Shopping Destinations
1. Brimfield, MA
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.
May, Jul, Sep • www.brimfieldshows.com
2. League of New Hampshire Craftsmen Fair
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, and weaving.Mount Sunapee Resort, Newbury, NH • Early Aug • Adm • www.nhcrafts.org
3. 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 a wide selection of New England foods (for further details see Tastes of Vermont).
4. Freeport, ME
Outdoors outfitter L. L. Bean set the tone here when it opened in 1911. Freeport has since blossomed as a shopper’s paradise; more than 170 shops offer the biggest and best name brands in American merchandising – often at substantial discounts.www.freeportusa.com
5. Providence Place, Providence, RI
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.One Providence Pl. • www.providenceplace.com
6. Shoppes at Buckland Hills, Manchester, CT
Central Connecticut’s largest shopping area, it features virtually every big-box National store, including discount electronics, decor, and home goods dealers like the Christmas Tree Shop.194 Buckland Hills Dr. • www.theshoppesatbucklandhills.com
7. Manchester, VT
Three dozen or so designer outlets with top fashion names like Escada, Tse, and Michael Kors, and home decor ranging from silver tableware to handwoven Tibetan rugs, make Manchester, Vermont, a Mecca for upscale bargains.www.manchesterdesigneroutlets.com
8. Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA
America’s most literary city is home to two comprehensive bookstores, one of which prints out-of-print titles on demand. There are also specialists in used books, poetry, foreign and Marxist literature, and comic books.www.harvardsquare.com
9. Wellfleet Flea Market & Drive-In, Wellfleet, MA
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.Rte. 6 • Apr–Oct • Adm • www.wellfleetcinemas.com/flea-market
10. Woodbury, CT
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 what-ever is giving New York interior decorators shivers this season.www.antiqueswoodbury.com
