National Geographic Store

The National Geographic store opened with much fanfare at Lot 10 recently – it’s the first in the country and only the fourth in the whole world. The space is well-stocked with educational aids, telescopes, adventure footwear, journals and bags for you to take on travel and other things that you’ll only realise you need when you step in store. There’s also an exhibition area featuring rotating exhibits taken from the organisation’s TV channels, magazines and mission-oriented projects.

However, we were a tad disappointed that the store does not carry those gorgeous National Geographic photos in print or poster for purchase. But what caught our interest is the well known National Geographic Genographic Project (genographic.nationalgeographic.com) that’s finally hit our shores. It’s a kit where you can swab your cheek, send the cotton bud off to the National Geographic lab and after testing it they’ll tell you where your ancestors are from based on your DNA. Impressive stuff!

There’s a Spanish-themed café here as well, serving bit-sized snacks known as pinchos, and is the first in Malaysia to offer Estrella Damm, a popular Spanish Catalan pilsner brewed in Barcelona since 1876. Yum