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Mysha & Nito
Upstart designers bring dazzle to a quiet corner with this new red and gold boutique. The dresses for women are a tad glitzy for anyone not attending a royal wedding, but the men's deep orange-and-red striped tunics are destined to wow first dates. When the flirtation turns serious, Mysha & Nito's stunning gold hand-in-hand-of Fatima-necklace makes a princely present.
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Newstand Marché Municipale
News junkies can get their fix of major English-language newspapers only a day behind, and fashionistas can take Moroccan décor ideas home with armloads of design magazines.
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Pharmacie Koutoubia
All the essentials you forgot to bring are here, plus fragrant Nectarôme skin- and hair-care products from the organic gardens in nearby Ourika Valley. If you're not feeling your best, just tell the sharp young pharmacist what's wrong - she'll point out the best pharmaceutical or homeopathic cures for what ails you.
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Sidi Ahmad Gabaz Stucco
Like any visitor with 20/20 vision, you may already be awestruck by the stucco detail up the street at the Ali ben Youssef Medersa - and this is your chance to take home a piece of the stucco action. Sidi Ahmad carves traditional geometric and floral designs right in his shop as well as sweet nothings in French, but with a day's turnaround he will very graciously carve your house number or whatever you like in English…just don't get any four-letter ideas, you naughty people.
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Sidi Ghanem
The industrial quarter 4km outside Marrakesh along the Route de Safi is chock full of made-for-export design studios selling direct from their outlets. Hire a taxi for a couple of hours in the morning or late afternoon and troll the lanes to see what's open (hours are erratic). Head to Mia Zia for Moroccan-inspired knitwear, Akkal for ceramics and Talamanzou for handwoven Berber carpets in spare modern designs.
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Tesoruccio
If your tiny go-getter needs some traction, try these cool German-designed, Moroccan-produced, orthopaedically correct kids' shoes. Little glam rockers will go for the soft, distressed-leather combat boots, and you'll wish they had those embossed lime-green leather sneakers in your size. Kids already bored of shopping will enjoy the playground out front.
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Tresors De Mille Et Une Nuit
An antique-hunting couple from Philadelphia wander through the unmarked door of this family riad for a quick snoop, and within minutes they're earnestly discussing shipping containers. Happens all the time to Said, whose family has been in the décor and antiques business for generations and has the stockpiled treasures to prove it: sand-worn Berber doors, rare Tuareg amulets, Deco lithographs, and a striking armoire inlaid with camel bone.
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Warda La Mouche
This local designer makes glamour look easy with embroidered tunic T-shirts, metal-embroidered kaftans, and psychedelic slippers. Prices are fixed, and about what you'd pay for mass-produced basics back home.
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