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Lea Silk
Dutch-born textile artist Lea Laarakker Dingjan employs village women in the famed silk-weaving province of Surin to produce the jewel-toned fabric that she uses as a canvas for her striking modern designs. A percentage of the profits from her store is re-invested into the weaving communities.
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Lin Silvercraft
Lin might be a bit pricier than your average Bangkok silver shop but you know you're getting the genuine article. You can pick up classic pieces like silver chokers, thick bangles and custom-engraved cuff links.
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Mae Fah Luang
Another handwoven tradition, these cotton textiles are produced as part of HRH the late Princess Mother's program to transition northern Thailand villages away from opium production. Bolts of fabric are sold alongside ready-to-wear women's designs that update this ethnic-hippie fabric into new millennium styles.
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Mahboonkrong (MBK)
This hyperactive mall smells like Thai teen spirit; nearly all of the city's population under 20 can be found here on a more regular basis than in class or at home. You can buy everything you need here: mobile phones, accessories, shoes, name brands, wallets, purses, T-shirts. The middle-class Tokyu department store also sells good quality kitchenware.
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Maison Des Arts
Hand-hammered, stainless steel tableware haphazardly occupies this warehouse retail shop. The bold style of the flatware dates back centuries and the staff applies no pressure to indecisive shoppers.
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Marco Tailors
Dealing solely in men's suits, this longstanding and reliable tailor has a wide selection of banker-sensibility wools and cottons. Marco requires at least two weeks and two fittings.
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Monk's Bowl Village
The only surviving village of three founded by Rama I, Baan Baht (Monk's Bowl Village) still hand-hammers eight pieces of steel (representing Buddha's eightfold path) into the distinctive alms bowls used by monks to receive morning food donations. Tourists instead of temples are the primary patrons these days and a bowl purchase is usually rewarded with a demonstration.
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Motif & Maris
It's rare to find someone in the rag trade still dedicated to the old arts of embroidery and smocking, so Motif & Maris is a surprise. Every piece of children's clothing hanging in this little shop is intricate and exquisite. The handmade soft toys and nursery accessories are pretty gorgeous, too. Also at the River City shopping complex.
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Nandakwang
To properly outfit a modern bohemian, you'd need to head up to arty Chiang Mai. Luckily, this Chiang Mai-based store has a Bangkok satellite selling its home-spun chic purses, high-quality woven cotton clothing and household wares. The earnest stuffed animals would make a nice gift for the young ones. There is a branch in Siam Discovery Center (4th floor).
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Narayana Phand
As a not-for-profit enterprise for distributing villagers' handicrafts, Narayana Phand has its heart in the right place, although it feels a bit like a souvenir factory. Regardless, the gaudy souvenirs are handy.
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New DJ Siam
Deep in the heart of teen-landia, this tiny store supplies the kiddies with the hottest overseas alt-options as well as all the Thai-bred indie groups.
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Nickermann's Tailors
Corporate ladies rave about Nickermann's tailor-made power suits: pants and jackets that suit curves and busts. Formal ball gowns are another area of expertise.
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Nittaya Curry Shop
Fresh markets are filled with conical-shaped mountains of curry paste that simplify the dinner routine for many home cooks. If you'd like your own curry reserve, stop into this neighbourhood curry shop, which sells vacuum-sealed bags of green, red and yellow curry for post-trip dinner parties.
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Old Maps & Prints
You could poke around in this shop for hours, flipping through the maps of Siam and Indochina, laughing at early explorers' quaint drawings of 'the natives' and sighing with delight at the exquisite framed prints.
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Orchid Press
The venerable Asiana publisher Orchid Press now has a Bangkok showroom. Titles span the region from academic to glossy art books, as well as a few out of print or rare titles.
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Pak Khlong Market
The bright displays of baby roses, delicate orchids and button carnations are endless and gloriously inexpensive. Pak Khlong is also a big vegetable market. Go late at night when the post-drinking crowd arrives to squander their undrinkable baht. There are plans to redevelop this market into a tourist attraction, but thankfully not yet.
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Panta
After years of pressboard, Bangkok now has contemporary options in home décor and furnishings. The leader of the movement is Panta, whose award-winning designs use local products, craftsmanship and sensibilities that won't fit in a suitcase but would look great in a city loft. Also at Siam Paragon.
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Pantip Plaza
For the time being Pantip is the Wild West of computer components. Discounted pirated software, fresh off the factory conveyor belts, is the primary draw turning obedient citizens into reckless law-breakers. Hardware junkies work the floors for used parts to beef up ailing machines.
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Papaya Furniture
Furniture and lamps are stocked up to the rafters of this re-sale warehouse. You'll find mostly mod bits with a dash of kitsch and a few requisite Buddhas, but a wander through the overstuffed rooms will suit thrift-store junkies.
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Patpong Night Market
The Patpong area is the ultimate Bangkok cliché where everything can be had for a price. In one corner are the famous circus-like sex shows and in the other is a crowded market selling name brand knock-offs. (Make sure you bargain hard as prices are grossly inflated). And lying in ambush are the 'DVD, CVD, Sex' video sellers who pop up just as your wife has stepped past.
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Phahurat Market
If it sparkles, then this market has it. Phahurat proffers boisterous Bollywood coloured textiles, traditional Thai dance costumes, tiaras, sequins, wigs and other accessories to make you look like a cross-dresser, a mǎw lam (Thai country music) performer, or both. This is cloth city, and amid the colour spectacle are also good deals on machine-made Thai textiles and children's clothes.
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Phu Fa
Gifts with a cause make that fuzzy feeling fuzzier. This new outlet sells products from HRH Princess Srindhorn's economic development program for rural villagers. The Thai-made products are mainly kid-friendly: notebooks, change purses and handwoven Karen textiles.
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Pinky Tailors
Custom-made suit jackets are Mr Pinky's specialty. He also has a quiet, no-hassle shop where you can touch all of the fabrics without stumbling over a sales associate. Located behind the Mahatun Building.
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Plan Creations
If Lego went organic, you'd have a pretty close approximation of Plan Creations' imaginative wooden toys, made from rubber trees. To fill that lingering Christmas list, there are blocks, pull-along alligators and play sets (like Noah's Ark and all the critters) targeted at children aged three to ten.
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Playground!
Bangkok's latest trend in concept malls line Thong Lor (Soi 55) as if auditioning for a new boy band. Playground is the street-smart cool one with alt-art books, graffiti displays, vinyl dolls and clothes too hip for professionals. The top-floor spotlights offbeat art, from graffiti to performance and a few genres in between.
