Shopping

The shopping scene in Kuala Lumpur can meet even the most fastidious of shopaholics. From street bazaars to the most sophisticated of shopping malls, a wide range of goods are available, be it handicrafts to leather goods, knick-knacks to hi-tech gadgets. With the annual year end sales carnival just around the corner, the avid shopper has a shopping ‘mall’ which is the city itself. We have divided the shopping be regions, to help you shop a little easier. With good eating places located within, you can spend a whole day in any one area.

Bukit Bintang

Sungei Wang

Bukit Bintang
This area covers quite a few of the busiest streets in Kuala Lumpur, catering for all types of merchandise. From high range branded clothes and jewellery to computers and peripherals to books and handicraft, the visitor will be spoilt for choice. Located within this area is Starhill Centre, housing outlets selling high range branded goods, KL Paza, Lot 10, Sungai Wang Plaza, BB Plaza, Berjaya Times Square, as well as Low Yat Plaza and Imbi Plaza that house everything ‘computer and techno-gizmo’. There are many kiosks located within shopping complexes like Sungai Wang Plaza and BB Plaza, selling all sorts of souvenir items and knick-knacks.

Starhill	BB Plaza

Central Market & Chinatown (Petaling Street)
Start from Central Market (Pasar Seni) which is a cultural showcase for Malaysian and Asian products, traditional arts and crafts. For the avid shopper with an eye for the unique, this place offers a wide array of antiques, jewellery, batik, wood carvings, pewter ware, novelty items such as kites and other souvenirs.

Then move on to Chinatown located a short walking distance from the Central Market. The night market, which is a daily feature here, makes this place a great shopping haunt – from leather goods, perfumes, souvenirs, cheap clothes, fabrics, electronic items, fresh flowers and watches to pet shops, restaurants serving regional authentic Chinese cuisine, Chinese artefacts, figurines, traditional and herbal remedies - you can find almost anything here. Look out for aged craftsmen, working along this street from their shop houses creating and producing quality calligraphy, lanterns and tinware. There are also traders with their mats spread out along narrow five-foot ways, offering brightly coloured trinkets, wall hangings, teapots, curios and ornaments from India, Myanmar and beyond.

Visit http://www.centralmarket-kl.com.my/

Laman Seni
Laman Seni is an arts market like no other, only held on every first Saturday of the month at the compounds of National Art Gallery and National Theatre at Jalan Tun Razak. It is a place for the who’s who in local’s arts fraternity as well as budding artists or students to showcase and sell their art works. Also held are art-inclined activities.

City Centre & Surroundings
Right at the base of the Petronas Twin Towers, the Suria KLCC shopping centre will take you to a different world altogether. This mall stocks everything from upmarket merchandise to the loveliest of little trinkets in its six floors of retail outlets. Complementing the exclusive boutiques are other popular the branded outlets including Marks & Spencer, Isetan, Parkson Grand and Aseana. Petrosains, a science themed educational centre for both young and old as well as art galleries complete the offerings of Suria KLCC.

Just walking distance away from the Petronas towers are other shopping malls like Ampang Park and City Square. Ampang Park is one of KL’s first malls, offering bargains one might miss at Suria KLCC. Across the busy Jalan Tun Razak is City Square, a favourite spot for the expatriate community in the Jalan Ampang area. Further down the road from City Square are the Great Eastern Mall and Ampang Point.

Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman
Another area that is a focal point in its heyday is Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman or Jalan TAR and Chow Kit Road, still very popular for a great many things, from local and ethnic clothing and textiles to quality bargains at family-owned stores as well as new malls.

Those looking for Malaysia batik, silk or songket, the arcades located along Jalan TAR offer a cheaper option than at KL Craft Complex or Central Market. Bearing in mind that you eventually get what you pay for – the quality may well correspond with the price.

Parallel to the main street of Jalan TAR is Jalan Masjid India, which offers yet another facet of the shopping scene in KL. Here the KL city scene turns into a sort of busy Indian shopping street. Most of the shops located here offer everything Indian – fabrics, costumes, jewellery and household items. Those who enjoy the festive feel of street bazaars, mosey on down to Jalan TAR on Saturday evenings for its night market at Lorong Tuanku Abdul Rahman – the lane cramped between Jalan TAR and Jalan Masjid India and also in the newly-covered Jalan Masjid India Bazaar.

Moving along Jalan TAR, which is the widest and longest one-way street in the city, you will arrive at the junction of Jalan Sultan Ismail, where a relatively new shopping mall is located. Maju Junction is set as a new lifestyle store compared to its older neighbours, Pertama Complex and Campbell Complex. These two complexes are well known to youngsters and the young-at-heart, looking for rugged and street-wise fashion like jeans, shirts and shoes.

Standing tall between these shopping complexes is Sogo Kuala Lumpur, an eight-floor departmental store. Next to Sogo are interesting pre-war shop blocks at both sides of road which mainly specialise in textiles of all kinds – from cheap cotton to expensive imported silks.

The city’s busiest and oldest wet market is Pasar Chow Kit. Around the market are tiny shop lots selling dried food, jamu or traditional medicinal herbs and cloth while the bigger shops have a flood of cheap shoes, clothes and bags. Still in the general area, seemingly gloomy Lorong Haji Taib turns into a busy night market selling used goods, famously known as ‘bundles’ by the locals. The goods come in bundles on cargo ships, which will then be re-assessed and cleaned before hitting the busy ‘Pasar Bundle’.

Bangsar, Damansara & Surroundings
The suburb of Bangsar caters mostly for the expatriate and KL’s ‘glamour’ community. There are a number shopping malls located around this area, with two of them nestled amongst the residences here: the Bangsar Village, located near the many shops and night spots here and the Bangsar Shopping Complex, which comprises a number of restaurants, cinemas and even a theatre, showcasing some very talented local productions and performances.

The biggest of the shopping malls in the greater Bangsar area is the huge Mid-Valley Megamall. This city-like mall houses three large anchor tenants, over 400 retail outlets and many kiosks within its premises.

About 20 minutes away from Bangsar, in the Damansara area, is another cluster of shopping malls, namely One Utama, which has 6 retail floors, Tesco, Ikano Power Centre, which is adjacent to Ikea and linked to the Curve, by a pedestrian bridge, altogether boasting a mix of global, local and regional brands.

On the other side of Bangsar, there is the Pearl Point Shopping Mall at Jalan Kelang Lama and the Mines Shopping Fair at Seri Kembangan.