The beautifully-preserved streets and shop-fronts of
Annapolis and Ellicott City in Maryland and Old Town
Alexandria and Leesburg in Virginia are the perfect places
to seek out one-off items and locally-produced crafts while
enjoying the historic surroundings and laid-back atmosphere.
Cool-hunters head to the cobbled streets of Georgetown in
Washington where cutting-edge European and US designers Old Town
Alexandria
nestle side-by-side with flea markets, thrift stores and antique
shops. In Baltimore’s Fell’s Point vintage clothing boutiques
and trendy stores are scattered around historic waterfront
streets that were once the haunt of pirates and buccaneers. The
river-front town of Occoquan, Virginia, is filled with art galleries
and quirky boutiques while Merchant’s Square, Colonial
Williamsburg has over 40 shops and restaurants with a one-off
flavour. Nestling within Carytown, Richmond’s nine-block
shopping street, is the nationally-acclaimed Byrd Theatre – a
beautifully gilded restored cinema showing films for less than
$2, another must for bargain-hunters!
KramerBooks,
Lovers of old treasures are well-served with several
DC
antique centres dotted around the region. Baltimore even
has its own Antiques’ Row in Mount Vernon where around
20 shops and specialists offer everything from Tiffany lamps
to rare books. Elsewhere in Maryland, seek out antiques in
New Market – home to more than 30 antique shops – and
Shab Row in Frederick. In Virginia head for Sperryville in
the Shenandoah Valley, Tappahannock and Virgina’s own
New Market, where the town itself is a state-registered
Historic Landmark.
Combining the old and the new, the cutting-edge and the
historic, your Capital Region shopping adventures will yield
Carytown,
Richmond
more than just the things you buy – you’ll also take home some
fantastic memories.
Natasha Lee is a travel writer and editor specialising in the
US and Canada.
shopping tips
l Travel light on your way out so you have
top
room for all your purchases on the way
tip
home. Serious shoppers take only the bare
minimum and buy everything they need for
their trip on arrival, including the bag to take the booty home in!
l Keep a note of sizes for shoes and clothing of friends and
family before you go and make sure your presents fit.
l Check when buying electrical appliances that they are
adaptable to the supply at home. Televisions, video recorders and
mobile phones in the US use different standards to Europe and
are usually incompatible.
Arundel Mills
www.capitalregionusa.org 43
CRU09 pp40-43 Shopping.indd 43 6/11/08 12:11:02
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