76 Best Places to Shop in USA

Shipping-container-like buildings line a busy stretch of Seaport Boulevard, each housing pop-up shops by local entrepreneurs looking to get their retail ventures off the ground. Container residents change with the season, but may include sweets shops, consignment, jewelry, men's fashions, parfumiers, and more.

Spanning 18,000 square feet, this farmers market has homemade baked goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, plus butter churns and ceramic speckle ware made by the local Mennonites. Don't be surprised to see locals trotting by in their horse-and-buggy. It's a good place to mingle with the craftspeople, as well as with students from James Madison University in nearby Harrisonburg. It's open Thursday through Saturday from 9 to 6.

Developed in 1989 by Del Mar residents Ivan Gayler and David Winkler, this plaza is worth a side trip if you're visiting the racetrack. Along with its collection of high-end shops, the tiered plaza contains outstanding restaurants and fountain courtyards with Pacific views. Some businesses validate parking, which is underground.

six-block brick pedestrian mall houses specialty stores, cinemas, art galleries, restaurants, and coffeehouses in restored 19th- and early-20th-century buildings.

The main shopping area in downtown Waynesville stretches several long blocks along Main Street, with a number of small boutiques, bookstores, antiques shops, restaurants, brewpubs, and a bakery. Side streets in this charming small town also offer shopping and dining. A few blocks away, Frog Level is an up-and-coming small dining and entertainment section in a former industrial area.

A peek at the intently focused cigar rollers through the windows doesn't prepare you for the rich, pungent scent that jolts your senses as you step inside the store. Millions of stogies are deftly hand-rolled at this family-owned cigar factory and retail store each year. Visitors are welcome to watch the rolling action (and, of course, buy some cigars).

If you schedule your visit to Winter Park for a Saturday morning, you can begin your day at the weekly farmers' market, which takes place from 7 am to 1 pm at the city's old train depot, just two blocks west of Park Avenue. It's a bustling, vibrant market with vendors selling farm-fresh produce, dazzling flowers, and prepared foods. Pick up locally harvested honey, locally made cheese, and freshly baked croissants.

Supporting the Waimea Arts Council, this gallery presents annual juried shows of local art as well as solo and group exhibitions by its many award-winning multimedia artists and artisans. It's in Waimea's original firehouse building at the intersection of Lindsey Road and Mamalahoa Highway. Always call to check before visiting, as the gallery is staffed by volunteers and hours aren't always regular.

Located at the crossroads of Kiawah and Seabrook islands, this shopping area includes a variety of homegrown stores. There are French and Italian restaurants, an ice-cream shop, a sports outfitter, and stores selling upscale apparel. More than just a shopping destination, Freshfields has become a major social center, offering everything from wine and beer tastings to movies and concerts on the green.

A two-block side street off the beachfront S. Virginia Dare Trail road, now known officially as Gallery Row, is home to several local artist studios and retail displays, including the Glenn Eure Ghost Fleet Gallery and the SeaGreen Gallery, where works are created from driftwood, buoys, and other reclaimed maritime items. There's plenty of parking on this quiet residential street, meaning you can easily walk from gallery to gallery.

You can buy items such as a vase or sailboat sculpture made of granite in the self-serve shop in one of the small buildings at this old granite quarry. If you blow the horn, as advised, owner Obadiah Bourne Buell may appear. Also here is his business, Stone Designs Inc., which makes practical and sculptural granite pieces for gardens and homes, "upcycling" the blocks of granite that are all about. Buell grew up and lives on this ethereal land, where rain long ago filled the old quarries. He has created a large year-round public garden (free, donations welcome) with granite sculptures large and small; granite benches, tables, firepit, and pizza oven; and trails, flower beds, and charming signage (even when asking folks to stay back from the work area). Ping-Pong, anyone? Yes, the table is granite, and paddles and balls are provided.

More than 50 local vendors and artisans take over a stretch of the Greenway every Saturday and Sunday from May through October. Peruse wares from tent to tent, including hats, jewelry, wall art, and more, all made in Boston.

This gallery features impressionist images by the award-winning Montanan artist, and lifelong resident, Harry Koyama. He uses a palette knife and bold colors, and his subjects include horses, wildlife, Native Americans, and dramatic landscapes. You can call to see if you can visit by appointment on the weekend.

More than 100 makers and artisans come together during the winter holidays for this open-air market. Visitors can sample foods from local food trucks and dessert vendors, or get a warm or alcoholic beverage at four bars. Stop for a selfie, have a hot chocolate, and enjoy the twinkling string lights.

Among L.A.’s many farmers' markets, the Hollywood Farmers' Market is one of the most well-known. This family-friendly, open-air market, which has been around for more than 34 years, is also the city’s largest with more than 160 local producers and farmers touting their seasonal yields every Sunday. Start your day right and stop by to shop organic, locally grown produce, see live music, and sample some delicious California fare.

In this 1928 landmark building decorated with polychrome terra-cotta tiles, about 100 artisans show and sell their crafts.

With a county-fair atmosphere and proceeds benefiting La Jolla Elementary, this large market features not only fresh produce and flowers, but also paintings from local artists, handmade clothing and jewelry, and a tempting food court serving everything from crepes and tacos to gyros and roasted corn on the cob. The market is open Sunday 9–1 pm.

