Boston Shopping, Boston Stores

Abodeon

Emphasizing the marvelous in the mundane, Abodeon presents a collection of well-designed home furniture and accessories spanning continents and decades. Most items come with a short description stating what you're looking at and why it's special. Like the classic '50s ice cream scoop, famous for its simplicity, or the vintage...

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Acquire

Reader Suggested: Home accessories and gift store with a great mix of vintage and modern pieces. The store is set up like a cozy "cabinet of curiosities."

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Alan Bilzerian

You may be intimidated by the "ring the bell to enter" policy, but don't let that stop you from stopping by Alan Bilzerian. For years now, Bostonians have depended on the store to keep them on the bleeding edge of fashion and it has not let them down. The store does not get caught in categories or price brackets. You'll...

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Alan Bilzerian

You may be intimidated by the "ring the bell to enter" policy, but don't let that stop you from stopping by Alan Bilzerian. For years now, Bostonians have depended on the store to keep them on the bleeding edge of fashion and it has not let them down. The store does not get caught in categories or price brackets. You'll...

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Black Ink

Black Ink does a wonderful job of selling nothing in particular. Hello Kitty lunchboxes, rubber peanuts, squiggly sushi plates, banana-shaped doorstops and Korean composition books are among the random items that line the store's tall, narrow shelves. These aren't the types of things you can't live without, but they are the...

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Black Ink

Black Ink does a wonderful job of selling nothing in particular. Hello Kitty lunchboxes, rubber peanuts, squiggly sushi plates, banana-shaped doorstops and Korean composition books are among the random items that line the store's tall, narrow shelves. These aren't the types of things you can't live without, but they are the...

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Bodega

Reader Suggested: Secret entrance in the back of a bodega... Beautiful store! Vintage nike, great sneakers, 10 Deep, Dr. Romanelli, Undrcrwn, Recon, etc. Boston's best store by far. Taking it to the next level.

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Brattle Book Shop

What would one of the oldest cities in America be without a nice used bookshop? Brattle Book Shop is not merely a nice shop, it is the oldest in the country, its proprietor Kenneth Glass an authority on antiquated books. Along with three levels of used of books, there is special section for rare and first edition titles. Old editions of Time,...

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Dress

Reader Suggested: A rare example of laid-back charm in a minimalist yet feminine Back Bay boutique. The owners, Jane and Martha, are friendly without hovering or pushing specific pieces regardless of your tastes. The shop focuses on luxurious pieces suitable for both work and parties. Many of the pieces can also be found at Barneys or...

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Eye Q Optical

One million architects can't be wrong: fashionable glasses are the most important accessory you can own. Eye Q has nothing but fashionable frames along with the staff to help you find that perfect pair. Shopping at the store is a whirlwind experience: bet on having the first frame thrust your way within a minute of entering the store...

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Eye Q Optical

One million architects can't be wrong: fashionable glasses are the most important accessory you can own. Eye Q has nothing but fashionable frames along with the staff to help you find that perfect pair. Shopping at the store is a whirlwind experience: bet on having the first frame thrust your way within a minute of entering the store...

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Eye Q Optical

One million architects can't be wrong: fashionable glasses are the most important accessory you can own. Eye Q has nothing but fashionable frames along with the staff to help you find that perfect pair. Shopping at the store is a whirlwind experience: bet on having the first frame thrust your way within a minute of entering the store...

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Good

Name your store "Good" and you're just asking for endless sarcastic comments. (Just off the top of our heads: It's not that good. Not good enough. Good-bye.) But, after spending some time in the store, hell, we think it should have been named Great. Good is that rare home store that casually blends vintage and new, modern...

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Grand

Reader Suggested: Very cool modern home furnishings/gift store in Boston (suburb?). T=hey redid the space (old auto-body shop) and it's pretty snazzy. They carry some interesting lines.

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Harvard Book Store

When you open a book store across the street from the most heralded institution in American academics, it better be one damn fine shop. Fortunately, Harvard Book Store lives up to its high expectations. The store's high shelves stock a massive selection of books, with an especially abundant non-fiction section. Furthermore, the store has...

