91 Best Places to Shop in Boston, Massachusetts

Let this store's aroma entice you to enter before it wows you with stunning display cases lined with local and European artisan chocolates that you can buy by the piece. You can also shop a vast array of gourmet chocolate bars, some bagged candy, and a few flavors of gelato. Yum!

Stepping into this cozy secondhand boutique feels like you could be in the salon of a very wealthy couple, who just happen to be unloading their cache of designer clothes and housewares. Jade satin flats, beaded Armani tops, and vintage dresses and jewelry—all at a fraction of their original cost—are the sorts of treats you'll find sharing space with menswear, books, and silver-plated serving dishes. All proceeds go to the AIDS Action group. There are also branches in Cambridge and Jamaica Plain.

Open year-round, the indoor Boston Public Market offers a great place to grab a sandwich, sample local foods, and even pick up a tasty souvenir. The New England–centric marketplace has 30 vendors, selling everything from fresh herbs and fruit to meat and seafood, as well as plenty of food stalls. Everything sold at the market is produced or originated in New England, including nonperishables like wool and carved wooden bowls. There’s also a food demonstration kitchen, where visitors might be able to catch a live cooking class (with samples). Since it's all about staying with the season, the exciting thing about visiting the BPM is that no two days are the same. The Kids’ Nook is a designated area for kids to gather and play, with activities throughout the week.

Bibliophiles can't get enough of this old-timey book store that has been in operation since 1825 and is, literally, chockablock with books floor to ceiling and stuffed into corners. The owner Ken Gloss, who regularly tours with Antiques Roadshow, fields queries from passionate book lovers about out-of-print, rare, antique, and foreign-language tomes. If you're simply in need of a read for the ride home, browse the rolling carts in Brattle's adjacent outdoor lot, where books of all genres go for $5, $3, or just $1.

Sure, we love our technology, but we still also really love paper products and that's the majority of what this cool gift store stocks. First, explore the entire section devoted to wares by Rifle Paper Co., and then pick up something for the cherished infant in your life from the edited selection of precious and expensive baby clothing. There are also artful gift items focused on the cities of Boston and Portland, Maine.

A throwback to another era, this storied museum-like tobacco shop has been in the same location since 1883, when it served as a clubby gathering spot for young Harvard men, who puffed away while playing pool on the back billiard tables. While Harvard oars, hockey sticks, and photos still adorn the ivy-green walls, the store now caters to a broader clientele in search of quality smoking items, old-fashioned straight razors and shave brushes, chess and checker sets, and small gift items, such as beer steins.

Irresistible defines this one-stop shop, brimming with an eclectic array of floral dresses and tops, wide-legged pants, letterpress greeting cards, small brand apothecary, craft cocktail supplies, global cookbooks, woven baskets, and mixed media jewelry that you never knew you needed. Owner Marian Klausner creates an inspiring award-winning selection from her global travels.

This independently owned jewelry store features custom creations, from gorgeous engagement rings to signature carved moonstone jewelry. Men's jewelry is a specialty.

What began in 1882 as a nonprofit service for students and faculty is now managed by Barnes & Noble College, a separate entity that manages college campus bookstores. Housed in the same location since 1906 and affectionately called The Coop (pronounced "coop," not "co-op"), the store sells books and textbooks (many discounted), school supplies, clothes, and accessories plastered with the Harvard emblem, as well as basic housewares geared toward dorm dwellers. If you need a public restroom, you'll find it here. And if you're looking for MIT swag, they have a location on that campus as well.

This two-story shop with windows overlooking Newbury Street is known as much for its eclectic collection of books and magazines as its all-day breakfast menu. Follow the pack and order either the lemon-ricotta-stuffed French toast or homemade corned beef hash and then settle in with a favorite read. Feel free to stay through lunch, dinner, and beyond, as the store's open until midnight daily, making it a popular spot with students. A full slate of events, from game nights to author talks, is scheduled almost daily.

This gallery specializes in paintings, drawings, watercolors, and mixed media works from contemporary American and foreign artists. It also has a fine selection of master prints and works from 20th-century American masters. The gallery exhibits emerging, mid-career, and established artists, as well as special shows of master artists such as Pablo Picasso, Fairfield Porter, Max Beckmann, and others.

Dutch luxury pen specialist Appelboom has opened its second brick and mortar location in what used to be Bromfield Pen Shop. You can find all major fountain pen brands, rollerballs, and ballpoints, as well as all types of accessories, from inks to paper goods.

It's easy to be drawn into the rare and wonderful books on display here. The airy space is filled with tomes on photography and architecture, out-of-print art books, monographs, and exhibition catalogs. Since 1976, it has been a source for scholars, collectors, and artists. All periods and all fields of art history are covered here, from antiquity to the present.

