Quito Handicrafts market at La Mariscal, Shopping Malls, Travel gear renting & buying, bookstores at Quito, Music Shops and the essential Film & Photo Stores in Quito, read about it.

Quito, capital of Ecuador has many advantages, being one of the main economic centers of Ecuador. Commerce is an inseparable part of the development of the community and has made Quito an ideal place for supply and demand.

Quito is a great part of what conforms Ecuador. You can find national and foreign culture not only in cafés and theaters, but also in the showcases of the stores and the markets.

Quito is a city that was born for commerce. The origins of Quito are marked by their quality of regional markets. Before the arrival of the Incas to the territories of Quito, a market was the place that served as center for interchanging products of the different regions. Nowadays, this custom continues.

The first thing that gets your attention when buying is the diversity you can find. Quito is lucky to serve as a bridge between outside products and its wealth of national products from its indigenous settlers. On a same street you come across modern commercial centers and a street vendor with fine handmade Otavalo wall hangings.

There is an ample supply in Quito; everything depends on what you need. Prices not only depend on the quality of the product, but also the season, and where and how you are going to pay.

Like most cities, the commercial points are bunched together around a center. In the case of Quito, the sector that includes the Amazonas avenues, 6th of December and the Shyris are the greatest financial and commercial areas of the city. Just along the Amazonas Avenue it is possible to find crafts, books, camping equipment and a big shopping centers. b

Depending on your taste, Quito offers different types of shopping, for example, if a tourist wants a souvenir or a back packer wants a water poncho or a businessman needs a book, they will find what they are looking for.

The city is famous worldwide by its artisan markets. The crafts found in Quito come from around the country and of all types. There is a great variety in prices, from a shell bracelet of 50 cents to an archaeological relic of 500 dollars. The street salesmen located in different parts of the city and the specialized handicraft stores coexist in the city.

When purchasing on the street, make sure you haggle the price down. That is to say, using your cleverness and friendly manners, the buyer may reduce the price of a product to a surprising price. Never accept the first price that is offered. This does not happen in specialized handicraft stores, but it is always worth trying.

The big shopping centers or malls give you the advantage to buy in different types of stores in a same site with different prices. In addition they offer restaurants, fast food courts and a variety of entertainment like cinemas or skating rings.

The main malls of Quito are Mall El Jardín (República y Amazonas), Centro Comercial Iñaquito or CCI (Amazonas y NNUU), Quicentro Shopping (NNUU y 6 de Diciembre), Centro Comerical Naciones Unidas (NNUU y Amazonas), Centro Comercial Caracol (Amazonas y NNUU), Ciudad Comercial El Recreo (Pedro Vicente Maldonado), Ciudad Comercial El Bosque (Al Parque y Alonso de Torres) and Centro Comercial Aeropuerto (La Prensa y Amazonas)

These are the biggest shopping centers with different types of stores, prices and offer extra services. Several other smaller shopping centers exist or big stores with several smaller stores inside.

Within these malls and shopping centers can be found some useful stores for the traveler. For example, stores with rafting, mountain biking or mountaineering gear. In addition, throughout the city there are numerous stores that offer gear and many other essentials. Sometimes buying in these stores is cheaper.

Objects like, electronics or clothing can be more economic if bought in small markets or with street salesmen. Nevertheless, this does not guarantee its quality. In the Historical Center and its surroundings, you can find these cheaper places. Avoid going to these places with too much money and avoid going past six o clock in the afternoon.

Other very useful services within the city are the bookstores, music stores of and photo shops.