Must-see shopping in New England

  • Dancing Lion Chocolate

    New Hampshire

    Chocolate has a pedigree at Dancing Lion, where the passion of master chocolatier Richard Tango-Levy is just as compelling as the chocolates. Tango-Levy…

  • LL Bean Flagship Store

    Midcoast Maine

    A 10ft-tall Bean Boot sits outside the flagship LL Bean store. Although a hundred other stores have joined it in Freeport, the wildly popular LL Bean is…

  • Maine Craft

    Portland

    Past the clever title of this shop is an excellent retail and arts space, showcasing the best of the state's contemporary crafts and maker movement. You…

  • Jobi Pottery

    Cape Cod

    You'll likely see Jobi pottery, with its distinctive fish designs, for sale across the Cape. It's worth making the trip to where it all comes from. At…

  • Coast City Comics

    Portland

    This is a great shop for comics, graphic novels and all the fantastically nerdy accoutrements that grow around such goods. There are shelves of horror…

  • Left Bank Books

    Midcoast Maine

    This small, friendly bookstore has well-curated stacks that include a solid local-interest section, and a kids' area that's a joy for parents with…

  • Housatonic Trading Company

    Connecticut

    This funky unpretentious dealer has an eclectic mix of antiques, fashion, fun stuff, furniture, books and bric-a-brac spanning decades, at reasonable…

  • Brattle Book Shop

    Boston

    Since 1825, the Brattle Book Shop has catered to Boston’s literati: it's a treasure trove crammed with out-of-print, rare and first edition books. Ken…

  • Burlington Farmers Market

    Burlington

    Every Saturday from May through October, downtown Burlington bursts into life with this enormously popular farmers market. All vendors must grow or make…

  • Brimfield Antique Show

    Massachusetts

    Six miles west of Sturbridge is the Brimfield Antique Show, the largest outdoor antiques fair in North America. How big is it? The fair takes place on 23…

  • Boston Public Market

    Boston

    A locavore's longtime dream come true, this daily farmers market – housed in a brick-and-mortar building – gives shoppers access to fresh foodstuffs,…

  • Converse at Lovejoy Wharf

    Boston

    Occupying the ground level of the Converse world headquarters, this flagship store has a sweet selection of its classic sneakers, including some true…

  • Thorncrest Farm and Milk House Chocolates

    Connecticut

    Imagine if you could hand-pick the cows you wanted to produce the milk you use to make daily batches of delectable chocolates. Well, that's what Kimberly…

  • North Bennet Street School

    Boston

    The North Bennet Street School has been training craftspeople for over 100 years. Established in 1885, the school offers programs in traditional skills…

  • Salmagundi

    Boston

    While the flagship Salmagundi store in Jamaica Plain has a bigger selection, this second location in the North End still offers some 4000 hats for your…

  • International Poster Gallery

    South End & Chinatown

    This niche gallery stocks thousands of vintage posters from around the world. Thousands. The posters span the globe, with themes ranging from food and…

  • For Now

    Boston

    Calling itself a 'retail incubator' and a 'pop-up collective,' For Now showcases a constantly changing and growing collection of local and regional…

  • SoWa Open Market

    South End & Chinatown

    Boston's original art market, this outdoor event is a fabulous opportunity for strolling, shopping and people-watching. More than 100 vendors set up shop…

  • Artists for Humanity

    Boston

    Artists for Humanity is a local charity organization that encourages urban youth to get in touch with their creative sides. That means you're doing a good…

  • Ars Libri

    South End & Chinatown

    Ring the doorbell: it's worth it. Specializing in rare and out-of-print titles, Ars Libri is an art bookstore extraordinaire, filled from floor to ceiling…

  • SoWa Farmers Market

    South End & Chinatown

    With some 60 stands, this is the largest farmers market in New England, and features fresh produce, meats and poultry, dairy products, flowers and more…

  • Greenway Open Market

    Boston

    This weekend artist market brings out dozens of vendors to display their wares in the open air. Look for unique, handmade gifts, jewelry, bags, paintings,…

  • Ye Olde Pepper Candy Companie

    Massachusetts

    For more than 200 years Ye Olde Pepper Candy Companie has been making sweets – you gotta believe that it knows what it's doing. The current owners (for…

  • Salumeria Italiana

    Boston

    Shelves stocked with extra-virgin olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar, cases crammed with cured meats, hard cheeses and olives of all shapes and sizes,…

  • New Balance Factory Store

    Boston

    Run like the wind…to the New Balance Flagship store for comfortable, supportive running shoes at discounted prices. Runners rejoice over these shoes, but…

  • Lake Champlain Chocolates

    Burlington

    No, you can't run through the chocolate waterfall, but Burlington's homegrown chocolate factory offers tours and tastings, plus a cafe serving luscious…

  • Strange Maine

    Portland

    This cramped closet of a shop sells old books, cassettes, records, video games, VHS tapes and other bric-a-brac, and while the themes may not involve…

  • Where the Sidewalk Ends

    Cape Cod

    Bibliophiles should make sure to stop in this beautiful barn full of books. There's an adjacent children's annex which hosts summertime kids' events …

  • Skidompha

    Midcoast Maine

    This spacious, secondhand bookshop overlooks the Damariscotta River and is packed with more than 20,000 lovingly perused titles. The collection is…

  • Sedurre

    Boston

    If you speak Italian, you'll know that Sedurre's thing is sexy and stylish. (It means 'seduce.') The shop started with fine lingerie – beautiful lacy…

  • In-Jean-ius

    Boston

    You know what you’re getting when you waltz into this denim haven. Offerings from more than 20 designers include tried-and-true favorites and little-known…

  • Jewelers Exchange Building

    Boston

    With over 100 jewelers, this historic building is the first stop for many would-be grooms. Some jewelers have retail space on the 1st floor, other less…

  • Truffle Shots

    Connecticut

    Why not just take the good stuff out of a truffle and serve it in a shot glass? That's the genius behind Sherry's little shop of shots, which also…

  • Shackleton Thomas

    Vermont

    Charles Shackleton and Miranda Thomas run this lovely shop and gallery in the Bridgewater Mill, a three-story converted 1820s mill on the Ottauquechee…

  • I Am Books

    Boston

    Calling itself 'an Italian-American cultural hub,' this small independent bookstore is the perfect place to pick up reading materials for an upcoming trip…

  • Queen of Hearts

    Providence

    Feel the love amid the vibrant and stylish threads in Queen of Hearts, where pieces with individuality and personality are the order of the day. Owned by…

  • Design Museum Boston Store

    Boston

    The Design Museum is a pop-up museum ('Design is everywhere. So are we.'), but the museum shop is always here, overlooking the Greenway, selling quirky T…

  • Wild Bill's Nostalgia Center

    Connecticut

    About 10 miles south of Old Wethersfield on the outskirts of Middletown, Wild Bill's is part museum, part curiosity barn, filled with tons of mid-20th…

  • Revolutionary Boston Museum Store

    Boston

    Souvenirs with an Americana theme: woven throws featuring flags, eagles and other all-American goodness; reproductions of Paul Revere's depiction of the…

  • Frost Gully Violins

    Midcoast Maine

    This is admittedly a store with very specific clientele, but if you're in the market for an instrument from the violin family, Frost Gully might have the…