Every day till midnight, all manner of M&M's merchandise is sold here—a slot machine that dispenses M&M's jackpots is a best seller—and the popular candy may be purchased by the pound. Four air-conditioned levels of colorful, milk-chocolate goodies attract crowds of families with children (and strollers). Those who use the personalized printing machine can create and print custom messages on M&M's, or select from 14 Las Vegas images (the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign or a deck of cards).  

Melrose Avenue might be Los Angeles’s most well-known vintage shopping destination, but Burbank’s Magnolia Park Merchants shopping district gives it a run for its money. Spanning several blocks on Magnolia Boulevard with some stores on scattered side streets, this revitalized area of independent boutiques, self-care purveyors, cafés, and eateries has a small-town feel and easy parking that Melrose lacks. It's heavy on well-stocked vintage, thrift, and antiques shops—Junk For Joy, Best of Times Antiques, Studio Hope, The Holding Company, Chance Vintage, Yes Baby! (which has a secret arcade in back), The Blue Pig, Hive & Hanger (owned by a beekeeper out to educate the public), and Playclothes Vintage.

But there's also an occult apothecary (The Crooked Path), vinyl vendor (Run Out Groove Records), a sourdough bakery (Random Acts of Breadness), a collection of comic books and pop culture collectables (Blast From The Past), jewelers (Stay Home Friend), a horror and paranormal museum/oddities gift shop/bookstore/goth clothing boutique (The Mystic Museum), a throwback video store that holds screenings (Be Kind Video), and a plant nursery (Tansy). There's even a vintage and makers' mall with a cat-themed section and adoptable kittens in the window (Catnip Coalition).

Serious collector or casual art lover, you'll be mesmerized by the luminous maritime paintings exhibited within the 1772 Stephen DuBois House. Works by contemporary masters are strongly represented. Don't leave without making a voyage downstairs to the Constellation Room, a gallery space paneled in solid oak and modeled after the USS Constellation.

Smaller than its original location, the quality of work is not compromised in the three large, open gallery spaces that exhibit contemporary work from regional, national, and international artists.

An eclectic mix of vendors and artists set up shop at this Sunday outdoor market offering fine art, jewelry, and clothing with an island vibe.

With 14 galleries and additional studio space spread across three warehouses, this is the heart of Dogpatch's artist community and one of the city's leading nonmuseum visual-art destinations. Most galleries are open to the public several days a week and feature compelling contemporary art exhibitions—with some being more traditional and others more on the edgy/abstract end of the creativity spectrum.

This quaint, nonprofit art space is located in the always evolving Met Atlanta, a 100-year-old gem that’s home to creatives and revolving food pop-ups. MINT hosts monthly, ever-changing exhibits, full of local and non-local artists alike who work in mediums from experimental to interactive and more. MINT’s goals are for people to truly engage with art and to draw attention to new and emerging talent. As the first W.A.G.E.-certified organization in Georgia, the gallery focuses on regulating the payment of artist fees by nonprofit art institutions. The gallery is open from noon to 5 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and by appointment when exhibits are on display.

Established by the late arts entrepreneur John Cram in 1972, New Morning Gallery has more than 13,000 square feet of exhibit space in a prime location in Biltmore Village. The gallery, which has a national reputation, focuses on more popular and moderately priced ceramics, garden art, jewelry, furniture, and art glass.

San Diego's largest weekend artisan market presents live music and local artists selling jewelry, paintings, photography, handblown glass, apparel, pottery, and decorative items. The market kicks off at 9 am, so plan to arrive early to snag your goodies before it gets crowded. Getting there is easy—the San Diego Trolley's Old Town stop is two blocks north of the market.

Neat, clean, and well run, this complex housing more than 100 covered fruit, vegetable, pastry, and craft stalls sits at the north edge of downtown. You'll find all sorts of oddities such as ostrich eggs, button magnets, and glass sculptures. With several tiny international eateries tucked in between the vendors, it's also a terrific place to grab a bite and then walk over to the waterfront. During high season (April to October), it's open Thursday through Sunday; the rest of the year, the market is open one or two days a week.

Opry Mills is the be-all end-all of malls in Tennessee. In fact, it’s so gigantic that it has its own exit off of Briley Parkway. There are more than 200 stores inside, both outlet and retail, covering every corner of the shopping landscape: shoes, clothes, sporting goods, hunting gear, handbags, and multiple vendors who sell nothing but cowboy boots. And the brands cover just as wide a spectrum, from Coach to rue21. The layout is a huge oval, so there are no shortcuts as you make a full lap around this hall of commerce. When you’ve reached your shopping limit, catch a movie at the Regal Opry Mills IMAX & RPX and enjoy a bottle of Nashville craft beer. For food, Chuy’s Mexican Food is the best pick for both flavor and value, and Aquarium Restaurant is an excellent choice if you’re willing to shell out a little more for the dreamy experience of dining surrounded by a 200,000-gallon saltwater aquarium.

Located in Crystal Cove's Historic District, The Park Store carries fine art works by local plein air artists, as well as sea glass and ocean-themed jewelry, children's toys, snacks, and beach toys and apparel.