15 Best Places to Shop in South Shore and Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia

Inside a former boatbuilding shop that dates to 1888, the artisans at Amos Pewter design and create pewter items using traditional methods. Jewelry, sculptures, tableware, and pewter renditions of shells and other natural objects are among the items for sale, along with a new original-design Christmas ornament each year. Interpretive displays explain the history of pewter and Amos Pewter's involvement with the "Economuseum Network," which emphasizes traditional skills. If watching the artisans at work gets your creative juices flowing, you can participate in the Hands-On Experience (C$5), and take home what you make.

Local apples are used to create a range of tasty, award-winning ciders, which you can sample on-premises or ready-bottled to take with you. 

Maritime-designed clothing, pewter, and jewelry are among the crafts sold here. The adjoining coffee shop affords one of the best photo ops in Peggy's Cove, and the renovated red schoolhouse next door is a venue for summertime theater and concerts.

Whimsical earthenware made on-site is sold here, as well as fun local crafts and folk art.

This bright and spacious store stocks crafts, ceramics, and affordable artworks from emerging Canadian artists, as well as fun and funky giftware and apparel. 

Local artisans make all the cool jewelry, knitwear, birch-bark soap, and other items sold at this downtown co-op.

Load up on liquid souvenirs here. Named for the old marine blacksmith's shop it occupies, Ironworks produces hand-distilled vodka from Annapolis Valley apples and luscious liqueurs from local berries. Tours (C$35 per two-person booking) are offered Wednesday to Sunday mid-May–early September.

On Lunenburg's gallery row, this contemporary artist-cooperative gallery represents more than a dozen artists and has been recognized by the provincial government for its contribution to local art and culture.

Leave room in your luggage for the hooked rugs, rug-hooking supplies, and hand-dyed woolens sold at this store, named after a popular rug pattern. You might see a "hooker" at work here, and classes are sometimes held.

Renowned worldwide for its distinctively designed, high-quality quilts and fashions by Nova Scotia designer Vicki Lynn Bardon, the company displays its colorful goods on two floors of a heritage building.

This fairytale-like store where flowers and herbs dry in bunches hanging from the ceiling sells jams, jellies, and vinegars made on-premises, as well as delicacies such as rose ice cream. You can tour the acres of delightful gardens and a seven-circuit flower labyrinth for C$10.  

For a gift or something to keep you warm on chilly Nova Scotian evenings, this local institution, open since 1883, has you covered. Much of the inventory consists of high-end imported items from England, Ireland, and Scotland, including duffel coats, mohair throws, cashmere shawls and sweaters, Harris tweed caps, Guernsey fisherman-knit sweaters, and tartan robes. The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever T-shirts are another local find. If you'd rather create your own garment, they also have knitting yarns.

This Saturday morning market is the perfect spot to pick up local produce and handicrafts, as well as tasty treats that you can eat out by the waterfront.