The Best Place to Go Shopping in Medellin

TLDR? If it’s local fashion you want, Via Primavera is one of the best places to go shopping in Medellin.

Want to pick something special up for your loved ones back at home? Rather than just grabbing a bag of coffee at the airport, explore Colombia’s rich artisanal heritage and pick the perfect gift.

In the land of a thousand different hats and bags, there are plentiful options for souvenir shopping in Medellin.

Explore the city’s impressive selection of designer boutiques, art galleries, flea markets, and expansive malls for an uplifting shot of retail therapy.  

Here are the best spots for some shopping in Medellin!

Local Fashion

Via Primavera, just above Parque Lleras should be celebrated for bringing together Medellin’s most talented local designers. Showcasing the city’s rich textile traditions, Medellin’s fashionistas and design talent, have made this street a must for those in search of unique 

Chic boutiques mix with great cafes and two of our favorite brunch joints to create an idyllic, Saturday experience for shopaholics.

Carrying everything from recycled sunglasses and Hawaiian shirts up-cycled from plastic bottles to haute-couture, Via Primavera’s boutiques are obligatory for a hit of retail therapy in Medellin.

These are just two of our favorites. 

Mon & Velarde

For excellent locally-produced menswear, Mon & Velarde stocks tailored floral shirts, trendy hats, and shoes. They also have boots and leather accessories to combine with the brand’s superbly tailored suits.

Best of all, they have a second branch in Laureles. That’s super-handy for any of the digital nomads staying in this part of town!

IG: @mon_velarde

Address: Calle 8 #37-25, Poblado, Medellin

Makeno Concept Store

Ground zero for fashion, art, and jewelry by Medellin’s best designers, Makeno is a stylish warehouse-style space with a carefully curated mix of Colombian talent.

Ceramics, swimwear, jewelry, and Colombian artisanry with a designer flourish make this a wonderful Aladdin’s cave of Colombian creativity.   

Address: Cra 37 #10-35, Int 402, Poblado, Medellin

IG: @Makeno.co 

Gifts & Souvenirs

Show someone you love them with a little something from Medellin.

Whether it’s a miniature Botero sculpture or a bag of magical beans from the country with the world’s best coffee, going home empty-handed is not an option in the land of a thousand hats and bags.

Here are some of our favorite places for gifts for your loved ones back at home. 

Loto del Sur

This sophisticated Colombian cosmetics, skincare, and perfume company work in the fragrances of the Andes into its luxury soaps, creams, aromatherapy oils, and scented candles.

Bonus points are guaranteed with every box of delights.

You’ll probably be sent back to Colombia to get more when they run out. The brand has a store in El Tesoro Shopping Center.

Address: Carrera 25A #, Cl. 1A Sur #45 Local 1169

Museo de Arte Moderno de Medellin

The MAMM has one of the best-stocked museum shops in Medellin, with some great coffee table books on Colombian art, photography, architecture, and culture as well as a selection of creative gifts for kids.

There are art-inspired mugs, notebooks, pens, Designer Ts, hoodies, and tote bags that will impress your hipster friends back home.

Address: Cra. 44 #19a-100, Ciudad del Rio, Medellín

Museo de Antioquia

Stocking all things Botero and much more, Museo de Antioquia has all sorts of stylish gifts and 100% Medellin souvenirs. Any of these will make you very popular with your friends and family when you get home. 

Address: Cl. 52 #52-43, Centro, Medellín

Books, Records & Bric-a-Brac

If you are a collector of all things old like vintage books, vinyl, or antiques, Parque Bolivar holds a flea market on the first Sunday of every month.

Although, it may leave visitors who’ve perused the flea markets of Buenos Aires, Paris, or London, feeling underwhelmed by the experience.

There are a handful of quaint shops selling vintage finds in Poblado. If you want top-notch antiques, Jorge Ramos’ institution is a treasure trove of objets d’art and there are some other smaller Aladdin’s caves in the barrio Manila on Calle 8.

Additionally, the undisputed mecca for random shopping is the Centro. Plus, the area that surrounds the Palacio Nacional is a good spot to check out.

Nowadays the ‘National Palace’ is home to a selection of fake fashion brands and all sorts of household goods. The area around it is known as “El Hueco”, the hole.

This is where you’ll find congregations of second-hand booksellers and hawkers of second-hand vinyl selling their wares on the street or in run-down 1960s shopping centers. 

On the other hand, if it’s vintage vinyl you’re looking for, there are some record shops clustered near the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana.

That’s where Laureles meets Belen. 

Big Name Brands

Medellin is the Colombian capital of malls and the paisas love to spend the day checking each other out in a centro commercial.

The biggest malls are all home to the same collection of popular Colombian clothing brands. However, the more exclusive malls in Poblado – Oviedo, Santa Fe and El Tesoro stock some better-known international brands.

Better yet, if you’re staying in a Casacol luxury vacation rental or penthouse in Poblado you probably won’t need to venture much further than this triumvirate of temples to consumerism for a dose of retail therapy.

Both Oviedo and El Tesoro have more open-air space and you can’t beat the view from El Tesoro. So, if you’re looking for something for a first date then you’ll find something comforting and familiar at H&M, MNG, Pull & Bear, Tommy Hilfiger, and Zara.

Or, if you’ve been invited to leave town by some new friends but didn’t pack your trekking gear, there’s a branch of The North Face in El Tesoro. 

Oviedo Shopping Center: Cr 43A #6S-15, Av. El Poblado, Poblado, Medellin

El Tesoro Shopping Center: Carrera 25A #1A Sur-45

Santa Fe Shopping Center: Carrera 43A, Calle 7 Sur #170, Poblado, Medellín

Get Ready for the Best Shopping in Medellin

If you’re looking for the ultimate tailor-made retail therapy experience in Medellin contact one of Casacol’s concierges to arrange a session with a personal shopper. That’s someone who loves nothing more than helping you to spend your money wisely.

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