Aside from glittering beaches, whispering palms and sublime cuisine, one of the joys of a holiday in Goa is its myriad shopping opportunities. Boutiques in India’s smallest state range from bijou beach shacks selling pretty bangles to sprawling markets lined with every handicraft imaginable, with a rising tide of chic concept stores meeting demand from an ever-increasing discerning clientele. Here’s where to find the best shopping in Goa.
Anjuna Flea Market
No guide to shopping in Goa would be complete without Anjuna flea market. Set just behind the busy hub of Anjuna – one of our best beaches in Goa for party-lovers – the market sprawls for miles selling everything from fragrant spices to antique jewellery.
Rangeela
Everything in Rangeela is a thing of beauty. From its reed-woven lampshades and shell-inlaid salad servers to its light linen cover-ups and crisp cotton kaftans, it’s impossible to leave empty handed. Arranged inside an elegant old house, it takes shopping in Goa to whole new echelons of sophistication.
Saltylulla & Co
Having made Goa her home for over a decade, Carolina Páez, is the stylish Spanish-Venezuelan creator in the know who opened Saltylulla & Co. Carolina’s passion for designing affordable luxury garments and curating a seriously beautiful collection of jewellery, scents and accessorises, means that this store is on every fashionista’s shopping list.
Paper Boat Collective
A concept store committed to talented Indian designers and beautifully finished local handicrafts, Paper Boat Collective is all about sustainability, slow fashion and an organic lifestyle. Designer Bhagyashree Patwardhan’s labour of love, walking into this house-turned-boutique is like entering the home you’ve always wanted to inhabit.
Singbal’s Book House
Touted as the oldest bookstore in town, Singbal’s Book House is hard to miss, set behind a striking cobalt façade. It stocks a decent selection of international fiction for those in need of another beach read.
Flame
With three stores throughout North Goa, Flame is something of a fashion institution in Goa. Each store paints a picture with vibrant chinoises prints, primary colours and rich silken fabrics. With a firm focus on fashion, they do however carry some wonderful homewares, fragrances, and many accessories. The menswear offering, although small is also very unique and great for some lavish resort wear for the Mr in your life. @theflamestore
The Attic
Escape the frenetic fray of Mapusa in The Attic. This intriguing store is a trove of hidden treasures, piled high with dusty antiques and old Goan furniture. More museum than shop, browse for something priceless beneath the bric-a-brac.
Sacha’s Shop
Achingly stylish, Sacha’s Shop in Panaji is an eclectic collection of covetable things—pretty fabrics, saturated colours, aromatic oils—curated by the former fashion editor of Elle India. Set in Sacha’s former family home, it focuses a lens on Indian designers and brands.
The Goa Collective Bazarr
For the market lover, there is no better buzz then the Friday night market at Hiltop at Vagator. This is the very best of Goa’s independent, artistic stalls & flea markets, with live music resident DJ’s, a bar, plenty of live food stations, and a kids area there really is something for everyone, no matter how well you know Goa and the scene.
Feature images © Rangina; Terravida Goa; Paper Boat Collective; cosmopol/iStock; celin/iStock; georgeclerk/iStock; Deepak Sethi/iStock; onlyyouqj/iStock; yogesh_more/iStock; onlyyouqj_iStock
