Medellin was the heart of Colombia's textile industry through the twentieth century and still produces a steady flow of clothing and leather at prices well below European or US equivalents. The main shopping ground for visitors is El Centro — Pasaje Junín and the streets around Botero Plaza are wall-to-wall with cheap clothing stores, jewellery stalls, and leather workshops where you can have a belt or jacket made in a day.
For the air-conditioned mall version, Centro Comercial El Tesoro (in the hills above Poblado) and Santa Fe (in Itagüí) are the big anchors, both with the usual Colombian and international brands. The Mercado de San Alejo craft market on Parque Bolívar happens the first Saturday of each month — local makers, art, handicrafts. For food: Plaza Minorista José María Villa is the city's main fresh market, a covered hall of fruit, fish, meat, and ground-floor lunch stalls.