11 Best Places to Shop in Stratford-upon-Avon and the Heart of England, England

Above Shakespeare’s Birthplace, this shop stocks Moorcroft pottery, glass from different companies, and Shakespearean figurines.

This huge dual complex consists of the Bullring, built on the site of a medieval marketplace, and Grand Central, based in Birmingham New Street Station; together they offer over 200 stores, with many familiar names, at different price points. Don’t miss the stunningly curved architecture of Selfridge’s and its awesome food hall.

The best of Stratford's many secondhand and antiquarian bookshops is a great place to pick up books on British history and travel. Note that it's closed Sunday through Wednesday.

The city's historic indoor market moved to a newly built space in 2022 and created this food hub and cool hangout. You can shop for local produce during the day from dozens of stalls, and at night you can eat street food inspired by global cuisines. Besides food and drink, the market has music events worth checking out (see the website). It's closed Monday.

The delightful independent shops on Church Street, which leads off from the Cathedral green, sell everything from homemade cakes and vegan snacks to art and vintage clothing. Coffee shops and cafés along the street provide a pleasant break.

In the heart of the Jewellery Quarter, this shop sells a range of interesting silver jewelry and gifts. It also currently stocks its wares in sales outlets at Highgrove (King Charles’s private home) and royal palaces.

Run by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, the bookshop carries Elizabethan plays, Shakespeare studies, children’s books, and general paraphernalia. It's worth picking up a copy of Maggie O’ Farrell's novel Hamnet here since so much of the action takes place at the Birthplace itself.

Claimed to be the longest row of independent businesses in the United Kingdom (though locals would rather not investigate that too thoroughly), this road with mainly 16th- and 17th-century buildings is home to many tempting shops as well as cafés and bars. Standout shops include the fabulous delicatessen Appleyards (No. 85) and housewares and gift store Vinterior (No. 9), which has some vintage pieces, hence its name.

This Victorian shopping center near Snow Hill Station is a nice respite from the city’s chain stores. Built with a similar design as Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan, it’s a more elegant place to shop than most. Peruse the charming boutiques and specialist shops, and you may end up going back with a couture hat, some Scottish whisky, or even a cigar or two.

Once a Royal Mail sorting office, the Mailbox is now filled with trendy shops and designer outlets such as Harvey Nichols and Savile Row tailor Gieves & Hawkes, as well as some fine restaurants.

An entertaining and quirky treasure trove, St. Paul’s Gallery specializes in hand-signed fine-art prints of album covers, past and present. It also carries fine art, limited-edition photographs, and different kinds of prints.