Stores, Malls or Markets in Kyrgyzstan

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In case you are planning to travel to Uzbekistan from Osh and you are short of suitable clothes for more conservative Central Asian states then stop at the bazaar in Osh, you'll find plenty of beautiful and colorful gowns and scarves...for a pittance.
Whan in the bazaar remember that Uzbek women (this city has a large Uzbek population) do not like to be photographed, sometimes older women can be a little rude, better not to mind to avoid problems.
I found the look of Uzbek women really original, it is the only population that considers thick and hairy eyebrows a mark of extreme beauty, they even trace a line that joints the two eyebrows...imagine the shape of a flying seagull seen from far and you get the picture..unfortunately I was unable to take a pictures of this amazing look (compared to the west where thick eyebrows now are an extreme no-no) because as said above Uzbek women do not want to be photographed...I found this rather refreshing..at least you find something that strays from what we are used to and in these times of cultural uniformity this is rather consoling...
At the bazaar do not miss the food section, really colourful, the hardware section, full of spare parts for bicycles in case you are cycling through the Silk Road...

What to buy: hardware, Indian gowns, Uzbek scarves, Kyrghyz hats, great fabric..

What to pay: 5-10 dollars for the gowns

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Altyn Kol cooperative shop in Kochkor, just around the corner from the the local CBT agency

What to buy: Rugs, called "Shyrdak" in Kyrghyz, they are lovely, come in all colours and sizes...they are made of felt, they are not so expensive, a big one would cost around 150 dollars, and it would give a lot of color and warmth to your house. Altyn Kol can also ship abroad...
Other beautiful things to buy would be the national Kyrghyz hat "Ak Kalpak" shaped like a mountain covered by snow, other hats made of felt, great for hiking, keep really warm, felt slippers, wallets, bags. For those who love silver I can recommend the Osh style bracelets which have a chain that connects the bangle to three finger rings, they look rather important, occupy a lot of soace on your hand and wrist but they really original!! Sold in Osh and at Tsum department store in Bishkek.

In the city center you'll find a department store called TSUM. It's a good place to wonder around and get a good idea of the products that are available in the capital.

What to buy: There really isn't a lot to buy in TSUM - I found it more exciting to just look around. However, if you are looking for souvenirs or other traditional Kyrgyz *stuff*, you can find a lot of that on the top floor.

What to pay: The sourvenirs in TSUM are slightly more expensive than what you can find in other, smaller stores throughout the city.

Kyrgyz handicraft shops are found mostly in the bazars and stores of towns and big cities.

What to buy: Felt made traditional hats, models of yurts, leather goods, jewellary, carpets, rugs etc. etc.

What to pay: 1$ to 100$

When you visit Tash Rabat local women will just show up to sell shyrdaks, hats(Kulpaks) , etc

What to buy: High quality Shyrdaks

What to pay: Depends on the size. Spending $50 for a large shyrdak is not hard to do at all

Paintings are just piled on top of tables. Most of the fun is sorting through them looking for the perfect one.

What to buy: Paintings, wood cut prints, dolls

What to pay: Varries alot, $5-$25 all depends on your taste

Hand carved masks, woven shaws, art, interesting stuff

What to buy: Check out the hand knotted shaws, make good gifts and amazingly intracate

What to pay: Things can get expensive here $15-20