Inside the Prudential Center this large branch of the popular bookseller chain carries a diverse selection of hardcovers and paperbacks, American and international magazines, music, and small gifts, like soap and candles.

Tucked inside Copley Place, Boston's denizens scope the lofty, two-story space to load up on cutting-edge lines like Comme des Garçons and Nina Ricci. Men and kid needs are covered too, as well as your yen for beauty products and funky home goods.

This small, personal store showcases well-made, comfortable lines that cater to women who cannot walk into a fitted size-4 suit—in other words, most of the female population. The designers found here, such as Nicole Miller, Autumn Cashmere, and Cambio, are fashionable yet realistic.

If you've shopped Charles Street in the last 45 years, you'll recognize this long-standing shop, now in a much larger location. Many of the gifts, books, and greeting cards on display are made in the United States and locally focused. The back room boasts an awesome selection of spices, Swedish dish cloths, and small kitchen utensils.

Challenging the very concept of a wine shop, Bonde is more like an experience, or a place you'll "bond" with the vintages. Owner Bertil Jean-Chronberg (one of America's only master sommeliers) sells only eco-responsible wines, 95% of which are from American micromakers. His wine accessories are unique—think swordfish tusk wine stoppers custom-made for the shop and stunning champagne sabres—and the tiny display table transforms to eight-person "Wednesday Wine Tastings" with food pairings.

This flea market–style collection of dealers has been in business since 1981. The shop focuses on lamp shades (as its name indicates), plus vintage items, china, silver, home decor pieces, pillows, and jewelry.

In addition to plenty of porcelain and silver, Brodney claims to have the biggest selection of estate jewelry in New England. Shoppers will also find plenty of antiques, furniture, clocks, paintings, and more.

Tucked among dozens of art studios in the artsy SoWa (South of Washington) area, this artist-run, members-only gallery mounts monthly shows featuring contemporary art in all forms, including printmaking, video, acrylic, ink drawing, and pastels.

Founded in 1818, Brooks still carries in its nationwide shops the classically modern styles that made it famous—old faithfuls for men such as navy blazers, summertime seersucker, and crisp oxford shirts and similar styles for women and kids (4–16 years). Its Newbury Street store offers the hipper Fleece collection with both a bright affordable line and a high-end designer line aimed to appeal to less conservative shoppers. There's another location at 75 State Street.

Off the beaten track, this antiques hot spot has a selection bordering on overwhelming: five floors of goods from more than 150 dealers ranging from 19th-century furniture to vintage clothing, much of it reasonably priced. You can find everything from collectible magazines to China dolls, art work to fine silver. Head to the basement for a large selection of secondhand bikes.

Unique, handcrafted ceramics, weavings, jewelry, paper, wood, and leatherwork fill this two-level artist-owned and -operated store, with more than 200 global artists represented—more than half of whom hail from New England. Spend time perusing the glass cases of artistic hand-crafted notions that greet you inside the front door, then stroll downstairs for wearable art in the forms of scarves, purses, and more.

Cardullo's has been a local standout for gourmet global food items for the last 70 years, although it recently opened its Seaport location, a bit of a departure from its Harvard Square origins. Artisan and international wines and beer, chocolates and sweets, jams, crackers, teas and coffee, cured meats, cheese, and foodstuffs made in the New England region stock the shelves. A deli counter serves awesome sandwiches to-go.

Chanel purses, Rick Owens jackets, and Hermès bracelets have all graced this jam-packed couture-quality consignment shop, located on the second floor, which finds gently worn gems from fashion lovers across the country. Its picky choices are your gain.

This spacious 10,000-square-foot branch of the Parisian couture house (complete with custom sofas upholstered in Chanel tweed and a 20-foot-high strand of cascading glass beads) carries suits, separates, bags, shoes, cosmetics, and, of course, a divine selection of little black dresses.

The large selection of works for sale in this gallery, established in 1937, includes paintings, prints, drawings, watercolors, and sculpture from the 1500s to the present. For a special memento with more weight than a Red Sox hat, pick out a piece from the gallery's impressive collection of Boston expressionism and Boston School impressionism art.

Sneaker collectors love having what other people can't find and this store features exclusives by Nike, New Balance, Vans, Adidas, and others. Fanatics line up around the block when a limited-edition shoe debuts.

An indoor shopping mall in the Back Bay, Copley Place includes such high-end shops as Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton. It is anchored by the pricey but dependable Neiman Marcus and offers a few dining options, such as Legal Sea Foods and Caffè Nero.