43 Best Shopping in Boston, Massachusetts

Stepping into this cozy secondhand boutique feels like you could be in the salon of a very wealthy couple, who just happen to be unloading their cache of designer clothes and housewares. Jade satin flats, beaded Armani tops, and vintage dresses and jewelry—all at a fraction of their original cost—are the sorts of treats you'll find sharing space with menswear, books, and silver-plated serving dishes. All proceeds go to the AIDS Action group. There are also branches in Cambridge and Jamaica Plain.

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.

It's easy to be drawn into the rare and wonderful books on display here. The airy space is filled with tomes on photography and architecture, out-of-print art books, monographs, and exhibition catalogs. Since 1976, it has been a source for scholars, collectors, and artists. All periods and all fields of art history are covered here, from antiquity to the present.

Inside the Prudential Center this large branch of the popular bookseller chain carries a diverse selection of hardcovers and paperbacks, American and international magazines, music, and small gifts, like soap and candles.

Tucked inside Copley Place, Boston's denizens scope the lofty, two-story space to load up on cutting-edge lines like Comme des Garçons and Nina Ricci. Men and kid needs are covered too, as well as your yen for beauty products and funky home goods.

This small, personal store showcases well-made, comfortable lines that cater to women who cannot walk into a fitted size-4 suit—in other words, most of the female population. The designers found here, such as Nicole Miller, Autumn Cashmere, and Cambio, are fashionable yet realistic.

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.

Founded in 1818, Brooks still carries in its nationwide shops the classically modern styles that made it famous—old faithfuls for men such as navy blazers, summertime seersucker, and crisp oxford shirts and similar styles for women and kids (4–16 years). Its Newbury Street store offers the hipper Fleece collection with both a bright affordable line and a high-end designer line aimed to appeal to less conservative shoppers. There's another location at 75 State Street.

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.

An indoor shopping mall in the Back Bay, Copley Place includes such high-end shops as Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton. It is anchored by the pricey but dependable Neiman Marcus and offers a few dining options, such as Legal Sea Foods and Caffè Nero.

After more than a century, this nonprofit membership organization continues to present the works of well-known and aspiring New England artists, as well as out-of-town and foreign members. Styles of artists range from traditional and academic realists to contemporary and abstract painters, photographers, and sculptors. Each year, the gallery hosts between 15 and 20 exhibitions.

When you want your tot to stand out sartorially, head to this globally sourced boutique packed with a thoughtfully curated selection of clothes; you'll also find toys and crafts, as well as a playroom in the back of the store. CouCou has also started carrying women's collections.

This boho-chic boutique brims with cotton T-shirts, floral dresses, and vintage-inspired jewelry, along with whimsical gift items, like handmade keepsake boxes filled with colorful images and antique baubles.

While the boots you usually see in Boston are made to tackle the snow, this new outpost for boots is kicking that notion to the curb. With sizes ranging from tiny tots to adults, they offer the best in hand-crafted leather Western boots, booties, and bold strappy sandals.

Specializing in contemporary paintings since 1977, primarily oil, watercolor, acrylic, and mixed media, this striking gallery in the neo-Gothic stone Church of the Covenant also displays sculpture, and furniture beyond your everyday tables and chairs.

Enchanting homemade gifts from a rotating group of more than 60 artists (including the owner, Marie Corcoran) fill this dreamy boutique. Scoop up dainty charm and gemstone pendants, vegan handbags, men's handpainted ties, or a cute caterpillar wooden wall clock for that special little one in your life. This store has something for everyone, including you.

Jill Goldberg offers full-scale, in-home design services, but you can also pick up custom furniture and cool home goods, such as decorative throw pillows, marbleized pottery bowls, rugs, and luscious-smelling candles, at the store.

Many male and female clubgoers have at least one pair of these oh-so-hip shoes in their closets, perhaps because of the company's claim that their Angel soles repel all kinds of nasty liquids "and Satan."

Founded in 1907, this national men's chain has crisp suits, dress shirts, and leather shoes for the conservatively well-dressed male everywhere. And gents, should you need a tuxedo at the last minute, rest assured: the store rents them.

Trendsetters go wild for Kate's colorful and classically whimsical dresses, as well as her handbags, shoes, PJs, accessories, and travel and cosmetics cases.

Dutch design with contemporary panache pervades the neighborhood's coolest furniture and home goods store. This is a great place to pick up a sleek dining set, the perfect accent table, some funky china, or a statement pendant light.

If there's a style trend out there, this small women-led, minority-owned shop sells it. Full of flirty frocks from the likes of Free People, For Love & Lemons, and Blank NYC, along with accessories like jewelry, hair clips, and bags, the packed racks of fun pieces can add confidence to chic shoppers' closets.

Somewhat overstuffed with merchandise for men, women, children, and infants, this Boston branch of the popular national chain stocks classic clothing by such designers as Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren, along with accessories, cosmetics, and jewelry.

Inspired by the temperature-regulating materials used for NASA's astronaut clothes, three MIT students started this men's and women's clothing store that features stretchy, moisture-wicking, wrinkle-free, machine-washable slacks, shirts, blouses, blazers, and jackets designed by a former Theory designer (think clean and elegant). Interested in creating a bespoke blazer on-site? The store's 3-D print knitting machine can finish a garment in about two hours.

Set in the dynamic SOWA (South of Washington Street) district, this 10,000-square-foot showroom dishes forth an exotic visual feast: cabinets, tables, chairs, and lamps from Thailand, India, China, and Indonesia, along with contemporary and antique Oriental rugs and silver and gem jewelry. The undecided can ponder what to buy over a breakfast sandwich or lunch salad in the store's café.

At its Back Bay location, the flashy Texas-based retailer jokingly referred to by some as "Needless Markup" has three levels of swank designers and a jaw-dropping shoe section, as well as cosmetics and housewares.