Must-see shopping in Sri Lanka

Designer Barbara Sansoni’s beautifully laid out shop, located in an old villa, is justly popular for its bright hand-loomed textiles, which are fashioned…

Beautiful lacework made right here. The shop teaches local women dyeing crafts and ensures them a fair price for their work. Even if you’re not buying,…

Super-stylish reproduction posters (Rs 3000) and postcards (Rs 350) covering Sri Lanka through the decades. Many of the beautiful vintage airline images…

Specialist tea store with an amazing range of top-quality green teas, white teas, Ceylon garden teas, blended teas and single-estate teas. There's no hard…

An engrossing treasure of a store selling antiques, old photos, art, books and more in a genteel, wood-panelled setting. Also has a busy photo studio.

A high-profile department store that combines international and local brands in one glitzy labyrinth. From fashions to homewares to cosmetics and gift…

Wacky T-shirts, tacky tourist goods, kitsch flip-flops and some good souvenirs: this shop under the arcades of the Queens Hotel has the lot.

Another massive restoration of a colonial landmark. In this case, the sprawling colonial 'hospital for the insane' has been reborn as an upscale mall…

This batik factory and showroom is a great place to see the batik-making process, from the drawing of the designs and multistage dyeing of cloth to the…

In addition to a variety of colonial and Sri Lankan collectables, you’ll find a vast selection of original homewares and designer items in this crammed-to…

Anyone with a penchant for interior design will enjoy visiting this Aladdin’s Cave of treasures. Most of the pieces are too big to transport (lots of…

The Buddhist Publication Society, on the lakeside 400m northeast of the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, is a nonprofit charity that distributes the…

Jaffna’s colourful fruit and vegetable market is west of the bus stand, but the greater market area encompasses several bustling blocks beyond that,…

An eclectic, interesting store where most of the clothing, jewellery, bags, toys and gifts are designed in-house, made from locally sourced materials, and…

Fairtrade goods made on local handlooms are the main items for sale here; the inventory spans all forms of housewares and is colorful and stylish. The big…

Colombo's legendary multistorey surplus outlet for the nation’s garment industry is actually a tad upscale. It has unbeatable textile and clothing prices,…

Stocks a comprehensive collection of foreign and local novels, magazines and pictorial tomes on Sri Lanka. There's a second branch in Crescat Boulevard.

Sri Lanka’s top tea brand has its own posh shops, including this outlet in glitzy Odel. A second branch is located in Crescat Boulevard.

Fine batik clothing and homeware (bedspreads and wall hangings) in modern, artistic styles created by designer Upali Jayakody. It's on the upper floor of…

About 2km southwest of the centre, this warren of an antique shop is a fine place to root around for old masks, jewellery, coins, textiles, maps and art…