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The Massachusetts
Holiday Shopping Guide and Blog
The meeting place
for well-known and hidden gem shopping places in the Bay State!
The Massachusetts
shopping scene is alive and well and will only grow with the
rampant (and sometimes obnoxious) development in many parts of
the state.
That's good news for
the shopping aficionado as there's more choices than ever. In
Foxboro, for example, the Kraft Brothers are building a mall
near Gillette Stadium that will be geared towards
men (a huge Bass Outlets opened in Nov. 2007), while in Burlington,
an L.L. Bean and other adjoining high quality shops have provided
yet another opportunity for shopping in retail-crazy Burlington,
MA.
We keep our shopping
simple, since the vast options can be overwhelming. We like to
shop local to support local business, but also appreciate the
oversized, animated look of the big shopping malls. Here are
some of our favorites:
The Burlington
Mall -- It's hard to
believe there were once cows roaming this now highly-developed
area in the late 1960s. The Burlington Mall has always had a
warmspot in the heart of west suburban Boston shoppers who recognized
this complex as one of the first of its kind in the area -- you
know, the kind with a roof over its head. Stores have come and
gone (Jordan Marsh, Musicland, Kennedy's clothing, Herman's Sporting
Goods, and the putrid Hot Shoppe Cafeteria, to name a few). Now,
the Burlington Mall is bigger and better than ever (155 stores
and a 775-seat food court) with an additional second floor, a
cleaner looking design and all the stores and restaurants you
could ever want -- including Macy's, Sears, Lord and Taylor,
Bose, Apple Computer, Build-A-Bear, The Rainforest Cafe, Cheesecake
Factory, Legal Sea Foods, and many other great stores. The Burlington
Mall, 75 Middlesex Turnpike, Burlington,
MA 01803. Tel. (781) 272-8667
A new shopping
place in Mansfield, MA --
Mansfield Crossing seemed to pop out of nowhere, taking over
former farm land that was not exactly a distant memory. This
outdoor 400,000 square ft. shopping complex with a pond, wrought
iron benches and, or course, top-of-the-line stores now seems
poised as a major Massachusetts shopping attraction. After all,
how can you go wrong with L.L. Bean (it opened Nov. 16, 2007),
Coldwater Creek, Kohl's, Chico's, Ann Taylor Loft, Best Buy,
Sports Authority, Borders Books, Linens 'n Things and Michael's
(arts and crafts) to name a few?. For dining, a Bertucci's is
on the way, as well as T.G.I. Friday's. There's a Papa Gino's
for pizza lovers. Mansfield Crossing is definitely a work in
progress (check its
Web Site to get the current store status), but there's currently
enough attractions --especially L.L. Bean -- to make for a great
holiday shopping experience. Mansfield
Crossing, I-95 to exit 6, I-495 South. Take exit 12, 140
North. Take your first left onto School Street. The entrance
is the second driveway on the left.
Quaint shopping
-- The Old Country Store and Emporium, West Mansfield Village,
MA What's a true country
store doing in a place like southeastern Massachusetts? Usually
found in places like Vermont, the Old Country Store and Emporium
in quiet West Mansfield Village has all the bells and whistles
that we have come to love in an authentic country store. There
are home goods and furnishings, penny candle, Vermont cheddar
cheese, homemade fudge, toys, locally made furniture and just
about everything else under the sun. Of course, The Old Country
Store and Emporium is located within charming, old wooden buildings
with the smell of candles and potpourri adding familiar but unidentifiable
aromas to this traditional, old-fashioned country store.
Big mall shopping
-- Emerald Square Mall, North Attleboro, MA The Emerald Square Mall in North Attleboro
(near the Rhode Island border) offers three levels of 155 familiar
shops in a modern, clean and efficient setting accented with
a stunning and massive solar ceiling. Other stores include Abercrombie
& Fitch, American Eagle Outfitters, Hollister, Ann Taylor
Loft, Build-A-Bear Workshop, Charlotte Russe, and Bath &
Body Works. There's a food court, seemingly dominated by Asian
restaurants and a beautiful carousel for the kids to ride. Sears,
J.C. Penny and Macy's serve as the anchors while other well-known
stores seem to be larger and better updated than their counterparts
at the other local malls. Emerald
Square Mall, 999 South Washington Street, North
Attleboro, MA 02760
Shopping for books,
chain store -- Barnes and Noble Burlington, MA This is the king of all local Barnes
and Nobles, a sprawling two-story building with an open floor
plan and seemingly more books than all the combined Barnes and
Nobles in Massachusetts. The look is clean, the help seems to
be the cream of the crop, and the variety of books staggering.
