BANGKOK VENUE

Nightingale Olympic

It’s gloomy, time-worn façade hardly draws in the crowds that Siam Paragon and Siam Discovery enjoy, but Nightingale Olympic, Thailand’s first ever department store, is still just about in business. Founded in 1936, it’s seemingly stuck in time, displaying products as much as 50 years old, still in their original packaging. The two-story building is not unlike the shop houses around Chulalongkorn University, the interior covered in old beige wallpaper and there’s no air-conditioning. Many of the items in the display cases seem out of date (and the aged mannequins are a little creepy), but there are still plenty of old classics to be found. The first floor houses cosmetics from brands like Merle Norman, women’s underwear from Carnial and all manner of sporting goods. The second floor showcases musical instruments, from guitars to trumpets, as well as exercise gear curios like old-fashioned slimming machines from Walton.

Venue Details
Address: Nightingale Olympic, 25/41 Phahurat, Bangkok, Thailand
Phone: 02-221-9773
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 8am-4:30pm; Sat 8am-5pm
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