Arusha
Souvenirs (and a few high-quality items) are here at Mt Meru Curios & Crafts Market, often incorrectly called the Maasai Market. Hard bargaining is…
Must-see shopping in Africa
Dakar
In the endless sprawl of street stalls here you can buy just about anything (as long as no one steals your purse): you'll find tapestries, wood carvings,…
Cape Town
Standing for 'Young Designers Emporium', this place is all a bit of a jumble, but you’ll most likely find something reasonably inexpensive to suit among…
Cape Town
The focal point of Claremont's shopping scene, this top-class mall has outlets of many local and international fashion designers, as well as supermarkets,…
Entebbe
Love it or loathe it, mall culture has well and truly arrived in Uganda, with this shiny new complex opening in 2013. As well as eateries and shops, there…
Monrovia
Leslie sells his watercolour and acrylic paintings and is the go-to source of info on the Liberian contemporary art scene. He does not have a gallery per…
The East
Just north of Piton Ste-Rose is this family-run operation where you can buy various tropical fruit products, including delicious jam, to-die-for cakes and…
Simon's Town & Southern Peninsula
Reflecting the maritime heritage of Simon's Town, this gallery sells contemporary, nautical-themed artwork and decor, alongside clothing from cotton…
Grand Baie
Sunset Boulevard, which sits either side of Royal Rd in the heart of town, is home to chic boutiques, including knitwear specialists Floreal, Maille St…
Limpopo
Next to an essential oils factory and close to Horizon Horseback Adventures, Beadle is a community project that sells attractive leather and beaded crafts…
Harare
This well-presented gallery within Doon Estate has quality Zimbabwean and African crafts, many of which are antiques. There are also masks, jewellery,…
Lamu Island
This is a good place to shop for prints and paintings, handbags made from recycled materials, woven sisal bags and small Kenyan masks. The ebony…
Northern Madagascar
Ampangorinana has an interesting craft market with beautiful cut-work embroidered tablecloths and curtains, excellent wood carvings and paintings spilling…
Essaouira
Two cooperatives for the price of one, where the men make thuja-wood items and the women make top-quality argan-oil lotions and potions. It's down a dingy…
Coopérative Artisanale des Marqueteurs
Essaouira
Come to this cooperative in an impasse (dead-end lane) off Place Moulay Hassan to watch the woodworkers in action, hand-turning the thuja wood with a…
Cairo
Spiffy modern booze sellers; no need to sneak behind a curtain, and even offers delivery. A small Stella is LE12, a large Sakara is LE17. There's another…
Lake Naivasha
This tiny cooperative turns out beautiful rugs, throws and bags, and does a nice line in wooden souvenirs – including cute salt and pepper pots. Most…
Nairobi
This small flea market at the K1 Klub House is a terrific way to spend a morning. The shopping experience is limited to a few stalls, but the brunch is…
Cairo
The most respected antiques dealer in Khan Al Khalili is a warren of Louis XV furniture and glass cases filled with gleaming jewellery and snuff boxes…
Project Ploughshare Women’s Crafts Training Center
Gonder
This centre in Wolleka is helping disadvantaged women rekindle local pottery traditions, along with traditional Amhara weaving and basketry. You can watch…
Rissani to Zagora
Escape the mayhem of the Sunday souq and wander 500m down the side street with signs for Kasbah Baha Baha and through a doorway bedecked with dented pots…
Grand Baie
To purchase some original art, visit the studio of Françoise Vrot to see her expressive portraits of women fieldworkers. Opening hours vary, so you may…
Durban
This not-for-profit gallery has an excellent selection of high-quality work by rural craftspeople and artists. It's a great place to pick up unique,…
Essaouira
Describing itself as an 'oriental vintage chic bazar', this stylish homeware shop sells a carefully curated range of textiles, glassware, ceramics and…
Harare
On top of the old car park at the back of Avondale Shopping Centre, this daily flea market predominantly sells clothing but is also worth a browse for…
Johannesburg
Adjoining, and similar to, Sandton City Mall, this large mall is built around an Italian-style piazza full of restaurants. There's also a 6m-high bronze…
eSwatini (Swaziland)
Don’t miss this well-stocked market that's opposite the Zeemans Filling Station on the corner of MR103 and Mpumalanga Loop Rd. Look for the blue tin roofs…
Mauritius
Designer homewares and furnishings that capture the refinement of island chic and Mauritian coastal living are arrayed around a number of showrooms next…
Cape Town
If you're looking to stock up on boutique booze, this privately owned liquor store has an excellent selection of single malt whisky, locally produced gin,…
Bulawayo
Inside the National Art Gallery is this store that stocks some of the best books on Zimbabwe in the country. There's also some interesting art magazines,…
Windhoek
This is the place to head for supplies before you head off into the Namibian wilds – it’s good for air compressors, a vital accessory. It is also a…
Cape Town
Frontier Provisions are the local menswear label stocked on one side of this boutique, with Gray Dawn womenswear on the other. The look is vintage with a…
Aswan
Good, air-conditioned bookshop near the train station with loads of books on Aswan and Egypt in English. There is another well-stocked branch in the…
Green Point & Waterfront
Carrol Boyes’ sensuous designs in pewter and steel give a fun feel to cutlery, kitchen products and homewares. You’ll also find some rainbow-hued…
Cape Town
The showroom and atelier of Malcolm Klûk (once an apprentice to John Galliano) and Christiaan Gabriel Du Toit are combined here. Expect haute couture,…
Namibia
Run by the Caprivi Art & Cultural Association, the centre is a good place to look for local curios and crafts, including elephant and hippo woodcarvings,…
Tangier
Franco-Senegalese artist Karim LeGros sells beautiful handmade African-style textiles in this tiny boutique near the kasbah. There's bright clothing,…
Cairo
High-quality handwoven, colour-saturated silks, cottons and linens are the mainstay of this delightful shop. Buy by the yard, or in boxy, drapey women’s…
Gauteng
If you're after vintage and antique kitchenalia or just plain old colourful and kitsch junk then this is the place for you. A warren of expertly…
Cape Town
Capetonian interior-design adventures can be had at this place, set back from Albert Rd, where you may be able to pick up original framed Trechtikoff…
