I don't know how a shopping tip can be placed that doesn't come across as an advert however, please feel free to remove this if it's not allowed.
Erawan Arts is a high end textile and exotic wood shop unlike any other in Luang Prabang. We sell only 100% hand woven Lao silk, that uses only natural dyes - and everything in the shop is made only by Lao people. The process takes longer but each item exudes a quality that far out-weighs any product that is synthetically made or uses chemicals.
Erawan Arts places a big emphasis on donating a share of the profits to help local communities in need through various initiatives - from installing fresh water systems to villages, to running medical trips to remote areas and providing books etc for schools. It is this last point that I hope keeps this post here on this site.
Laos is such a wonderful country full of wonderful people, and they deserve to have access at least to the fundamental basics that most of us take for granted in the West. This is why Erawan Arts has spent the time to create luxurious items that really cannot be compared to the usual 'tribal textiles' and looser weaves sold by other so called boutiques, and to help re-establish the complicated weaving skills that were becoming lost over the years.
The site for Erawan Arts can be found here:
http://www.erawan-arts.com
Thank you for your time, and all the best with your trip should you ever visit the 'Jewel of the Mekong' or 'Land of a Million Elephants', otherwise known as magical Laos.
