2 Best Places to Shop in Boston Outskirts, Boston

Since 1961 this independent bookseller has anchored Harvard Street and enriched the Coolidge Corner community with poetry readings, book clubs, and author talks. Browse the well-edited selection of bestsellers, hardcovers, and paperbacks, as well as an expansive gift area packed with cards and fun items that range from cutting boards and tea towels to leather notebooks and printed scarves. The well-read booksellers can always offer great suggestions.  Head downstairs for thousands of used books.

This is the sort of shop every neighborhood should have—a warm, welcoming space filled with beautifully crafted, locally sourced products. Bamboo pet brushes share room with handwoven French market baskets, fruit and flower cocktail syrups, vintage fabric neckties, notebooks, and fragrances from a Boston-area perfumer who uses only botanicals (no synthetics!) to create her scents. It's hard to walk out empty-handed.