112 Best Places to Shop in Boston, Massachusetts

This Charles Street town house lined with shelves across four levels is stuffed full of books of every genre, but you won't find a speck of dust in sight. Instead, the place has an art deco--library feel with brass lights, a spiral staircase, cushioned window seats, and a whole heck of a lot of customers. Yes, expect to deal with a crowd, but don't let that stop you from browsing the latest publications or grabbing a coffee and sitting awhile in the hidden rear courtyard.

Walking into this store is like entering a sanctum built floor to ceiling of everything chocolate. A front-facing display case is lined with hundreds of local and European artisanal chocolates and truffles that you can buy by the piece or the pound. There are also seasonal chocolate treats, specialty and gourmet bars, bagged candy, and unique gift boxes. This shop even carries a few select flavors of gelato.

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 and handmade jewelry. There’s also live music, cooking demonstrations, trivia games, creative-writing nights, music bingo, and more. 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 pocket change. It's the shop with the oversized pencil above the door.

Born in Boston, Brave Daughters designs stacking rings and layering necklaces made of precious metals, which are sold alongside jewelry offerings from female artisans and brands. Check out—read, make an appointment for—the forever jewelry: bracelets, anklets, and chains that are permanently welded on your person.

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 awesome little gourmet shop has been around for 75 years, and you'll be hard-pressed to keep your sweet tooth in check when you step inside. A major feature is the wall of international chocolate products, but there are also house-made foods, a deli counter, and specialty foodstuffs like teas, salami, jams, and crackers. It's a great place to shop for picnic supplies, hotel room snacks, or gifts to bring home.

This beautiful little space at the end of historic Pier 4 features a highly curated selection of fiction, poetry, biography, art, and local interest books, as well as vinyl records. It's an outpost of the OG bookstore in the East End of Provincetown, Massachusetts.

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, teas, and more.

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 teeny boutique fits right in on Charles Street—or does it? While it speaks to the eclectic nature of the neighborhood's residents, and is truly a one-of-a-kind destination in staunch Yankee Boston, Helen's Leather really requires that you channel your inner Western spirit. This family-owned boutique has been specializing in cowboy gear since 1969, including hand-tooled leather boots, sandals, jackets, bags, and other accessories from top-quality brands, including Lucchese, Dan Post, Frye, and Old Gringo.

Located in the lobby level of the Institute of Contemporary Art, this gift shop is a must for lovers of books, sketchbooks, pottery, jewelry, fun and formal artwork, and things you'd otherwise never think about but totally need to have.

A throwback to another era, this storied museumlike 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.

True to its name, this Chinatown-based store is tons of fun! The top-quality, collectible products sold all embrace a sense of whimsy, from pop-culture figurines to stationery and creative building toys to gift items from the Palace Museum in Beijing. You can walk through this emporium multiple times and see new things at every turn.

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.

While not completely hidden away, it's not terribly easy to stumble upon The Superette, a collection of high-end, niche retailers all centered around an open-air courtyard. Options include jewelry at Brave Daughters, yoga-inspired sportswear at Alo, personalized fragrances at Le Labo, and jeans at Injeanius. There are a few fast-casual places to eat, too, so you can spend a few hours shopping and snacking.

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.

If you've shopped Charles Street in the last 45 years, you'll recognize this long-standing home decor and gift store. Visitors delight in browsing a massive array of gadgets for the kitchen and cookbooks, Boston-themed books and greeting cards, baby items, towels and pillows, and what we'd call elegant souvenirs.

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 sabers—and the tiny display table transforms to intimate wine tastings with food pairings, wine bingo nights on the last Thursday of the month, and wine trivia nights.

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.

Once an Army storehouse, this building is now a hub of innovation and entrepreneurship that's home to the Boston Design Center, the award-winning Chickadee restaurant, numerous other dining spots, home furnishing and decor shops, and the Reebok headquarters store. It's at the far reaches of the Seaport District, but it's easy to get to on the Silver Line.

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.

Off the beaten track, this antiques hot spot has a selection bordering on overwhelming: five jam-packed 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.

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 handcrafted notions that greet you inside the front door, then stroll downstairs for wearable art in the form of scarves, purses, and more.

This recently redone but basic two-story mall boasts more than 120 stores, a food court, and sit-down restaurants, but has big changes in the works. As part of an ongoing redevelopment, CanalSide, a new food hall experience opened in late 2024, along with 2 million square feet of future life science, retail, office, residential, and hotel spaces. The mall is a big draw for local high-school kids and an easy walk from the Museum of Science.

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.