10 Best Places to Shop in The North Carolina Coast, North Carolina

Fine American crafts and fine art represented by regional and national artists of every genre are the focus at this art gallery and gift shop. You can find blown glass, pottery, jewelry, wood carvings, and all manner of paintings and prints.

Once the headquarters for the largest cotton exporter in the world, this historic warehouse complex now comprises a dense concentration of locally owned boutiques and restaurants—nearly 30 of them—in a rambling maze of courtyards and hallways. Clothing and footwear, arts and crafts, gourmet food supplies, books, and comics are all here. While you're here, check out the Wilmington Walk of Fame honoring local celebrities like David Brinkley, Michael Jordan, Charlie Daniels, Roman Gabriel, and nearly a dozen more.

With strong local support, this enduring mainstay has survived hurricane flooding to stock an admirable collection of literature on the Outer Banks, cuisine, history, nature, lighthouses, shipwrecks, and folklore, as well as related fiction. Local author readings are frequent.

If you're intoxicated by the smell of well-worn books, you'll be addicted as soon as you step inside this store. Among its thousands of treasures are rare paperbacks, gently used cookbooks, and recent novels. Grab a coffee or a local beer from the small bar while you peruse the largest collection of African American literature in town and a huge selection of Judaica, plus theater books and movie and film scripts. The shop hosts events, such as a book club and literary walks.