Phnom Penh may not have a lot to offer in the way of sightseeing, but that’s more than made up for by a wealth of shopping opportunities.

Phnom Penh is a great city for shopping; its stores and markets purvey everything from handicrafts and homewares to sportswear and souvenirs. Local markets such as Russian Market and Central Market are great places to go for deals on clothing, DVDs, inexpensive electronics, and souvenirs. Central Market, known as Psar Thmei (“new market” in Khmer), is best for souvenirs, tchotchkes, jewelry, and cheap electronics. There’s also a nice food market and small stands selling prepared food. Russian Market, so-called because of the large contingent of Russian expats who used to shop there in the 1980s, is the local market that most appeals to foreigners. Called Psar Toul Tom Pong in Khmer, the market carries a large selection of Western-sized togs and factory seconds. There’s even a seller who carries underwear and bras in larger sizes, as well as swimsuits. Be prepared for a hot, sweaty hour of digging through loads of clothes to find what you are looking for, though.

There are a dozen shops around the outside of Russian Market selling factory seconds and brand-name clothing. They’re known as export stores because the goods they carry were originally made to be exported. The cost is significantly higher than inside the market, but the atmosphere is much more pleasant and the wheat has already been separated from the chaff. The export stores are especially good for men’s clothing, as their women’s clothing is more often in Cambodian sizes (that is, mostly American size small). There’s also a large export store on Sihanouk Blvd, currently calling itself DAH Export, with three floors of name-brand goods. Out in Toul Kork, there’s the mother of all export stores, The Closeout Factory Outlet. It’s a bit of a drive (there’s another outlet near the airport), but they carry a wide range of name-brand clothing in all sizes. There’s another one just before the airport.

Street 240 is a popular Phnom Penh shopping street that is packed with small boutiques selling women’s clothing, textiles, and design items. Artistandesigner (A.N.D.) has a nice selection of locally made fair-trade clothing and home accessories. Their products are made by disabled and disadvantaged (but highly skilled) artisans, including members of indigenous minority groups, who are paid a fair wage for their work. Look for  the beautiful hand-woven blankets, clothing, and bags with traditional ikat patterns at A.N.D. (artisandesigner).

A.N.D. on Street 240 has now split into two stores. One specializes in their hand-woven textiles and the features more contemporary off-the-rack items, including inexpensive sundresses and men’s patterned shirts. Next to A.N.D. (the second one), is Watthan Artisans, another store with traditional textiles made by disabled artisans. Their products are truly gorgeous, and even if you aren’t a scarf person, you will be tempted by their massive collection of hand-woven cotton ikat and hand-loomed silk scarves. They also carry a line of clothing and sell ikat textiles by the yard.

Boutique clothing store Elsewhere has a selection of stylish, locally made clothing for men and women plus a range of jewelry, bags, and accessories. Bliss has light and airy cotton clothes in large sizes — think tunics and flowy shirts designed for the tropics. They also carry a collection of beautiful but overpriced cushions and quilts.

On Street 13,  the Friends N’ Stuff store is the perfect place to pick up a few gifts. Part of the Friends training restaurant next door, the Friends gift shop carries a unique selection of recycled products made by the parents of at-risk youth as a way of generating income for their families. Products include iPad covers made from old tires, purses made from pull tabs, and earrings made from old newspaper, plus a range of useful products like colorful bicycle basket covers.

Cambodia finally has its first “real” mall, a Japanese project that offers as much shopping as the average visitor can handle. Aeon Mall is a Western-style mall, replete with air-conditioning, escalators, movie theaters, a bowling alley, and a food court. There are a plethora of clothing shops, mostly of Asian brands, and some carry Western sizes. The mall also boasts several homewares and electronics stores, as well as a large Aeon supermarket on the ground floor. The Daiso store, where every item is $1.80, is not to be missed.

In Toul Kork is an outdoor shopping complex called TK Avenue that looks like it could have been transported from suburban California. They’ve got a couple of clothing stores (including Adidas), a movie theater, a huge Lucky supermarket, a Guardian pharmacy, and a bunch of restaurants. The main draw is that once you’re there, you can convince yourself that you’re not in Cambodia for an hour or two, if that’s your thing.

If you’re hunting for home and kitchen items, Phnom Penh has lots of options. Bayon Market has an entire second floor dedicated to kitchen and tablewares and is a good place to find pots and pans and the like. Toto Sakura Recycle Shop, a Japanese second-hand store with several branches in Phnom Penh, carries a range of used kitchen and home items, including inexpensive, unique plates and glasses. Tokutokuya is a Japanese store where every item costs $1.90, including plates, cups, and all sorts of kitchen tools. Home Top is the Cambodian franchise of the American DIY chain Do It Best. They’ve got an amazing selection (amazing for Cambodia, anyway) of imported hardware, tools, homewares, and cleaning supplies that you won’t find anywhere else in town.

Wondering where to buy a computer in Phnom Penh? We’ve got a guide on where to go and what to look for when you’re shopping for a computer or laptop.

Psar Toul Tom Pong (Russian Market)

Open early morning until around 5 p.m.
Street 155, between Streets 440 and 460, Toul Tom Pong, Phnom Penh

Psar Thmei, aka Central Market

Open early morning until around 5:30 p.m., food area open later
Street 130 near Street 53, Phnom Penh

DAH Export

Open daily, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
87 Sihanouk Blvd at Street 274, Phnom Penh
T: 023 997 653
facebook.com/DAH.Export

The Closeout Factory Store

Open daily, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Street 289, Toul Kork, Phnom Penh
T: 023 885 426
closeoutcambodia.com

A.N.D. (artisandesigner)

Open daily, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
52BC Street 240 near Norodom Blvd., Phnom Penh
2nd store is on the same block, towards the river
T: 023 224 713

Watthan Artisans Cambodia

77 Street 240, Phnom Penh
T: 012 492 093
watthanartisans.org

Elsewhere

Open daily, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
54 Street 240, Phnom Penh
T: 012 414 596
elsewhere2.asia

Spicy Green Mango

Open daily, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
52A Street 240, Phnom Penh
T: 023 211 836
spicygreenmango.com

Bliss Cambodia

Open daily, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
29 Street 240, Phnom Penh
T: 023 215 754

Friends N’ Stuff

Open daily, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
215 Street 13, near National Museum, Phnom Penh
friends-international.org/shop

Aeon Mall

Open daily, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
132 Sothearos Blvd, Tonle Bassac, Phnom Penh
T: 023 901 091
aeonmallphnompenh.com

TK Avenue

Open daily, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Corner of Street 315 & Street 516, Toul Kork, Phnom Penh
T: 023 985 040; 023 985 041
facebook.com/tkavenue

Bayon Market

Open daily, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
33-34 Street 114, Phnom Penh
T: 023 881 266

Toto Sakura Recycle Shop

Open daily, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
21B Street 47 (France Street), Wat Phnom, Phnom Penh
T: 069 620 223
sakurarecycleshop.com

Tokutokuya

Open daily, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
56 Norodom Blvd at Street 172, Daun Penh, Phnom Penh
T: 097 737 7777; 0700 369 395
tokutokuya-cambodia.com

Home Top

Open daily, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
147 Mao Tse Tung Blvd, Phnom Penh
T: 023 999 808; 076 833 3111

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