There are amazing deals to be found at the markets of the world – and I don’t mean the London Stock Exchange or Nasdaq.I’m talking about real markets, where you can haggle and barter and walk away with something truly unusual – and then wonder how you’re going to transport it home.
From Parisian orchids to Peruvian sculptures, international markets have a whole world to offer. Here’s my list of the best – some based in financial capitals, and some a little further afield.
London
Portobello Road market was famous decades before Notting Hill. Here you can find bedpans, broomsticks, model ships, stuffed animals (the non-PC kind) and just about everything you might need to personalize your home. Mary Poppins-chic and Austin Powers-kitsch are hawked by pipe-smoking gents and Madonna wannabes. Check out the side streets (especially Ledbury Road and All Saints Road) for club wear and steak and kidney pies.
New York
Most of my Manhattan furniture came from the Annex antiques fair and flea market on Sixth Avenue and 26th Street. Open weekends only throughout the year, this eclectic, overwhelming mix of tchotchke is worth at least two hours of your time – even if you aren’t in the mood to buy. Looking for subway tokens from the turn of the century, art deco martini sets or Jesus clocks? This is the place.
Paris
No-one has quite the style of the French when it comes to romantic offerings. The petite flower market on the Ile-de-la-Cité at Place Louis-Lepine offers everything from roses to birds of paradise. For a bit of Parisian joie de vivre, bring a few bunches back to your hotel with a bottle of Champagne.
San Francisco
San Francisco’s Chinatown is a huge market of Chinese restaurants and shops. You won’t find anything similar anywhere else in the world (other than in China, obviously). After meetings at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, get lost in the maze of streets and pick up beautiful stationery and fresh ginger. And bring your camera – the people here are as colorful as the architecture.
Hong Kong
I brought our CFO and annual report designer to Yau Ma Tei’s jade market and we ended up browsing for the better part of the morning. Jade comes in almost every imaginable color and quality, and here you can buy just about anything that anyone has ever thought of carving in jade, from belt buckles to vases. The jewelry is funky and I’ve seen similar pieces in Los Angeles selling at yoga boutiques for $30. Here, they’re just $5.
Chile and Peru
Santiago has an artisan market where I picked up wacky Dali-esque kitchen utensil sculptures – a crucifix with a fork twisted to represent Christ and pot lids fashioned into faces. I also scored a leather duffle bag for $20 and a collection of primitive pastels. For truly distinctive blankets and funky art at unbeatable prices, try Lima’s crafts market in Miraflores.
India
New Delhi’s vegetable and fruit market (pictured, left) is one of the most interesting places you’ll ever walk around. Arrive before 7 am and bring your camera. I was rewarded with enough stunning shots to bring a little piece of exotic India to my kitchen walls.
Turkey and Egypt
Istanbul’s Egyptian market (or Spice Bazaar) and Cairo’s Khan el-Khalili are the hands-down winners. From apple tea to Turkish delight, the Egyptian market is the place for food and crafts. Cairo’s market offers belly-dance gear, tea sets, fake antiquities and papyrus. Be sure to bargain heartily and don’t be afraid of walking away – you’re sure to be followed and offered a better price.
Beijing
The antiquities market is the grandaddy of the cool markets of the world. You’ll want to buy a crate-full of clay pots, wicker baskets, Mao memorabilia – and the same furniture that sells for an arm and a leg in finer antique stores for practically nothing. The problem is carting it all back to your hotel, so keep to the small stuff. It took me two trips to bring back all the things I bought on my first visit. Oh well, it was a great excuse to return.