If you don't like this Barnes and Noble, then you probably don't
like books. Located about 25 minutes west of Boston. Barnes
and Noble, 98 Middlesex Tpke, Burlington, MA Tel. (781) 273-3871
Shopping for books,
local - New England Mobile Book Fair, Newton Highlands, MA This long-time warehouse-like business
a few miles west of Boston is the anti-Barnes and Noble. It isn't
pretty here with drab concrete floors and shelves going seemingly
to the ceiling. It's hard to find your subject here, since there
are so many obstructions and twists and turns, but the bottom
line is that you're likely to find you book here. Plus, there's
something meaningful about supporting a local business that has
always been helpful to the customer (for more than 50 years)
and refuses to become trendy or precious. The prices are great,
too: 20 percent off paperbacks and hardcovers everyday
and 30 percent off NY Times bestsellers in hardcover.
If Barnes and Noble is the Heather Locklear of books, then the
New England Mobile Book Fair is the Rodney Dangerfield. We always
liked Rodney! New England
Mobile Book Fair, 82-84 Needham St., Newton Highlands, MA.
Tel. (617) 964-7440
Shopping for candles
-- Yankee Candle Company, South Deerfield, MA . Founder Mike Kittredge started his
Yankee Candle business in 1969 in his parent's basement. Now
Yankee Candle Factory's flagship store in South Deerfield (northwest
Massachusetts just east of the Berkshires) is the size of some
shopping malls and offers an incredible mix of shopping, entertainment
and dining. More than 160 candle varieties, 16,000 square feet
of home furnishings, a candle making museum, foods from fudge
to gourmet dinners (and Chandler's Restaurant), a car museum,
a Bavarian Christmas Village with themed holiday shops and a
25-foot Christmas tree are just a few of the attractions that
make the Yankee Candle Company so much more than a candle shop.
For someone who doesn't like candles, I found the Yankee Candle
Factory to be a great shopping attraction. Yankee
Candle Company, Deerfield Flagship Store 25 Greenfield Rd.,
South Deerfield, MA. Tel. 877-636-7707
Local toy shopping
-- The Toy Shop of Concord, Concord, MA This
old-fashioned, lively toy shop in the western suburban Boston
town of Concord is like the toy stores of yesterday. With not
a trace of corporate super store elements (like cheap products
and lousy trends), this colorful toy store has been around for
62 years and focuses on only well-made toys that have a timeless
quality -- or a potentially timeless quality, if it is a new
product. The Toy Shop features toys to stimulate a child's
thinking or imagination, so the experience will not only excite
children, but their parents, as well. The
Toy Shop of Concord, 4 Walden St.,, Concord MA (978) 369-2553
Furniture shopping,
local -- R. Smith, Gardner, MA The
outside of the building looks like it's falling apart, but inside
you'll find some of the best made locally and nationally made
furniture in a no-frills, but helpful setting. Gardner is a proud
north central Massachusetts city know for furniture making and
stores, and R. Smith stands right up there as one of the best
representatives of that local tradition. The deals are great,
with 30-50 percent off retail value from some of the best know
manufacturers, although we really loved finding locally-made
furniture made with craftsmanship and pride. R. Smith will even
build furniture, made to your specifications. We especially appreciate
the sales people at R. Smith who are not your run--of-the-mill,
slick but empty "I've got to make a commission right now
or I'll be fired right now" types. It's almost as if your
family has gone into the furniture business and is helping you
out, not selling. This is the ultimate furniture outlet, plain
in appearance but extraordinary in what they sell. R.
Smith Furniture, 289 So. Main Street at Victoria St. | Rte
2, Exit 23 |Gardner, MA | Tel. 978.632.3461
Furniture shopping,
chain store -- Cardi's, South Attleboro, MA
Cardi's is a gargantuan complex featuring two floors of furniture
-- including a a Thomasville Store a bakery operated by Johnson
and Wales University, and a furniture design school. Although
stylish and modern, Cardi's in South Attleboro is still personable
with the high profile owners present at the store at any given
time and some knowledgeable, professional employees. A second
generation family-run business with roots going back to 1928,
the Cardi Brothers are a household name locally, appearing frequently
on television and radio commercials. In addition to South Attleboro
(near the Rhode Island border), Cardi's furniture stores are
also located in Swansea, MA, West Warwick, RI and a clearance
center in Fall River, MA. Cardi's
Furniture Super stores, (RT. 1A) 999 Newport Ave., South
Attleboro, MA., Tel.: (508) 915-5600
City shopping --
The Shops at Prudential, Boston, MA The
seventy five stores at the Shops at Prudential may be smaller
in number than the suburban malls, but is more than made up for
by the quality of shops and the urban flair that only a city
could offer. Anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord and Taylor,
The Shops at Prudential Center is beautifully designed (a welcome
change from the outdoor shopping days here), has more than 60,000
visitors daily, and has great dining options including Pizzeria
Regina, Boston Chowda, Legal Sea Foods, and Ben and Jerry's.
