Solo Grand Mall is by most standards not so grand but it is a mall and as such has become the focal point and favourite haunt of every Solonese teenager. It is anchored by a Hypermart supermarket in the basement a Matahari department store and numerous fast food stores such as KFC, Texas Chicken and Pizza Hut. Upstairs on the third floor is a reasonable food court and the smaller fourth floor houses the Grand21 cinema complex .There is also a Breadtalk bakery on the ground floor with good cakes and reasonable bread. 

Solo Square is another popular mall, a bit more upmarket then Solo Grand Mall. There is also a Hypermart supermarket and some of the best Chinese food in town according to some of the expert expats.

Solo Paragon Mall hosts a Carrefour with a food and a non-food section, an ACE Hardware store next to Informa (an Ikea-kind of interior decoration store; good stuff but pricey), one of the two official Apple Stores in Solo (the other one located in The Park), Starbucks, several restaurants and several more upmarket clothing stores. Not to mention the huge Centro department store where many fashion and cosmetic brands have their shop-in-shop.

Latest addition to the Solo Mall landscape is the very upscale The Park in Solo Baru with a big Lotte Mart, a Metro department store and plenty of luxury chain shops. It also has a large outdoor terrace surrounded by (expensive and their prices are ++tax/service charge) restaurants. The older Hartono Lifestyle Mall next door has a large Hypermart outlet, a huge 2-floor ACE Hardware store and many affordably priced shops and restaurants.

Pasar Triwindu in Jl. Diponegoro, newly renovated and relocated by Solo mayor Joko Widodo is famous for its “antiques” – bronzes, old batiks, glass jars, ceramics. Occasionally there really are some old things. It is open from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, 7 days a week and is a great way to spend a few hours. You are expected to bargain. On Saturday nights there is a night market just in front of Pasar Triwindu featuring mainly batik clothes and handmade decoration items. 

Pasar Klewer one of the biggest batik markets in Indonesia and therefore by extension the world unfortunately burned down in 2015. The newly constructed replacement building at the same location was not 100% successful, very dark and narrow. Another good location to shop for Batik is the PGS (Pusat Grosir Solo) at the end of Jl. Slamet Riyadi. Numerous higher quality and more sophisticated Batik shops can be found in the two Batik quarters of Solo, Laweyan and Kauman.

Gramedia Bookstore on Jl. Slamet Riyadi is by far the best source of books and office supplies. They often hold art exhibitions and performances in the foyer of the old entrance building. 

Household Goods and Furniture: Quite complete and good priced local household goods can be found at Toko Putra Manis, Jl. RE Martadinata , across Pasar Gede. A little bit more to the east across the street is a quite interesting porcelain outlet shop where you can find nice plates, cups, bowls etc. Other big household stores are in Jl. Dr. Radjiman between Jl. Gatot Subroto and Jl. Paku Wojo (near Matahari Singosaren). Western standard imported household goods can be found at INFORMA, which has outlets at Solo Paragon and at Hartono Mall. Informa also has modern, western style furniture. For local wooden furniture the best is to ask around for tips in the expat community as many of the members are active in furniture production or may know some direct sources.

Interesting Fashion Outlet stores As there is a lot of textile production going on in and around Solo, there are quite a few interesting fashion outlets. As textiles sold there where mostly intended for export, you have the chance to find bigger sizes and well known brands.

Blossom Family Outlet , Jl. Bhayangkara, Laweyan , Tel. 0271 - 713551

La Moda (next to La Moda del Gelato) , Jl. MT Haryono No. 8

Eses Factory Outlet , Jl. Cendrawasih, Blok H No. 12, Solo Baru

New Eses Men Fashion Store ,Jl. Ir. Soekarno, Solo Baru, Tel. 0271 622 700