Coconut Shell Handicraft Centre of Mueang Phatthalung

Coconut shells that would otherwise be waste become spoons, cups, lamps, and jewellery at this working craft group in Chai Buri subdistrict, on the edge of Phatthalung town. A local resident known as Lung Pleum (Uncle Pleum) started turning the shells into saleable goods, and the surrounding village earned the local nickname “the million-baht coconut shell village” after group sales reportedly hit 3.4 million baht back in 1993 — a name that’s stuck even as the craft has scaled well beyond that.

The output ranges from everyday household items — spoons, water dippers, serving bowls, cups — to the centre’s more distinctive pieces: three-legged electric lamps and storm-lantern-style lighting fixtures, alongside jewellery, belts, hair clips, and bags. Production runs from raw shell selection through shaping and polishing to a finished, lacquered piece, and short hands-on sessions let visitors try basic processing or simple decorating themselves rather than just watching from the sidelines. It’s a genuine income-generating workshop first, open to visitors second — expect a working space with product for sale, not a purpose-built demonstration hall.

Insider Tip: If you want to see the centre at full activity rather than a quiet workshop with a few pieces on a shelf, visit on a weekday — output and the number of artisans working tends to track with order volume, which is heavier midweek than at weekends.

Watch out: This is a live production site, not a tourist facility with fixed staffing — some artisans may be away filling orders when you arrive, and English explanation isn’t guaranteed. A local driver who can translate helps if you want detail on the techniques.

Get there by motorbike taxi or a short drive from Phatthalung town centre; there’s no public bus route laid on specifically for the centre. Bring small cash if you plan to buy — most finished pieces sell directly from the on-site display rather than through a formal till system. If you’re also visiting Wat Khuha Sawan, Phatthalung’s cave temple a short drive south, the two make an easy same-day pairing.