Located very close to Old Central Square, this is a great place to purchase authentic, locally-produced goods. The art, jewelry, and hand-crafted item are sold only as Fair Trade, which means the artists get 1/2 of the profits. The owner is very friendly, and you feel good knowing that what you bought is not made in China, and helps the local artists.
We took time to find this gem of a gallery and were so delighted with what we encountered. Its location is several blocks from the Avenida Central and behind the Holiday Inn. I viewed the website before going and was absolutely excited to see all of the offerings in person. I was determined to leave the store with some treats created by local artisans...and, fair trade at that! They had many items including lovely woven baskets, jade jewelry and masks. I loved the pottery and jade. This is well worth a visit particularly as the souvenir shops just don't seem to have quality products from local artisans.
Good selection of indigenous arts and crafts and knowledgeable staff. Good place for picking up gifts and souvenirs at a variety of price points. Fair trade practices.
We visited this gallery on our first trip to Costa Rica in 2003 and again this fall. It remains a very special place with a passion for genuine art from Costa Rica and other Central American countries. They know everything about the artists, the origin of the pieces they have as well as the different types of art that they sell. They were so very helpful as we made our selections and a huge thank you to Conall too as we inadvertently missed including a piece in our purchase and needed to buy it after our trip and have it shipped to Canada - it just wasn't a piece we were willing to be without.We now have a dozen pieces of art - paintings, etchings, carvings - at home after the trip and prominently displayed. We saw many fewer galleries on this trip and several places where we made purchases the last time are no longer open. We were so pleased that Galeria Namu was still there, still dedicated to preserving the contributions of many artists, and still teaching tourists what this area has to offer artistically. It's a great place to learn, to collect a few pieces to bring home and for us, a wonderful place for our children to experience art and make their own selections to bring home.
We visit this store every time we are in San Jose. What a gem... Beautiful arts and crafts by indigenous people from Costa Rica and Panama. The only place to find such an array of local art, and fair-trade to boot!The owners of the store are wonderful, and so knowledgeable about what they sell. It is tough to walk away empty-handed... :-).A great spot to buy gifts.
On vacation I love to hunt down local crafts and usually buy several things. This store had a lot of things you won't see elsewhere but many are trinkets (and I like stuff to hang on the wall, not get lost in my cluttered shelves). The items are quite expensive, I'd say many items at $100 or more. Since these are handmade the prices are reasonable. However, I found many of unique handcrafted items during my time in costa rica (I did have to look in many stores to find them though). The masks are cool here(I bought a small one) but these are at many stores. So, up to you...My treasures from other stores include a small painting of a beautiful sailfish, feather with toucan hand painted on it, and a monkey and toucan made out of colorful butterfly wings=less than $50.
Namu has a wonderful variety of art objects and an admirable mission of supporting local artists. It was hard to choose from among the many beautiful pieces I wanted to take home. This gallery is a gem.
We had to search to find their location but it was well worth the effort. They have an amazing display of indigenous art pieces. The masks and the carved wood bowls were our favorites. I collect masks from our travels and my husband brought me one from his trip to Costa Rica nine years ago. The quality of the shop has not changed over the years. They provide you with documentation about the art pieces. This is the best place to shop in San Jose.
We followed Fodor's recommendation to stop in at this amazing little gallery during our recent overnight stay in San Jose. The owner gave us a tour of her gallery featuring original native arts upon our arrival. It was better than visiting a local historical museum! The carefully selected items which are for sale in the shop are exquisite. The detailed basket work, original native masks, paintings and hand painted tiles are fabulous.
Glad we decided to visit Galeria Namu our first day in Costa Rica. Expected more of an art gallery but it has an interesting collection of pieces by indigenous artisans. Did not see another store like this on our tour. Picked up some jewelry at a very reasonable price.