The shops at the airport in Bangkok are good at one thing: the last-minute gift that fits in a carry-on. Dried mango, a box of Thai tea, a silk scarf in a plastic sleeve. All fine, and we buy them too when we fly. But if you have a free afternoon in the city, there is a whole layer of things that never reach a departure gate, mostly because they are made in small numbers by people who would rather sell them in person.
We run a shop and workroom on Sukhumvit 71, so we are biased about some of this. Here is the list we give friends when they ask what to bring home.
1. A bag made from vintage Japanese obi
An obi is the wide woven sash worn with a kimono. Most of them now sit unused in cupboards in Japan, and the cloth is far too good to throw away. Our founder, the Japanese designer mikamica, brings vintage obi over from Japan, and we cut them into clutches, shoulder bags and pouches in our workroom.
One obi makes only a handful of bags, so every pattern is gone once that length of cloth runs out. A crescent clutch is 1,980 baht and a chain shoulder bag is 3,800. You will not find these at the airport because there is no second one to put on the shelf. Browse the kimono and obi bags, and before you buy obi anywhere, read how to tell real vintage obi from a printed copy.
2. Jewelry with a name written in Thai
Thai script is lovely to look at even if you cannot read it, and a name in Thai letters is one of the few souvenirs that is about a person rather than about the trip. Our jewelry brand, Colors by Love, makes Thai name necklaces to order in 925 silver or solid gold, in the same house. We send you a drawing of the letters first, and nothing is made until the spelling is right. Because each one is made to order, it is worth ordering early in your stay, or you can order online and have it sent home.
3. Hill-tribe embroidery
The Hmong and other hill-tribe communities of northern Thailand are known for dense, bright cross-stitch and appliqué. Older pieces turn up as panels and strips, and they last for decades. We sew them into embroidered bags, totes and pouches, and if your trip takes you up to Chiang Mai you will find plenty more in the north. Look at the back of the cloth. Hand stitching is slightly irregular, and the back is almost as busy as the front.
4. Something printed with Thai letters
If a name necklace is more than you want, Thai script on canvas is a lighter way to take the alphabet home. Our Bangkok tote bag is printed with Thai letters and costs 1,280 baht. There are also totes printed with the seven Thai days of the week and their colours, which people use to find the colour of the day they were born. A small pouch shoulder bag is 780 baht. All of our Thai canvas bags are sewn in our own workroom.
5. Linen clothes that suit the heat
Clothes bought on holiday often go wrong because they suit the place and not your life at home. Linen is the exception. A loose linen dress or a pair of wide trousers is what you want in Bangkok in April, and it works just as well in a European or Japanese summer. We sew ชุดผ้าลินิน (1,980 baht) and flare linen pants (1,680 baht) in Bangkok, and you can try them on at the house. There is more about it in our guide to linen for Bangkok heat.
6. Thai kitchen things
A granite mortar and pestle is heavy, but nothing makes a better green curry paste, and good ones are cheap at the fresh markets. A small one fits in checked luggage. Brass and enamel bowls, coconut-wood spoons and the woven bamboo baskets used for sticky rice are light and do not break. Wrap anything ceramic in your clothes.
7. Benjarong or celadon
Benjarong is Thai porcelain painted by hand, traditionally in five colours with gold detail. It was first made for the royal court and is still painted by hand today. Celadon is the jade-green glazed stoneware from the north. A single small bowl or a lidded jar is a better buy than a full set. It packs easily, and you will actually use it.
8. Coffee from northern Thailand
Thailand grows good arabica in the mountains around Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, and Bangkok has a lot of small roasters. Buy whole beans roasted in the last week or two and ask which farm they came from. It makes a better present than another box of sweets.
How to pack it
Cloth is the easiest thing to bring home. It folds flat, weighs little and does not break. Put bags inside each other, roll linen instead of folding it, and do not leave silk sealed in a plastic bag in humid weather. If you buy more than fits, we ship worldwide by FedEx with tracking, so you can fly home light.
Come and see it
TOANOI House is at 259/80 Phibunwet Village, Sukhumvit 71, Bangkok 10110, about 10 minutes on foot from BTS Phra Khanong. We are open Monday to Friday 9:30 to 17:00 and Saturday 10:00 to 15:00, and closed on Sunday. Call or WhatsApp +66 93 834 9925. Thai souvenirs are on the first floor, and the kimono bags and the jewelry are on the second. วางแผนมาเยี่ยมชม.
Questions people ask
What is a good souvenir to buy in Bangkok?
Something you will use at home. Cloth travels best: a bag made from vintage Japanese obi, a piece of hill-tribe embroidery, a canvas bag printed with Thai letters or a linen dress. For something personal, a name written in Thai script as a necklace.
Is it better to buy souvenirs in the city than at the airport?
The choice is much wider in the city. Airport shops carry what sells in volume and packs easily. Small makers in Bangkok sell things made a few at a time that never reach the airport, and you can usually meet the people who made them.
Can you ship what I buy to my home country?
Yes. We ship worldwide by FedEx with tracking. It usually takes 4 to 10 days, or 2 to 4 days to Japan, Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong. Ask us and we will quote the cost before you order.
Where is TOANOI House and when is it open?
259/80 Phibunwet Village, Sukhumvit 71, Bangkok 10110, about 10 minutes on foot from BTS Phra Khanong. Monday to Friday 9:30 to 17:00 and Saturday 10:00 to 15:00, closed on Sunday. Phone or WhatsApp +66 93 834 9925.
TH 
EN 
JA