Luang Prabang is a good place to find unique hand-woven textiles. The Night Market opens at dusk each evening, near Wat Mai along Phothisarat Road at the town center. Everything from good silk to jewelry to T-shirts sells for a song.
Ban Lao Natural Products, on the Mekong riverfront (tel. 030/514-555; www.ban-lao.com), offers locally produced hand-made silks, handicrafts, clothing, and naturally made soaps and beauty products, while promising fair trade with its local producers to help increase sustainable development. Kopnoi, in Ban Aphay on the back side of Mount Phousi by the Nam Kham River, also offers a diverse product line, including jewelry and clothing, and promotes the exportation of products made in Laos (it also has an art gallery upstairs).
Natural papermaking has taken the town by storm, and Baan Khily Gallery, on the eastern end of Sisavangvong Road (tel. 071/212-611), is where long-time German expat Oliver Bandmann produces and exhibits. Ask about papermaking classes.
Caruso, Sandra Yuck's inspired collection of houseware, furnishings, and silk, has an outlet in a renovated colonial along Sisavangvong, as well as a display area above Ban Vat Sene. And Ban Mixay (tel. 071/253-535) is a branch of the popular Vientiane boutique that sells the same quality silks, clothes, and handicrafts.
Lisa Regale (tel. 071/253-224) has a collection of ready-to-wear silk, including some very unique antique pieces, at her gallery behind Wat Xieng Thong.
Satri Lao Silk, on "restaurant row," has good, affordable cloth, while Naga Creations (tel. 071/212-775) presents an eclectic mix of jewelry. Walkman Village (tel. 020/567-3909) is the place to find jackets, packs, and other travel gear before heading up north.
