7 Best Places to Shop in Washington, USA

If your life is missing a punching-nun puppet, an Edgar Allen Poe action figure, or a bacon-scented air freshener, there's hope. Leave your cares and woes at the door and step into a warehouse of the weird and wonderful. It's nearly impossible to feel bad while perusing stacks of armadillo handbags, demon rubber duckies, handerpants (don't ask), and homicidal unicorn play sets. Grab a cat-in-a-can to keep you company or leave with a dramatic chipmunk oil painting. You'll feel better. Trust us.

Housed in what used to be a 75-year-old five-and-dime store, this distinctive gallery has fine ceramics, textiles, and exquisite crafts by Japanese and Northwest artists; you can also see artifacts from the old store, a part of the original Nihonmachi (Japantown). Items range from something as simple as incense from Kyoto to an enormous painted antique chest. Clothes, books, and gift options abound, all with ties to Japan or the local Japanese community.

Located in a renovated warehouse along the Columbia River, this market offers specialty food products, fresh produce from nearby farms, artisanal cheeses, seafood, coffee, gelato, and charcuterie, as well as a few restaurants and gift shops. It's been likened to an eastern Washington version of the much larger and older Pike Place Market in Seattle.

Whether you need to bring home an ironic "West Seattle Island" shirt or vintage-style Pacific Northwest hoodie, this cute neighborhood gift shop and boutique has one-of-a-kind clothes to help you remember your visit to Seattle. The rest of the shop is filled with stylish gifts for kids and adults, plenty of cards, and fun locally made products such as bath salts, candles, mugs, and more.

Outside of San Francisco, Seattle has the largest Hawaiian population on the mainland. Hawaii General Store is a great resource for both those expats and anyone who loves Hawaii (and who doesn't?). With food, music, art, bath products, luau party supplies, and jewelry from the islands, the store is a warm little respite from Seattle's rainy winters.

This dual-purpose shop is a gem for visitors. It doubles as a charming boutique—stocked with locally made women’s fashion, jewelry, and gifts—and a shipping store, so you can browse for souvenirs and send them home in one stop (or get a little shopping in while mailing treasures you picked up elsewhere).

Venue is the chic version of the Made In Washington stores. You won't find the usual souvenirs here, only goods made by local artists (some of whom have their studios in the sleek bilevel space). Watch the designers at work, chat with the staff (most are artists taking shifts), or just browse through artisanal chocolates, custom handbags, handmade soaps, baby wear, and colorful prints and mosaics.