Some people travel for adventure, some people travel for relaxation, and some of us travel for culture. But this is for the traveler who is traveling to shop.
The one who wants to fill their homes and wardrobes of their travels. The one who comes with one suitcase and leaves with two or who purposefully under packs their luggage to leave space for their travel goodies. Sure we are also traveling to experience, mold our minds to this new culture. But, we want the stuff too!
Sometimes it can be hard to find good stuff. I know when I am traveling to a new country I want souvenirs made in that country. Individual and unique to the place. Often times I walk in to souvenir shops and everything is mass manufactured from overseas. I've made it my personal mission before visiting a country to discover stores that have locally made or locally designed goods. Which I also did before my trip to Peru!
Here is the list I've compiled of stores and markets to check out in Lima and Cusco!
Neo Concept Store - Lima
This store is in the beautiful Barranco neighborhood of Lima. Just a short walk down the street from the store is a cliff that over looks the ocean and beach down below. I was staying in the Miraflores neighborhood of Lima and was definitely second guessing my choice in staying there after seeing Barranco.
The door to the store was in a corridor past an art exhibit that had these amazing abstract sculptures when I was there and it housed a bunch of Peruvian designer names with a variety of womenswear, knitwear, accessories, shoes, and on the lower level home goods and art. I was specifically interested in a designer Ana Guiulfo and her brand Ana.G where she designs hand painted and printed clothing where in person they were absolutely beautiful. I fell in love with this one hand painted one of a kind silk dress, I wish I could say I walked out the store with it but it was out of my budget, at least I tried it on and got a cute picture in it!
Neo Concept Stores target is I would say more of a sophisticated traveler, with muted tones, basics, but still had an emphasis on Peruvian culture and craftsmanship. The price range varies but mostly leans on the higher side but, even if your budget is on the lower end still check out this store just for the experience.
This store is also in Barranco steps from the Municipal Park of Barranco where you can find benches, greenery, and the city buzzing around and also about a 10-15 minute walk from the Neo Concept Store. The store is next to a cafe and has this picturesque garden that leads to this white house where it is located.
When I went unfortunately it was closed, so I wasn't able to go inside and take a look. But, Qatyu style is for the hyperfeminine, one who is not afraid of color and figure highlighting silhouettes. They house womenswear, crocheted knitwear, accessories, and have various Peruvian designers to choose from!
Butrich - Lima
Butrich is located in Miraflores, which has more of a big city vibe compared to Barranco. The buildings are taller, the streets are busier, and the people walk faster as I found out walking around trying to find a bank during the morning rush hour.
I wasn't able to visit the Butrich store which I am bummed about because the store is of your Barbie dreams. It is a bright pink building on the corner of Marisca La Mar and Federico Villareal. Butrich is a shoe store by Jessica Butrich a Peruvian designer, that also sells some accessories like purses and jewelry. I would describe the style of as for "the girlypops", if you love Betsy Johnson in your face, tongue and cheek and have an urgent desire to have a pair of pink Mary Janes with cherries all over them Butrich is for you. You don't even have to travel to Lima to get you a pair of these uber cute shoes, they have international shipping and you might even be able to find a boutique near you that has them!
374 Triunfo - Cusco
This market in Cusco doesn't have a name, at least to my knowledge and is quite literally a hole in the wall. Well, more like a long hallway in between buildings. I ran in to this place simply walking around exploring the little streets around Cusco. It's near Plaza Mayor and after walking past two Irish Pubs you'll run in to it as well.
They sell some typical touristy things such as the Alpaca key chains, ponchos, sweaters, but the vendors were nice and the prices were good. I ended up walking out of there with a blue furry alpaca hat, two key chains, and a chullo hat.
They insist that everything is made in Peru, but at the very least you can be rest assured that at least your Alpaca goods are made in Peru with Peru boasting the largest Alpaca population in the world.
San Pedro Central Market - Cusco
San Pedro Central Market is one of the main markets in Cusco. It was a little further than the blocks I had walked previously from my hostel and was only able to discover it by looking up "Markets in Cusco" while I was there. But, I would say its a can't miss if you are interested in Knitting and Sewing.
This market, similar to almost all the ones you will naturally run in to in Cusco sell some of the typical touristy stuff, with the added benefit of being able to go in and try some Peruvian street food at the stalls. And also, if you are crafty like me they have multiple yarn sellers and fabric sellers. I left with 1 meter of fabric that the guy said was made in Peru, and 8 skeins of alpaca yarn in two different colors. Now to be honest, the yarn brand, I believe you might be able to buy at a specialty yarn store if you are located in the US of A but, I suppose thats with most things.
You could buy a blue furry alpaca hat from Peru online, from the comfort of your own home. But, it feels special when you say you got it from a specific place.
I hope you check out some of these places and if you have been what did you grab from your trip to Peru!?
