Souvenirs , Arts & Handicrafts, Penang

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This is one of the few art dealers that shows up in guidebooks for Ferringhi Beach, and it’s a good one. Besides a nice collection of antiques and jewelry (and higher-end souvenir handicrafts for when the sticker shock of the originals hits you), it also has a real art gallery, with a collection of original batik paintings by masters of the craft (Teng and his sons) and other contemporary Penang artists. You can get matted prints of some of the batik paintings, too (for when the sticker shock of the originals hits you).

There’s also a selection of batik cotton and silk fabric on rolls (as opposed to the tablecloths and clothes everywhere else).

The antiques downstairs probably aren’t all antiques, and they come from across Southeast Asia via “suppliers.” I’m not sure what they meant by that. The staff couldn’t tell me much about the couple of items I asked about (including the strange “monk on a tortoise” I ended up buying) but there are some interesting things down there, worth looking around.

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From the outside (and the inside) this looks like all the other pewter/corporate gifts/“Asian arts and crafts” shops along this stretch. The difference is in the proprietor, Tan, who uses that part of the business to fund his real interest, which is interesting and unusual objects – some of them authentic tools and artifacts from around Malaysia. He’s an enthusiastic collector himself, selling items he doesn’t have room to keep, and he’s curious and knowledgeable about his finds. Besides that, he’s at least a second-generation dealer, with items left from his father (a beautiful collection of old ivory, for example). And he was fun to talk to.

Not everything in the store is old – in fact most of it isn’t. But the new things appeared to me to be better-quality tourist items than you’d find elsewhere in Georgetown (that stretch of shops seemed to have many of the same types of higher-end tourist goods). The shadow puppets, masks, and some of the wood carvings were very attractive. I don’t know whether his prices are reasonable for the older items – I didn’t see anything like most of them anywhere else – but the prices for newer items were comparable to the places nearby, and were lower than for the same items in KL or Ferringhi Batu.

The shop can arrange shipping.

Antique shops in Chulia Street a good place to shop, there are four shops on this street but I found the other three over priced, this shop was in the middle with old man working inside, he will barter prices if your up too it.
Great idea for a unusal gifts,but Aussies do not buy wood even though it is so devine.
There is so much on offer in Malaysia but there was alot of the same thing on offer that I can buy here in Australia so for me Antique shops held there own.

What to buy: Antique tiles or carvings anything you cant get back home.

What to pay: up 80 rinjit for a large tile depending on it's age,the wood carving where 160 rinjit ..

What to buy: If you are shopping for souvenirs like bookmarks, postcards, magnets and keychains with Penang flavors, you can check out the MPH bookstore. Surprisingly they are priced reasonably as compared to other shops or bookstores there. There are quite a variety of items there. You can use the pricing there as a benchmark.

Always compare before buying or you may come across it later and find yourself got cheated earlier.... :(

What to pay: Lowest price of :
- Magnet: RM3.50
- Key chain: RM2.50
- Postcard: RM0.60

this shop is along Batu Ferringi.. you cant miss it.. I never notice a name on it but you can get all kinds of batiks from sarongs to kids short sets.
they are so colourful you will enjoy browsing and the prices are cheap too

What to buy: clothing

What to pay: about 10 RM

As you walk up the steps to the Kek Lok Si Temple you run the GAUNTLET as I like to call it. They sell everything you can Imagine from t-shirt, to souveniers of all sorts.

What to buy: I only go for "THE FOOD, LAH !!!"

What to pay: BARTER

The Craft Batik offers free guided tours of their factory. They sell any kind of batik items, like dresses, tablecloth etc.

What to buy: I bought some tablecloth for my mother, really very colourful!

What to pay: It depends on the kind of cloth you want to buy, but as far as I remember, I spend around $8 for the tablecloth

Well its usually stalls set up along the road in Batu Ferringhi

What to buy: Local batik , key chains , T Shirts , VCD/DVD

What to pay: Varies from stall to stall so its good to walk around and bargain ....things that are sold at these road side stall can be bargained