Holiday Shopping in Boston

3 shopping destinations

Holiday shopping in Boston is easy and fun because the city has many areas where you can find unique gifts - unusual, one-of-a-kind items that you won't find anywhere else.  

Of course, Boston also has plenty of national brand stores where you can buy the latest electronics and sports equipment, discount stores for affordable stocking stuffers, and high-end international designer boutiques for splurge gifts. 

Best of all, these stores are located near places with unique items - so with a little advance planning, you can do all of your holiday shopping in one trip.

Here are 3 recommendations for where to do 1-stop holiday shopping in Boston.  Each focuses on a particular type of gift. . . followed by plenty of suggestions about what else you'll easily find nearby for everyone else on your list. 

You can easily get to all of these areas for shopping in Boston by T, or, if you're a Boston visitor staying in a Downtown, Back Bay, or Beacon Hill hotel, you can walk. 

Holiday shopping in Boston:  Beacon Hill antique shops

Okay, so maybe antiques won't work for everyone on your holiday shopping list.  But if even one person merits something old and special, Beacon Hill's antique shops offer a perfect spot to begin your holiday shopping in Boston. 

Why?  Well, in addition to dozens of fabulous antique shops, Boston's charming 19th century Beacon Hill neighborhood also has scads of other unique shops, most of them locally owned. 

Best of all, prices range from quite affordable to . . . well, let's just say that if you want to spend a lot of money here, you can.  But you don't have to.

Let's start with the antique stores.  Most of them are clustered along Charles Street, in the area called the "Flat of the Hill." Charles Street is Beacon Hill's main commercial street, although as you'll notice if you look up at the buildings' second and third floors, it's also residential.

As you'll walk along Charles Street, you'll begin to think that almost every shop features antiques. This isn't quite true . . . but you'll certainly find a lot of them.  How many?  I don't know . . . I lose count around 20.  I've heard that the real number is closer to 40 including dealers who may have limited shop hours, but I don't know if that's true. 

What irresistibles will you find here?

Just about everything.  Gorgeous home furnishings abound . . . mostly 18th and 19th century, as well as older.  Several dealers specialize in Asian treasures that might have been brought back during New England's China Trade days. 

Others specialize in Scandinavian and northern European furniture, and still others in fine jewelry, paintings, statues, and architectural carvings. 

Quality tends to be quite high - you're not going to find schlock or tchotchkes.

If you need to find a special gift for a special someone and you're not too concerned about the price tag, you'll sure to find something fabulous.

If you're more price-conscious, you can also do very well here.  Specifically, look at smaller items, such as tableware, ornaments, old silver, some of the estate jewelry, linens, and small personal items such as compacts, hand mirrors, perfume bottles, and pens.  Sometimes you'll find very nice old prints for quite a bit less than you might imagine.  For the young at heart, check out the antique toys.

You'll notice that I'm not giving shop names.  This is because inventory changes frequently, plus the shops are easy to find - just walk down either side of Charles Street and you'll spot more than you'll have time to visit. 

Other Beacon Hill options for holiday shopping in Boston

Between all of the antique shops on Beacon Hill are the neighborhood's other shops - gourmet grocers, flower shops, a hardware store - plus an eclectic mix of clothing shops ranging from preppy to fashionista, gift shops, a fabulous chocolate shop, and everything else you might imagine.  All of these represent prime holiday shopping territory.

Again, you're probably better served by just walking up and down Charles Street and stopping at whatever place takes your fancy - but here are a few specific gift-shopping suggestions just to whet your appetite:

For friends who loves to sew decorative items:

Baranzelli Silk Surplus (113 Charles Street), one of the best spots for shopping in Boston for high-end designer decorating fabrics. 

Run by the great-granddaughter of the founder of luxury fabric maker Scalamandre, Baranzelli sells closeouts from Scalamandre and other high-end manufacturers.  Prices are significantly lower (which is not to say cheap) than list.  Buy your friend a yard or two of something sumptuous for covering cushions. 

For your mom who adores all things made from glass: 

Good (88 Charles Street).  Offerings in this gift shop change frequently, but usually include lovely glass bowls and other pieces. 

This is the place to find something special for your long-suffering mom (remember your miserable behavior, erratic fits, and tendency to tell outrageous lies when you were 13?), your mother-in-law, your aunts, and even your grandmother. 

Look around carefully at other items - you stand a good chance of finding perfect gifts for others on your holiday shopping in Boston list, as well as for future weddings. 

For friends and colleagues with a quirky sense of humor:  Black Ink (101 Charles Street). 

This small emporium of the unusual bills itself as the place to find "unexpected necessities."  This really sums it up.  Y

ou never know what you'll find, so come in with an open mind and you're likely to leave with a full shopping bag.  Reasonable prices - and lots of fun.

For the deserving shopper (that would be you):  Beacon Hill Chocolates (92B Pinckney Street, on corner of Charles Street).  You deserve it, so go for it!  Think of all the walking you've been doing - you've already worked off the calories!  Plus, don't forget hostess gifts for holiday parties.  The artisan chocolates are quite special, especially when nestled in the beautiful handmade boxes.

With all of your shopping done, you now need some real food.  Shopping in Boston can be exhausting!  Pop into Panificio (144 Charles Street) for a slice of their deep dish pizza and something hot to drink.  Sit at the bar along the window looking out onto Charles Street and feel superior as you watch the other shoppers trudge by.

Directions and Details: Charles Street, Beacon Hill

Location:  The stretch of Charles Street that runs through Beacon Hill lies between Cambridge Street (across from the Charles Street/MGH T station) and Boylston Street, which borders the Public Garden and Boston Common.  It's about 6 blocks in length, depending on how you count, and walking end to end takes 7-8 minutes if you don't do any window shopping or other lingering.  Antique and other shops line the entire length of it, making it one of most efficient spots for shopping in Boston.  My personal favorites for antique shops are toward Cambridge Street.

