I’m going back to the States to see my family and friends in the summer, and I wanted to bring back some gifts. I am living in the Taipei area. Anybody know of any places where I can find some souvenir shops?
I also wanted to know if there’s things you can get here, but aren’t available in the States? That would actually be my 1st preference. Like maybe a I <3 TW shirt? Recommendations, anyone?
Many thanks. 
The Handicraft Market handicraft.org.tw/en/show.php?newsdesk_id=50
Jienguo Weekend Market
Pineapple cakes, persimmon cakes, and other goodies -hopefully from an organic store.
There is also some really nice contemporary stuff by young artists at the Red House in Shimendeng.
Tel：+886-2-2311-9380
Fax：+886-2-2314-2927
Address：NO.10,Chengdu Rd.,Wanhua District,Taipei City 108,Taiwan,R.O.C.
Opening hours：Sun～Thurs 11:00~21:30（Closed on Mondays）
Fri～Sat 11:00~22:00
Website：http://www.redhouse.org.tw
There is a cool little store by Bitan (right next to the suspension bridge) but if you get to the airport early, you can buy LOADS of cool things just before you walk through the passport check:) Playing cards, T-shirts, mugs etc.
+1
The Handicraft Market (國家文創禮品館) used to be great but I’ve just learned it shut down in 2020 (after 62 years):
What’s a good location to grab souvenirs now?
If you miss your deadline, duty-free is a sure fix. 
is that the store that used to be near NTU hospital MRT?
Yeah, #1 Xuzhou Rd (徐州路１號):
I’m mainly looking for postcards, so I still need some time to write them afterwards.
It’s really a pity, that store (four floors I think) had everything in one place, I’d have probably got something else as well. Too bad.
National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute Taipei Branch
Taiwan made, a little bit more upscale and artsy than the other now closed spot.
A beautiful building, inside and out, to visit regardless if shopping and can have something to eat on upper level.
Can cut through botanical gardens if taking MRT.
Thanks! I was just looking at that one. Great minds think alike! 
Edit: it seems my replies don’t get marked as such unless I include a quote. Is this the expected behavior when I’m using the Reply button below a particular post?
Let’s face it. Progress sucks. Despite how we are gaslighted to accept it.
That being vented, I hope that the duty-free shops still have post cards. If not, I will personally be upset. But then, with the advent of cell phone photography, it has cheapened every experience that is documented.
I apologize for the rant and digress. If postcards are not available, buy Cuban cigars.
postcards are available in most souvenir shops for tourists, ximending, 101, shilin nighht market, all have stores that sell stuff like fridge magnets, snacks and poscards.
Danshui Old Street is full of souvenir shops
I went there earlier today. Unfortunately, the store is closed. And so is the restaurant. In fact, all the other floors are closed too, besides the ground floor, although I was told they’re going to reopen eventually. So there’s that.
I then went to the Postal Museum nearby, hoping they for one would have some choice of postcards. Unfortunately, the Postal Museum only sells postcards from the Postal Museum as such, and that’s not what I was looking for.
I eventually got lucky in the Mickey Mouse Memorial Hall. I browsed through the souvenir stores there before but this time I took a closer look and discovered one of them actually does have a wide choice of postcards at decent prices (T$100 for 6 or 7) . They’re somewhat hidden in the north wing, east of the post office there, opposite a joint selling some grub, and next to a coin press that some bored kid was playing with all the time, making noise as I was trying to concentrate to make my choice.
Anyway, I got my postcards in the end. It’s not really that easy to find a place that has a wide selection of postcards these days I’d say. In retrospect, I should’ve probably tried looking in bookstores or stationery stores instead. The closure of the Handicraft Center took me by surprise.
The closure is a tragedy. As you said, everything in one place.
Now when I need souvenirs I do the scavenger hunt of the small handicraft markets, usually on weekends, like in Songshan station, the museum shops like Taiwan Museum and National Palace, and traditional markets like Zhengzhong.
But postcards seem something you’d find like in Eslite or Kingstone. Other than that, I’m stumped.
I remember buying some 3D ones my family enjoyed, like a night market scene or people gazing at Taipei 101.
Gift shop at the National Palace Museum. Nice stuff at various price levels. btw, no need to buy museum ticket for access
Can anyone recommend any good budding Taiwan artists? I have Haida art, Hockney prints, Meiji-era art, Hindenburg WW1 portraits, some French medieval/royalist stuff, lots of Victorian-era stuff, but only one or two Taiwan related pieces of art (Taipei urban).
Would like to purchase 1 or 2 paintings.
I’ll just add that a lot of this stuff can be bought at the airport itself, in the boarding area. I used to go hunting all over for souvenirs but now I do most of my gift shopping right before getting on the plane. There are a couple of museum gift shops (National Palace and History museum I think), shops full of trinkets / tea / pineapple cakes, etc., Hakka- and aboriginal-themed shops with t-shirts, etc. Probably charge a little more, I never compared and don’t really care, when you add in the time and effort of running around the city after this stuff… Not saying you shouldn’t visit the places mentioned above, but if you’re pressed for time or can’t find what you want there’s always the airport fallback, you usually have an hour or two to kill before an international flight anyway.
TBH I find the variety at Songshan Airport better than Taoyuan. And cheaper. And more local. Sun cakes, anyone?