Shopping in Boston
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North Bennet Street School
The North Bennet Street School has been training craftspeople for over 100 years. Established in 1885, the school offers programs in traditional skills like bookbinding, woodworking and locksmithing. The school’s on-site gallery sells incredible hand-crafted pieces made by students and alumni. Look for unique jewelry, handmade journals and exquisite wood furniture and musical instruments.
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Garment District
If your memories of the fashion-conscious ’60s and ’70s have faded like an old pair of jeans, this store will bring it all back. Downstairs, Dollar-a-Pound has different merchandise and pricing methods. Like a flea market gone berserk, piles of clothing are dumped on the warehouse floor and folks wade through them looking for their needle in the haystack. Upon checkout, your pile is weighed and you pay ‘by the pound.’ The price per pound is usually $1.50, but on Friday it’s lowered in order to move the merchandise faster. Also in the same location, Boston Costume can dress you like your favorite super heroes, sports mascots, literary characters and historical fi…
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Louis Boston
If you want to shop here, you should learn to say it right. Not like the French, not like the English, but like the Bostonians. That’s ‘Loooeeez’. This four-story town house occupies the entire block between Newbury and Boylston Sts. As such, there is plenty of room inside for ultra-trendy (and pricey) clothing and cool, contemporary house wares. The 1st floor has gift ideas like gourmet foods, fancy bath accessories, nostalgic books and sweet pet gear. Upstairs, you’ll find the fashion: Louis caters disproportionately to the male of the species, but somebody’s got to. Note that at the time of writing, Louis Boston was searching for a new location. Check the website for u…
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New Balance Factory Store
The New Balance Factory Store sells the most comfortable, supportive running shoes at discounted prices. Runners rejoice over these shoes, but regular people wear them too. This warehouse of a place also carries factory seconds and overruns of fleece jackets and synthetic clothing made by New Balance. You may have to search for your size, but you can easily save 25% to 50% off any given item. Look for the automatic 20% reduction when you trade in an old pair of sneakers of any brand. This place is not so easy to get to: take bus 64 from Central Sq (about 20 minutes).
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Filene’s Basement
The granddaddy of bargain stores is Filene’s Basement. Originally, Filene’s sold its overstocked and irregular items in the basement of the flagship store. Shoppers would flock from miles around for a chance to browse the merchandise at deeply discounted rates. The store became so popular that Filene’s Basement started opening outlets in malls around metropolitan Boston and up and down the East Coast. But this is the original, right here on Washington St, in the basement of the original Filene’s building (even if Filene’s is no longer here).
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Niketown
Covering some 9000 sq ft, this palatial footwear emporium is more of a destination than a store. Gone are the days when the shoe salesperson disappears into the backroom to look for your size. Here, they plug the numbers into the computer, and your shoe arrives via shoe-tube. While Niketown is a sight to see, you'll pay top dollar for your sneakers here, so there is no point in buying unless you have your heart set on Nike's newest styles. It's worth stopping by around Patriot's Day to check out the tribute to the Boston Marathon.
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Oak
What’s awesome about Oak is that all the stuff they have for sale – from clothing to jewelry to handbags to smelly soaps to greeting cards – is handmade. The shop works with local artisans on consignment, and the range of cute and clever stuff is mind-boggling. It’s a perfect spot to shop for a gift, as the items are unique and sometimes even useful. Who doesn’t need a hand-knit iPod case? Or Lego cufflinks? Or floral undies made out of repurposed fabrics?
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South End Formaggio
Weave your way through this tiny store – past the shelves piled high with dry goods, past the eclectic selection of wines. Way in the back, you’ll find what you’re looking for: the cheese. The smallish case is virtually overflowing with artisanal cheeses: hard cheeses, soft cheeses, pungent cheeses, mild cheeses, spreadable cheeses, shredded cheeses. To really get to know your cheeses, join the cheesemongers for a Sunday-night wine and cheese pairing (per person $35).
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Salumeria Italiana
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; boxes of pasta; jars of sauce: this little store is the archetype of North End specialty shops. Shopping tip: inquire about the Rubio aged balsamic vinegar made exclusively for the Salumeria Italiana by an artisan in Modena, Italy. Made from Trebbiano grapes and aged in oak barrels, this is the secret ingredient of many North End chefs.
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South End Open Market
Part flea market and part artists’ market, this weekly outdoor event is a fabulous opportunity for strolling, shopping and people-watching. Over 100 vendors set up shop under white tents. It’s never the same two weeks in a row, but there’s always plenty of arts and crafts, as well as edgier art, vintage clothing, jewelry, local farm produce and homemade sweets. For antiques, go directly to the SoWa Antiques Market inside the old trolley barn.
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Pigeon Cove Lobster Co
If your lodging includes kitchen facilities, consider the ultimate New England culinary experience: buying your lobsters live and boiling them yourself. Head to Pigeon Cove for live lobsters straight from the trap and piping-hot, award-winning clam chowder. This is where the fishers are unloading their daily catch from their boats and – if you wish – into your pot. You can expect to pay $6 to $8 per pound for hard-shell lobsters, and slightly less for soft-shell.
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City Sports
City Sports is second only to the Red Sox when it comes to T-shirts spotted around Boston. This local chain was founded in 1983 by ‘a couple of local joes’ who didn’t have anywhere to buy sporting goods. Now City Sports is up and down the East Coast (including five in Boston and Cambridge), selling sports apparel and footwear, with a limited selection of equipment. And with that ubiquitous City Sports T-shirt, they don’t even need to advertise.