Other stores include Barnes & Noble, Lacoste, and Sephora.
You can really feel the pulse of the city when shopping at the
Shops at Prudential, making it a very different experience than
shopping in suburbia. The
Shops at Prudential, 800 Boylston St., Boston, MA
Outlet Stores --
The Wrentham Premium Outlets, Wrentham, MA
The Wrentham Outlet Stores --close to the Rhode Island border
-- seems to be getting larger by the day, currently with more
than 170 stores including Jones New York, Nautica , Skechers,
Sony, Swarovski, Timberland, and Tommy Hilfiger. It's all outdoors,
which can be a little rough during inclement weather, but, on
the other hand, there's no stopping a shopper in search of a
good bargain. The Wrentham Outlets is pleasantly landscaped and
features restaurants on the perimeter like the Cracker Barrel
and Uno's. Wrentham
Premium Outlets: One Premium Outlets Boulevard, Wrentham,
MA. Tel. (508) 384-0600
Men's Clothing
-- Milton's, Chestnut Hill, MA Milton's
at Chestnut Hill has been in business a long time, offers name
brands at low prices, keeps their inventory full, and has an
experienced, career-oriented staff that treats you like a real
person. As other men's stores comes and go, it's becoming more
clear that Miltons is the place that I prefer to shop for that
great suit or sweater. You always leave feeling satisfied at
this men's clothing landmark, just outside of Boston. Milton's, 174 Boylston St.,
Chestnut Hill, MA. Tel. (617) 969-4547
Women's Clothing
-- Kohls, various locations
Ok, it's not a New England-based business, but how can you knock
the brand names at low prices -- sometimes 60 to 70 percent off
at the tight time of year? Ask many women where they shop around
here and the answer will frequently be Kohl's. Why be a phony
and say something otherwise that isn't true?
Children's clothing,
Brenner's Children Shop, Norwood, MA
This is the old-fashioned husband-and-wife owned kind of store
that you thought was gone forever. The personable service and
the small but packed to the gills store are a perfect place for
the family to support local business and buy quality clothing
at good prices. Located in the southwest Boston suburban town
of Norwood. Brenner's Children Shop, 694 Washington
St, Norwood, MA. Tel. (781) 762-2276
Outdoor store --
Maynard Outdoor Store, Maynard,
MA If the high profile, elitist-type outdoor stores leave you
cold, then we heartily recommend the Maynard Outdoor Store in
the western Boston suburb of Maynard. It's old-fashioned, to
say the least, with red and white tile floors, and original tin
ceilings. In the back, there is a stretch of red patterned linoleum
that every kitchen seemed to have in the 1970s. Clothing, shoes,
sneakers, jackets for all seasons, hiking boots, baseball gloves,
winter gear are just a few of the types of merchandise found
at this charming old store where many of the faithful employees
have worked for years. These employees really take care of the
customer, making the shopping experience a pleasurable one. Now,
where can you find that type of experience in the cookie cutter
stores? Maynard Outdoor Store, 24 Nason St., Maynard, Mass.
Tel (978) 897-2133
Five and dime store
-- West Concord Five and Dime Store, West Concord, MA Looking much the way it did in the 1950s,
this classic five and dime store features that appealing classic
"old" building smell, narrow isles and loads of merchandise
identifiable by hand-labeled bins. Whether its yarn, socks, board
games, batteries, etc. -- you're sure to eventually find it at
these store from another era. Concord Five &
Ten Inc. 106 Commonwealth Ave., Concord, MA 01742
Cameras and Electronics
-- Cameras Inc., Arlington, MA
Starting out as a small storefront in 1956 run by a wonderful
local Armenian family, Camera Inc. has blossomed into a first-class
camera and electronics store. It's still small enough to lend
a personable touch where everyone seems to know each other, but
it's big enough to offer a great variety of quality cameras and
electronics. It's really the best of both worlds -- a local store
that has the buying power to offer the best brand names at great
prices and yet retain its local feel. Cameras
Inc, 860 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington,MA
Tel. 781-648-8111
Local general department
store -- Lord's, Medfield, MA Sort
of like a neat, organized Woolworth's, Lord's Department Store
has a terrific toy section, cards and stationery, housewares,
Medfield clothing and get this... a true, authentic luncheonette
called Mary Anne's. It's a great place to sit on a stool at the
counter, order a burger or bacon and eggs and feel like you're
back in the 1950s. Lord's has been in business over 60 years,
a testimony to the power of local business run properly. Lord's
Department Store, 446 Main St, Medfield, MA Tel. (508) 359-2361
Related shopping
articles:
Providence
Place, Providence, RI
Wrentham Premium Outlets, Wrentham, MA
Maynard
Outdoor Store, Maynard, MA
Kittery
Trading Post, Kittery, ME
The
best holiday shopping in New England
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