Bangkok: Shopping Mall Fantasies

One Bangkok one of several multiplex developments

Bangkok is a city in transition, with a lot of development geared towards multipurpose shopping malls, luxury residences, and a Starbucks on every street corner, but there are many left behind in this massive gentrification project, as there are some homeless people sleeping on sidewalks, while others are trying to eke out a living the best they can.

A large new Arabica shop has opened

There are many massive shopping mall complexes tied to condos, offices, hotels, restaurants and public spaces. They are the Hong Kong equivalent of K11 Musea in Tsim Sha Tsui, but much brighter and sophisticated in design, and not leaving visitors lost and confused.

One giant project that has recently opened is One Bangkok, a massive sprawling space with many shop spaces yet to be occupied. And yes there is a large Starbucks Reserve, and a two-storey Arabica that also sells coffee. 

Japanese department stores like Daimaru and Takashiayma are there selling Japanese foods, along with Muji espousing the minimalist lifestyle with soft cotton threads. Meanwhile Jim Thompson has a store here, with high-end clothing.

One Bangkok had just opened its doors for the day when we visited and there weren't many people around... 

Tourists have flocked to Icon Siam to shop

And then by the Chao Phraya River by many hotels is Icon Siam, which attracts a lot of foreigners to shop at places like Lululemon, Maison Kitsune, and Rimowa. A high-ceilinged Arabica has also opened here, a giant open-plan shop that is a far cry from the small ones it has in Hong Kong.

In the basement is a sanitised version of a food market, with stalls selling packaged fruits, mango sticky rice, nuts and snacks as souvenirs or a bite to eat. There was even one stall inviting people to dress up in Thai clothing and be photographed...

Icon Siam also has a convention centre in it, perhaps a smart idea getting visitors to come here for meetings and shop at the same time.

Can Bangkok actually support these massive shopping complexes? At Icon Siam, we saw tourists carrying large shopping bags from Hermes and Lululemon... do they find the prices cheaper here, or being on holiday just encourages them to splurge?

A bustling "market" in the basement

Fascinating to watch how things go...