Jalan Sulawesi in Denpasar is to be considered as heaven on a budget for textile lovers. There are more than enough fabric shops stretch of about 200 very-convenient metres in a one-way street. Since the shops are filled to the brim with fabrics, most of the times you have to sidle through to get in. Before deciding to shop here, do not spoil yourself by imagining a laminate-floored air-conditioned textile emporium as most of the shops at Jalan Sulawesi are a bit dusty and definitely not air-conditioned. However, all of your efforts will earn big rewards at the end of the day.
There are so many options to be found here, ranging from ornate lace and an avalanche of lace fabrics to silk and various style of batik, good-quality linens and printed kinds of cotton, bundles of pre-cut patchwork squares, and more. But that is not the best part. One of the reasons why people shop for fabric in Jalan Sulawesi is because they are all cheap and negotiable. You will need to work on your bargaining skill. The next best thing is the fact that Jalan Sulawesi is not a tourist shopping spot, so you won’t find shopkeepers call out to you doing hard pressure selling. They are perfectly happy if you only look around their shops.