60 Best Shopping in Maryland, USA

The AIA/Baltimore Bookstore carries all kinds of architecture books.

Many shops line Second and Alder streets. is packed with elegant rugs, stained glass, and all manner of furniture. Call for hours.

Amaryllis specializes in handcrafted jewelry from more than 400 artists.

Antique Row, east of bustling Connecticut Avenue, consists of more than 80 shops selling jewelry, china, art, toys, silver, and furniture in buildings as old as some of the items.

At you can find porcelain dolls, Tiffany lamps, and china.

Atomic Books specializes in obscure titles and small-press publications, including independent comics and 'zines, along with videos. There's also a formidable selection of pop-culture toys such as lunch boxes, cookie jars, and stickers.

Avenue Antiques is a collection of multiple dealers, selling antiques from Victorian to mid-century modern.

Barnes & Noble, in the Power Plant complex at the Inner Harbor, is the city's largest general-interest bookseller.

Designers come from all over the world for the incredibly wide selection of beads at Beadazzled; there's also a selection of already-made jewelry.

About 7 mi north of downtown, at Northern Parkway and York Road, is Belvedere Square, a small, open-air mall with shops for women's and children's clothing, furniture, and gifts, as well as a number of gourmet food shops (the soup at Atwater's is delicious).

Best of Baltimore carries city-related souvenirs and local specialty products.

Book Thing takes donations and gives away free books—as many as you like, as long as you promise not to resell them; it's open weekends 9–6.

Broadway Market has many stalls with fresh fruit, prepared foods, a raw bar, and baked goods that can be eaten at counters or taken outside for picnics along the waterfront.

Across from Mazza Gallerie is the newer, similarly upmarket Chevy Chase Pavilion. Its women's clothing stores range from Alpaca International to JCrew and Stein Mart.

The Children's Bookstore is a cozy, well-stocked resource for current and classic children's literature.

Cross Street Market has stands selling produce, sandwiches, steamed crab, and baked items. Cross Street is open late on Friday and Saturday, when the market hosts one of the city's most popular happy-hour scenes, attracting crowds of youngish professionals.

Cross a magician's workshop with a child's daydream and you'd get something like where you can find tooth-fairy boxes, a bowling set with bunny-shaped pins, musical stacking boxes, and paintings with secret doors that open into mirrors.

Housed inside a former pharmacy, features dozens of vendors selling everything from hand-stitched quilts to glassware, handcrafted toys, and furniture. The best antique to be found here is in the back—the shop's original soda fountain, Dottie's Fountain and Grill (open daily). Diners sit at pale-green stools around a wave-shaped counter and drink old-fashioned thick milk shakes while enjoying buckwheat pancakes and sausages, or hamburgers—all of which cost less than $4—just as they have for the past 40 years.

is a complex of former factories turned into artsy shops and galleries.

The Boston-based upscale fashion discounter attracts bargain hunters looking for steep discounts on designer clothing—if you find something that suits you, it'll be the best deal in town by far. Off-price shoes, children's clothing, household goods, perfume, and accessories are sold as well.

open daily, is a bargain hunter's bonanza. The hundreds of stores featuring apparel, footwear, and more include Banana Republic, BCBG, Puma, kate spade, Coach, and Ralph Lauren.

At the Inner Harbor, the Pratt Street and Light Street pavilions of Harborplace and the Gallery contain almost 200 specialty shops that sell everything from business attire to children's toys. The Gallery has Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, and the Gap, among others.

Bring home a punchy-patterned pillow or sinuously shaped salt shaker from

The a seasonally store, is a sweets emporium that doubles as a crafts outlet for local artisans. From here there's a pleasant view out over the Bay.

Jones & Jones carries stylish sportswear and business attire.

Jos. A. Bank's Clothiers is a century-old Baltimore source for men's tailored clothing and casual wear.

The Kelmscott Bookshop is known for its enormous, well-preserved stock of old and rare volumes in every major category, especially art, architecture, American and English literature, and travel.

Old Stevensville's popular art gallery, the showcases local artists.

Yummy-smelling soaps are handmade on the premises at Fragrances include spicy Japanese Dusk, sweet O Honey Fairest, and Frederick—a fresh woodsy scent.

Inside this boutique are classic women's wear and children's clothes, gifts, and more from designers such as Lilly Pulitzer, Vera Bradley, and Vineyard Vines. But most of all Lemon Twist has been known for its customer service since 1977.