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History

Reader Suggested: Great independent affordable vintage couture clothing and accessories from owner and former high school history teacher Rachel Hirsch.

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Holiday

Somewhere in the midst of the feminist movement we forgot the joy of the swish. No, no we don't mean the infamous athletic swish. We mean an entirely different swish. Let us explain. In the ashes of the burned bras we also lost the wives waiting for their husbands, dressed just so with a martini mixer in hand and dinner in the oven--the...

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J. Press

J. Press has been dressing Ivy League men since 1902 and from the look of things they haven't changed much in the past century or so. The clothing (mostly consisting of the store's own collection) makes George Bush's garb looks risqué in comparison. Expect to see pastel cross-stitch sweaters, plaid ties, and thick cotton...

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Kitchen Arts

How does a small kitchen store compete with the gargantuan chains that are now entrenched in every city center? Well, Kitchen Arts does it by stocking items that you still cannot find in all 5 million square feet of joe-suburbian-superstore. Instead of 2 or 4 lines of cutlery, the store carries around 7, including the Japanese brands that...

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Koo de Kir

Let's face it, not everyone has good taste. Luckily, we live in a society where what you don't have you can buy. Above all, Koo de Kir is a purveyor of good taste. Whether buying for yourself or others, choose among their ever-churning collection of furniture, accessories, lighting, tableware and bath products. You simply can't...

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Louis Boston

Louis Boston is what department stores look like in heaven. The decades old high-end clothing retailer is one of the most innovative and interesting large stores you're likely to ever come across. The store is obsessed with collecting the best clothing and accessories from across the globe and they do an amazing job of it. The five floors...

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Luna Boston

Ever heard the saying "it's all in the accessories"? The owner of Luna Boston has. The store is a love letter to the accessory, more specifically, the handbag. The long, gallery-like space displays dozens of handbags and purses, totes and clutches. The focus is on smaller, emerging designers, but this does not mean the bags...

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Machine Age

Reader Suggested: Machine Age is a true destination store, with amazing original, mid-twentieth designer furniture you won't find anywhere else in New England. The selection is huge, and the prices much softer than New York's... definitely worth the trip!

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Motley

Motley is right. This small outpost is a random collection of clothing, personal accessories and home accessories. A dozen or two graphic T-shirts hang on one corner. A center table is decorated with wallets, candles, bath and body products and books. Side tables may hold a lamp, cameras, even turntables.

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Museum of Useful Things

Imagine a world without coat hangers, dustpans, and bottle openers. Now, we're not sure what hell looks like but this would be a good place to start. The Museum of Useful Things pays homage to those little objects that make our lives go round. Full of well-designed incarnations of coat hangers and napkin dispensers, tape measures and...

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Nomad

Imagine 10,000 quaint villages mashed into one and you might have an idea of Nomad's interior. The outpost collects folk art and crafts from across the globe to make for a quirky, colorful environment. The hundreds of items in its ever-changing collection include jewelry, books, home furnishings, textiles and even figurines (ever wanted...

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Proletariat

It's pretty safe to say that when The Revolution comes it will not come from Harvard Square, but don't let that discourage you from visiting Proletariat anyway. The counter-culture loving store has a closed fist on it's logo, a Soviet flag on the wall and cool clothing and accessories everywhere you look. The T-shirt selection...

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Stel's

Reader Suggested: Very friendly and relaxing shopping atmosphere. Located at the heart of Boston's fanciest street. Carries the most interesting and stylish clothing lines from all around the world. Stel's is my favorite shop in Boston, and I pretty much only shop there. If you have good taste for clothes, you will like what...

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Stereo Jacks

Jazz is one type of music that everyone insists they like but that hardly anyone knows a damn thing about. The guys at Stereo Jacks know jazz. The store's racks are filled with new and used jazz and blues CDs and vinyl. But the interactive encyclopedia of a staff is really what makes the store. If you're a willing beginner they can...

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The Globe Corner Bookstore

The travel bookshop is a thing of fantasy in America. You'll see them in England, or in movies set in England, but in America we prefer our bookstores generic and massive. If you happen to be filming a movie, or, go figure, are interested in learning about places other than America then you need to visit The Globe Corner Bookstore....

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