Chiang Mai-Songkran-Baan Tawai, Furniture and Wood carvings

[carefreetravels]

Planning a quick trip to CM  shortly for the purposes of buying hand made wood carvings, sculptures and some high end furniture. Am aware that most of Baan Tawai is closed, but will still go there. Will even more furniture manufacturing/art home decor businesses etc. be closed over Songkran? Have trouble reaching places as most phone numbers listed on websites do not work. Will the temples be overcrowded? Should we wait till Songkran is over? Thank you in advance for any assistance.

 

[Thailand]

If you want to buy the furniture etc it would make sense to go after Songkran perhaps?

[carefreetravels]

My thoughts precisely. That would probably be wiser. No point in going if most of the employees will be gone. Also would rather avoid driving during Songkran. 

[teutonian]

A large number of places, indeed the majority, are still closed from OVID or permanently shut down. 
 

Best to just drive around but be prepared to be disappointed. 

[1FinickyOne]

Everything stops fpr Songkran, except the traffic - why bother coming shopping - after is a much better idea... 

[pgrahmm]

FB Market place has furniture although not the same as seeing, touching, feeling.....We dropped by BT  about 3 months ago = 90%+ closed + the furniture places that were open were overpriced... Going for the big kill due to low visitor count.....

The Teak wardrobes I saw there were double to three times the cost of what I bought over FBM.

[metisdead]

A post of a commercial nature has been removed.

[George Aylesham]

A Brit friend of mine has successfully furnished his entire new home with good quality furniture from Ban Tawan over the past three weeks.

[Maybole]

Ban Tawai was always overpriced. You are better going to Phrae where there are shops selling the furniture made in the backshop.

[elektrified]

We've been to Baan Tawai twice in the last year or so and I concur with another member that about 85-90% of the shops are either closed or out of business. Both times we went, there were only a few shops open and the prices were extremely high. We saw some lamps that we had purchased previously for about 600 Baht each - selling for 1699!

 

Some of the shops on the road to Baan Tawai are open but their prices are crazy.

 

Fortunately using google image search, we were able to find some of the items we were looking for. Many of the sellers from Baan Tawai now have on-line and/or facebook shops or marketplace listings. One seller from Doi Lo drove up, left some samples with us and gave us a great price when we were ready to order.

[BritManToo]

12 hours ago, Maybole said:

Ban Tawai was always overpriced. You are better going to Phrae where there are shops selling the furniture made in the backshop.

Agree, over priced tourist trap.

Best avoided completely.