Shopping On A Budget: Window Shopping Around Boston
I love to shop. I can do it anywhere, anytime, and if I could, at any budget! When my bank account doesn't allow, I also love to window shop. Walking outside on a nice, sunny day, gazing in beautifully styled windows and not buying a thing, can be just as fun and inspiring as the purchase process of shopping. Boston has the best that window shopping can offer for fashion and home decor. Head out to the suburbs and find not only malls with extensive store selections, but outdoor shopping centers to enjoy the outside and satisfy your window shopping thrills.
Boston
If you live in the heart of Boston or like to make weekend trips into the city, Newbury Street immediately comes to mind for window shopping. The blocks between Arlington Street and Massachusetts Avenue are chock full of designer stores, home shops, restaurants, galleries, and more. Start out in the first block of Arlington to gaze into the windows of Chanel, DKNY, and Valentino, as you are up to close to beautiful designer work. As you continue, picture the paintings in the gallery windows of Vose Galleries, Pucker Gallery, and Newbury Fine Arts hanging in your living room or bedroom.
After a Newbury Street stroll, head over to Charles Street just through the Boston Common park. Charles Street is more old-Boston historic and quaint, with small boutiques, specialty shops, and restaurants. Step into stores like Holiday and Wish to peruse unique accessories and clothes. If perusing antiques is more your style, head into Antiques at 80 Charles.
If flea markets of home-made goods and antiques are more your interest, walk over to the SoWA Open Market every Sunday from May-October. This area in the South End is chock full of galleries and artists' studios. On Sundays during these months, vendors come to showcase their works to the hundreds of visitors. It's the perfect place to "table shop" hand-made jewelry, paintings, paper products, vintage clothing, and local food.
Suburbs
Step outside the city and enjoy a new trend in mall shopping: outdoor malls. Legacy Place in Dedham and the Derby Street Shoppes in Hingham offer the best outdoor shopping and in turn, are prime locations for window shopping. Each shopping center offers boutique and chain stores for everyone in the family and at various price points. Since it's all outdoors, enjoy some exercise and fresh air as you window shop.
Chanel
5 Newbury Street
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 859-0055
Hours: Mon to Sat 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
DKNY
37 Newbury Street
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 236-0476
Valentino
47 Newbury Street
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 578-0300
Holiday Boutique
53 Charles Street
Boston, MA 02114
(617) 973-9730
Wish
49 Charles Street
Boston, MA 02114
(617) 227-4441
Hours: Mon, Sat 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Tues to Fri 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Sun 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Antiques at 80 Charles
80 Charles Street
Boston, MA 02114
(617) 227-9810
Hours: Sun 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.; Mon to Sat 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
SoWa Open Market
460 Harrison Street
Boston, MA 02118
(800) 403-8305
Hours: Sun 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Legacy Place
680 Legacy Place
Dedham, MA 02026
(781) 329-3009
Hours: Mon to Sat 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Sun 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Derby Street Shoppes
92-98 Derby Street
Hingham, MA 02043
(781) 749-7800
Hours: Mon to Sat 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Sun 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Jaime is a 20-something blogger living, working, & shopping in Boston. Attracted to everything things stylish whether it be the latest fashion trend on the runways to the newest decor featured in home magazines, she blogs all about it, and tidbits of her life, at La vie…J'aime. Follow her on Twitter and Pinterest, as well.
