Selcuk Shopping

This shop is actually next door to my own, and I have gotten to know the lady who owns it fairly well. She is full of the unexpected, so be prepared to have fun and laugh. She'll be the first to tell you that she is the only female shop owner in Selcuk, and she loves talking about women's rights (as a female Turk!) It is a shopping experiece to make note of, as many stores are run by overbearing males. Julia is a good conversationalist, and will make sure to pin an evil eye on your shirt to keep away the bad luck.

What to buy: She carries lots of small gift items at a reasonable rate, but I think the greatest part of the shop is the jewelry - handcrafted silver and stones at prices far less than other countries charge.

What to pay: You can find a variety of items from $1 to $300. Prices are very fair in my opinion

1 more image

Selcuk has a very pleasant shopping area which is served by pedestrian streets with metal arches. The town centre is very clean and well kept which probably is because of it being a tourist town where money rolls in from the nearby Ephesus ruins. There's some nice restaurants, a few bars and shops selling carpets here along with banks, ATM's and such like.

Shop all you want at Istanbul's Grand Bazaar. If you are coming to Ephesus, however, and that means Selçuk, then BUY at Moon Light Silver, owned by Hülya Çelik. The owner is funny, direct, and very honest. The prices at Moon Silver make this store special.

The shop is clean, well lit, and packed with gifts and souvenirs. Bags, shawls, and hand crafted jewelry. Well made and quite beautiful. You will not be pressured to buy another carpet here. There are many testamonials about Moon Light Silver across the internet. All positive.

Walk in as a tourist, leave as a friend.

What to buy: Hand crafted silver jewelry. Cashmire pashminas.

When you visit the Selcuk - Ephesus Archeological Museum, you will see quite a few souvenir shops. Prices at these shops were higher than in the town centre. Some of them even had prices in Euros, obviously for Cruise ship passengers that come for Ephesus. The shops in town have the same souvenirs for sale, so shop there, or at the Saturday market, its cheaper!

What to buy: There is a nice Backpack/Shoulder bag made out of Turkish material. I only saw it around this area, so if you see one, buy it!

4 more images

After visiting archeological sight we were brought to the Populer Leather Market where we could find many original goods at 'factory prices' and to see their leather clothes show.
Have a look at my travelogue.
You can also watch my 2 min 14 sec video clip Leather market near Selcuk.

In an overrun trade, Black Sheep carpets sets itself aside from the usual throng with its unique pieces (not just carpets) and its salespeople (not the typical pushy crew). It is a place you can hang out for days and drink apple tea without feeling the pressure to buy anything. You can mingle with Turks and view the most unique carpets, kilims, shawls, etc. for prices below the rest of the competitions. Its a place where backpackers, students, and travelers avoid because of the carpetsellers reputations, but once inside, can never leave!

What to buy: Among 70 carpet shops, with small town prices (as opposed to Istanbul), Black Sheep Carpets is a great place to shop for carpets, kilims, and other handiworks. Also pick up a bottle of Sirince wine from a nearby village.

What to pay: depends on what you want!

1 more image

What to buy: Anything lace...table runners, pillow cases, bed spreads, the hand-knitted lace are so wonderful, it will look nice displayed in your home. You can also buy nice blouses and dresses with the hand-knitted lace at the sleeves and collar.

This lady, called Angel sells her hand made Lace outside the Hotel Kale Han every morning till lunch time.
She makes this lace in her home and it is the best I have ever seen and the price is very reasonable.

What to buy: Expect to pay around 10 Turkish Lira for some Lace 60cm by 30cm or 2feet by 1foot.

She will even make you a piece escpecially to your specifications at no extra cost.

Give this lady a chance to sell her Lace as it is real hand made and ideal for the easy to carry gift.

Angel lives just metres from the hotel and if you like you can ask her to show you how she makes the lace. This in itself is very interesting.

Her English is a little short of being perfect but, with a few hand signals and smiles you get what you want.

What to pay: 10 Turkish Lira and up to 20 lira for a large piece of her work.