An 'antique' shop in Melaka's Chinatown area.
Chinatown's Jonker Street is famous for it's antique shops, which you'll also find along the parallel Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock (Heeren Street). As in much of Southeast Asia, 'antique' doesn't have specific legal meaning, it just means something is old, or even just made in an old style. With many of the old shops, it's very much a case of "one person's junk is another person's antique. One place I definitely recommend for a browse is Abdul Company, whose main shop is on Heeren Street. The shophouse is filled to the rafters - literally - with everything from small collectibles to large recycled bits of old buildings.
Malaqa House Museum antique shop
On the same street is Malaqa House Museum, not really a museum, but a shop you can browse through, chock full of collectibles and other bits. The front facade of Malaqa House is a beautiful blue and white design like a big piece of Chinese porcelain.
Beyond antiques, there are several other shops that might be worth a browse. For t-shirts look for Orangutan. Run by a local artist, the shops sell shirts designed by him. There are three shops around town. For clothing and accessories beyond t-shirts, Jonker Gallery is the big name in town. There are a total of five shops around Chinatown, selling mens and ladies apparel, footwear, accessories and souvenirs. In housewares, Puri Padi sells a range of items, most of which are inspired by contemporary Balinese design.
In addition to all the boutique shopping, there are two modern shopping malls on the other side of St Paul's Hill. Mega Mall is right in front of the Proclamation of Independence Museum, while Makhota Mall is across the street from Mega Mall.