San Jose del Cabo Shops

Tacos aside, all we ever want to drop pesos on in Mexico are ceramics and maybe some local olive oil. But the exquisite unglazed pieces you seriously contemplate slipping in your purse in restaurants and hotels (we would never!) are hard to find. Store-owner and Frenchwoman Anne Sidora came to Los Cabos on vacation and never went home. The curator’s space by Flora Farms brings together stunning cups, candles, soaps, and leather pieces made by Mexican artisans. It’s impossible to leave this beautifully merchandised store empty-handed—each exquisite item has been hand chosen, and it shows.

We first stumbled upon Santo Cabo’s hand-poured activated charcoal and eucalyptus-scented soaps while browsing the shops at Flora's Farm. Turns out, their newly opened freestanding shop near the Cabo San Lucas marina is home to more than just these organic, locally-sourced, hand-poured soaps. For example, there’s a range of baby products, avocado massage oil, calendula face balm, and something called sand soap, which calls on Baja Sur sand as a powerful exfoliation agent.

This is where you go to invest in museum-quality handmade silver, handcrafted pottery, and to see the broadest display of traditional Huichol beaded sculptures. During high season, the owners bring in Artists to demonstrate how these colorful, large-scale pieces come together.

Think of Curios Carmela in downtown San Jose del Cabo is as a souvenir shop on steroids. Upon walking in, don’t let the sight of kitschy shot glasses, pun-y t-shirts, and oversized sombreros discourage you. Dig a little deeper and you’ll also find piles of traditional Mexican fabrics, toys, craftsman-made pottery, and so much more at super wallet-friendly prices.

Stop by any day of the week and it’s likely you’ll find Eduardo himself manning the floor at his cavernous showroom-slash-workshop. The pieces are made predominantly of silver and incorporate Mexican, Italian, and French coins (a Sanchez signature) into the designs. While undeniably statement making, the rings, bracelets, and cuffs are not at all gaudy—a great option if you want to come home with one great piece of silver jewelry.

While there are countless galleries and shops in San Jose’s historic arts district, many try to pass off mass-produced baubles as folk art. That is not the case at Silver Moon, where the focus is on spotlighting the wares of independent makers from various regions in Mexico. Here you’ll find natural lambs wool toys made by families in Chiapas, wood sculptures from Oaxaca, and pottery from a tiny village in Chihuahua, to name a few. The owner has a roster of silversmiths on call and will gladly facilitate custom orders.

Come here to stock up on cotton peasant dresses, beaded and silver jewelry, Oaxacan embroidery, and hand-woven rugs—there’s even a traditional loom in the back. Possibly the most special of all is the kids section, where you’ll find the very same peasant dresses, cotton blouses, and straw slippers, but in teeny tiny sizes. Like most shops in the arts district, they do accept credit cards, though we suggest coming with cash to avoid any conversion confusion.