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Calamus Bookstore
Calamus (aka Kalamos) – son of the Greek river god Maiandros – was transformed with grief into a reed when his lover drowned. The character (and the namesake plant) inspired Walt Whitman’s Calamus Poems, which celebrates gay love. And now, he has inspired Boston’s biggest and best GLBT bookstore. With a full calendar of author talks and art exhibitions, as well as a regular electronic newsletter, Calamus is not only a bookstore but also a community center.
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Lorem Ipsum
Thanks to fancy inventory-tracing software developed in-house, you can browse Lorem Ipsum's extensive catalogue online. But why would you want to, if you can go to the brick and mortar bookstore and browse the old-fashioned way? Floor-to-ceiling shelves, hardwood floors and lots and lots of books. Anyone with voyeuristic tendencies should visit the restroom to peruse the collection of personal notes, things to do and shopping lists garnered from the used books.
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Made in Fort Point
Since 1978, dozens and dozens of artists have lived and worked in Fort Point in a refurbished big-windowed warehouse from the turn of the 20th century. Several times a year, Fort Point hosts hugely popular open-studio events that allow you to see the artists’ living-working spaces as they display and sell their creations. At other times, you can pop into the gallery or the new FPAC store, Made in Fort Point, which is around the corner.
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Schoenhof’s Foreign Books
Since 1856, Schoenhof’s has been providing Boston’s foreign-language-speaking literati with reading material. Special booklists keep regulars abreast of new arrivals in their language of choice, whether it’s scholarly or literary works, language instruction materials or children’s books. If you are wondering which languages and dialects are available, the official count is over 700, so Schoenhof’s probably has you covered.
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Cheng Kwong Market
A partner of Super 88, the leading Asian supermarket chain in Boston, Cheng Kwong specializes in exotic vegetables, tropical fruits and live seafood. Founded by a Vietnamese immigrant, Super 88 stores are successful because they appeal not only to Asian customers but also to Boston’s diverse, food-loving population. In fact, customers are urged to ask for advice and information from the Customer Service desk. What is this funny-shaped fruit, anyway?
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Bostonian Society Museum Shop
Run by the Boston Historical Society, the museum shop carries a good selection of souvenirs with an Americana theme: woven throws featuring flags, eagles and other all-American goodness; presidential prints; reproductions of Paul Revere’s depiction of the Boston Massacre; patriotic themed coffee mugs, etc. The cleverest souvenirs are in the food aisle: Boston Harbor Tea, Stars & Stripes pasta and other treats to enliven your next July 4th cook out.
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Pixie Stix
This sweet boutique caters to ‘tweens’ – that awkward age between kid and teenager – and does so with cuteness and coolness, if that’s possible. The fun fashions at Pixie Stix will appeal to mother and daughter with bright colors, bold patterns and preppy styles. By the way, moms, you will also find some adult sizes here, so don’t be surprised if you find something you want to keep for yourself!
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Eastern Mountain Sports
EMS is all over the East Coast, but it started right here in Boston, when a couple of rock climbers started selling the equipment they couldn’t buy elsewhere. Now this tree-hugger retailer sells not only rock-climbing equipment, but also camping gear, kayaks, snowboards and all the special apparel you need to engage in the aforementioned activities. Additional stores are in Harvard Sq and on Commonwealth Ave near Boston University (BU).
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London Harness Company
The history of the London Harness Company goes back to 1776, when local saddlemaker Zachariah Hicks joined forces with WW Winship, a well-established trunkmaker. This historic partnership claimed Ben Franklin as a customer, and today the London Harness Company is the country’s oldest luggage retailer (you can’t buy saddles here anymore). Look for high-quality leather and classic styles in handbags, briefcases and suitcases.
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Life Is Good
Life is good for this locally designed brand of T-shirts, backpacks and other gear. Styles depict the fun-loving stick figure Jake engaged in guitar-playing, dog-walking, coffee-drinking, mountain climbing and just about every other good-vibe diversion you might enjoy. Jake's activity and message vary, but his 'life-is-good' theme is constant. Check out the sister store, Everything's Jake, in the Garage, 36 JFK St in Harvard Square.
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In Your Ear
In an out-of-the-way spot on the edge of the square, this underground (literally) record shop is everything it should be. Crammed with LPs and 45s, there’s also a huge selection of CDs, DVDs and even eight-tracks. The albums on the wall will catch your eye, but they are expensive; look down below for unbelievable bargains. The original ‘Mothership’ store is on Commonwealth Ave in Brighton, near the Paradise Rock Club.
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Tayrona
Tayrona is named for an ancient indigenous culture that inhabited the mountains of Colombia. But the items that Tayrona carries are by no means limited to South American–influenced styles. The jewelry runs the gamut from clunky costume jewels to more delicate gold and silver. Beaded handbags, batik scarves and handcrafted gift items reflect an exotic, international but thoroughly sophisticated style. Prices are surprisingly reasonable.
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On Centre
The folks at this little gift boutique ‘On Centre’ are dedicated to making sure that you have the perfect gift to give that special someone who is so hard to buy for. The jewelry is inexpensive and highly original. But if your person is not into origami earrings, never fear, there are funky reusable shopping bags, supersoft baby blankets and clothes, as well as cool, colorful glassware, rugs and other stuff for the home.
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