If you're visiting Boston and staying in a downtown or Back Bay hotel, you're probably only about 10 minutes by foot from Charles Street - just ask the concierge in your hotel to make sure.

Nearest T station:  Red Line-Charles/MGH for the Cambridge Street end; Green Line/Arlington is slightly closer to the Boylston Street end. 

Shopping in Boston Prudential Center Kiosks

Prudential Center is an excellent city shopping area - more about that in a moment - but within the atriums connecting the stores, you'll find a multitude of top-notch kiosks and carts selling hand-crafted and unique gifts that are several notches above what you might find in similar kiosks in other Boston shopping malls. 

For the people on your gift list who enjoy things that are a bit unusual, the kiosks are an excellent starting point.

A few of my favorites:

• Russian Collection - vividly painted wooden collectibles and art from Russia
• Boston Artwork - original artwork with Boston images and themes
• Natural Gems - gorgeous sparkling minerals, stones, and crystals
• New England Gifts - the name say it all - New England souvenirs
• Build a Belt - create your own!
• Karisma - fabulous hair accessories!
• Personalized Engraving - items for men, women, and children that you can get personalized while you wait

You'll find a range of prices, with lots at the affordable end of the spectrum.

Other Back Bay options for holiday shopping in Boston

For others on your gift list, explore the Shops at Prudential Center. 

Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Tailor anchor Pru Center's 75-shop and restaurant mecca, where you'll also find lots of clothing stores like Ann Taylor and Talbots, plus specialty stores such as Teavanna and L'Occitane.  This is one of the most popular places for shopping in Boston.

Still looking?  Walk through the enclosed skyway to Copley Place. 

The shops at Copley Place include Neiman Marcus, Barneys New York, Tiffany's, and Burberry - plus designer boutiques such as Tourneau, Christian Dior, and Jimmy Choo. 

Still have some names left on your list?  Well, Newbury Street is just one short block from Pru Center and only two from Copley. 

You'll find local and international shops ranging from affordable to very high end all up and down trendy Newbury Street.  Walk toward the Public Garden if you want swanky boutiques such as Chanel and Simon Pearce glassware or the huge sportswear emporium, Niketown.  For cheaper thrills, H&M is at the corner of Newbury and Clarendon.

You can linger at the window displays of at least ten fabulous jewelry shops.  And try not to visibly drool at the fabulous Pierre Deux home goods boutique. 

Boylston Street, even closer and one of the busiest places for shopping in Boston, is where you'll find discounters such as Marshalls.  If Niketown somehow didn't have all the sports gifts you need, you'll find 4 more huge sporting goods emporiums on Boylston:  Eastern Mountain Sports, Olympia Sports, Marathon Sports, and City Sports. 

And let's don't forget electronics.  You'll find Best Buy tucked among all the designer boutiques on Newbury - along with Bang & Olufsen and Tech Superpowers.  Boylston, not to be outdone, boasts GameStop, Radio Shack, Apple (a new iMac would make a nice gift!), and others.

Ready to collapse?  When you can't carry one more bag, treat yourself to a well-deserved meal at one of Back Bay's terrific restaurants.  And call a cab for the ride home.

Directions and Details: Prudential Center kiosks and carts

Address:  Located in the Shops at Prudential Center, 800 Boylston Street, Back Bay, Boston
Nearest T station:  Green Line E/Prudential  
For more information:  617-481-2257; website

Shopping in Boston for rare books and antiquarian maps

Brattle Bookstore has been in Boston since 1825, although in various locations.  Now, even though it's just steps away from Boston Common and about a block from the busy Downtown Crossing shopping area, it's still slightly off the usual tourist path and not a place that you might think to go when shopping in Boston.

However, this is the place to come if you have someone on your gift list who will appreciate a rare book, map, or historical memorabilia.

Brattle Bookstore specializes in history, literature, scholarly books, and maps - but you can also find autographs, old letters, postcards, prints, and manuscripts. 

Needless to say, inventory changes all the time so you never know what you'll find.  Quality ranges from "collectible" to precious - and prices also range from very affordable to about what you'd spend for an expensive piece of jewelry.

If you have something special in mind, let the folks at the store know.  They may already have it in their enormous inventory, and may also be able to do a broader search for you. 

But if you don't know what you want, no problem - come join all the other browsers searching for treasures.  When the weather cooperates, you may even find yourself outside in an open air market atmosphere. 

I should warn you . . . if you begin your holiday shopping in Boston in this treasure-crammed mecca for lovers of old books and maps, you run the risk of spending all of your available shopping time here. 

Do not feel bad if you pop in for 10 minutes and your next conscious thought is "Oh no!  Three hours have passed!!!  How did this happen?!?!?"  This is a common experience here.

Other Downtown options for holiday shopping in Boston

Turn left as you leave the shop and walk down West Street away from the Common to the corner, which is Washington Street, and turn left on Washington.  You'll see the Downtown Crossing shopping area just ahead of you.  Here you'll find a large Macys, DSW for shoes, H&M, and numerous other name-brand stores, as well as many locally-owned stores.  This area is a favorite place for holiday shopping in Boston.

Many of the local stores have eclectic offerings.  They are my favorites when shopping in Boston for anyone who appreciates something unusual or quirky.  You can usually come across some great stocking stuffers here.

Directions and Details: Brattle Book Shop

Address:  9 West Street, Downtown Boston
Nearest T station:  Orange and Red Lines/Downtown Crossing  
For more information:  617-542-0210; toll free 1-800-447-9595