In order to receive a good night’s sleep in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, straw is usually required to plump your bedding.
Straw is a common building material, used as archery targets, beehives, trophies, and dummies, in addition to bedding.
The material may be relatively easy to find in-game, but it’s one of the most sought-after materials for new players, and this guide will show you how to obtain some.
Where to get straw
Straw can primarily be found and purchased from general goods merchants under the Miscellaneous tab, from time to time, and we’ve covered where to locate each store.
Gray Pine Goods, Falkreath
Gray Pine Goods is a general trader located in Falkreath, one of Skyrim’s major cities situated near the borders of Hammerfell and Cyrodill. This store is normally the best place to buy straw.
The shop is owned by Solaf who opens every day and trades almost anything you are looking for. Solaf lives with his brother Bolund in the store’s upper quarters.
The Gray Pine Goods store is located around the center of Falkreath, beside Lod’s house and opposite Dead Man’s Drink. The building can be identified by its balcony at the front.
Bits and Pieces, Solitude
Solitude is the largest city in Skyrim, located in Haafingar on the Northwestern shore.
Bits and Pieces is a general store run by Sayma, situated across from Angeline’s Aromatics. Straw can usually be found here, along with alchemy ingredients, food, clothing and weapons.
Riverwood Trader, Riverwood
The Riverwood Trader is a small goods store located in Riverwood, a small village to the south of Whiterun.
The store is run by siblings Camilla and Lucan Valerius, and straw can also be found here. Lucan will give you The Golden Claw quest upon entering, challenging you to retrieve the stolen claw from Bleak Falls Barrow.
The store usually has piles of firewood, barrels of food and a cart filled with cabbage out front.
Belethor’s General Goods, Whiterun
Belethor is a Breton pawnbroker who runs a general goods store in the market area of the Plains District in Whiterun – a large city located Northwest of the Throat of the World.
The store is located next to Arcadia’s Cauldron and opposite The Bannered Mare, with standard opening hours of 8am to 8pm.
Belethor buys and sells all types of items, including straw, and his assistant Sigurd can be found outside of the shop chopping wood.
It should also be noted that you need to speak to the merchant of stores, not the lumberjack, in order to purchase straw.
Goods are randomly generated within these stores, therefore, you may not find a merchant selling straw straight away. This is why some players have difficulty finding the material initially, but Falkreath’s Gray Pine Goods store is a safe bet.
Straw can also be found in common household containers, including dressers, cupboards, chests and barrels.
Alternatively, if you obtained Lydia the Nord housecarl, after completing the Dragon Rising quest, she can be asked where to acquire straw.
In order to travel from merchant to merchant, we recommend using our other Skyrim guide on how to call your horse.
