SHOPPING DESTINATIONS
1. Brimfield, MA
May, Jul, Sep •
www.brimfieldshows.com
Whether you’re seeking Art Deco jewelry or furniture crafted in Salem in the 1790s, Brimfield is the place to look. Antiques hunters from around the world converge on this small town for its three annual antiques shows in May, July, and September.
Brimfield antiques flea market
2. League of New Hampshire Craftsmen Fair, NH
Mount Sunapee Resort, Newbury, NH • Early Aug • Adm •
www.nhcrafts.org
Established in 1933, the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen Fair is the oldest craft fair in the US. More than 200 juried members of the League offer their work, including jewelry, fine furniture, pottery, glass blowing, and weaving.
3. Woodbury, CT
www.antiqueswoodbury.com
Dealers in fine US and British antiques set up shop here around half a century ago. They’ve since been joined by dealers in import porcelain, Oriental rugs, and whatever is giving New York interior decorators shivers this season.
4. Shoppes at Buckland Hills, Manchester, CT
194 Buckland Hills Dr •
www.theshoppesatbucklandhills.com
Central Connecticut’s largest shopping area, this features virtually every big-box national chain store, including discount electronics, decor, and home goods dealers like the Christmas Tree Shop.
5. Providence Place, Providence, RI
One Providence Pl •
www.providenceplace.com
This mega-mall in downtown Providence has captured most of the retail activity in Rhode Island’s capital. Stores occupy three levels, with entertainment and a food court above the shops.
6. Freeport, ME
www.freeportusa.com
Outdoors outfitter L. L. Bean set the tone here when it opened in 1911. Freeport has since blossomed as a world-famous shopper’s paradise; more than 170 shops offer the biggest and best name brands in American merchandising – often at substantial discounts.
The L. L. Bean store in Freeport
7. Manchester, VT
www.manchesterdesigneroutlets.com
Three dozen or so designer outlets with top fashion names like Armani, Tse, and Michael Kors, and home decor ranging from silver tableware to hand-woven Tibetan rugs, make Manchester, Vermont, a mecca for picking up upscale bargains.
8. Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA
www.harvardsquare.com
America’s most literary city is home to two comprehensive bookstores, one of which prints out-of-print titles on demand. Also around Harvard Square are specialists in used books, poetry, foreign and Marxist literature, and comic books.
Searching for books, Harvard Square
9. Weston, VT
General stores face each other across the main street in this picturesque village. The warren of rooms in the Vermont Country Store contains all kinds of clever gadgets, outdoors apparel, cooking utensils, and an excellent selection of New England foods.
10. Wellfleet Flea Market & Drive-In, Wellfleet, MA
Rte 6 • Apr–Oct • Adm •
www.wellfleetcinemas.com/flea-market
More than 200 vendors offer a mixture of trash and treasures, including the occasional antique, in the wide-open spaces of a drive-in theater near the end of Cape Cod.
TOP 10 SOUVENIRS
1. Vermont Snow Globe
Capture winter permanently to set on your knickknack shelf.
2. Tom Brady Bobblehead Doll
The quarterback of the New England Patriots football team is gridiron hero to some, matinee idol to others.
3. Black Dog T-shirt
A black labrador T-shirt says “Martha’s Vineyard” to anyone who has ever visited the Black Dog restaurant there.
4. Red Sox Baseball Cap
Show your loyalty in the epic rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees.
Red Sox baseball cap
5. Lobster Keychain
The bright crimson of New England’s quintessential crustacean makes your keys easier to spot.
6. Pine-Scented Pillow
Mainers have been selling these fragrant headrests to tourists since steamships first started running in the 1830s.
7. “This Car Climbed Mount Washington” Bumper Sticker
People will regard your old clunker with new respect.
8. Nantucket Lightship Basket
True folk art commands high prices for basket-purses with fashion cachet.
9. Woody Jackson “Holy Cow” Art
Jackson’s cow-themed art has cornered the market on the iconic black-and-white Vermont cows, with prints, cards, calendars, collectibles, and T-shirts.
10. Maine Tourmaline Jewelry
The most famous Western Maine tourmalines are “watermelon” stones with pink centers and green edges.
