Essaouira is one of the easier Moroccan towns to shop in: prices are more reasonable than Marrakech and the hassle is mild. Two specialities stand out. Thuya wood, a fragrant local conifer with deep burl, is carved into boxes, chess sets, and inlaid furniture in the workshops tucked under the Skala ramparts; you can watch the carvers at work before you buy. Argan oil, pressed from the kernels of trees that grow only in this corner of Morocco, comes in two forms — culinary (dark, nutty, drizzled on bread or salads) and cosmetic (lighter, used on hair and skin). Buy from a women's cooperative on the road to Marrakech for the most honest product.
The town also has a serious art scene: galleries on and around Avenue Oqba Ibn Nafiaa show local painters and the late Frédéric Damgaard's stable of self-taught Gnaoua artists.