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boston shopping guide
cambridge & somerville
download a handy printable map.
1
Abodeon
Owned by a furniture designer and a Houston Museum of Fine Art veteran, this 10-year-old institution is exactly what a great midcentury-modern home store should be: There are burnished walnut coffee tables and Danish consoles, but they're really just a backdrop for the winning selection of finishing touches: Carved '60s nesting bowls and ceramic coffeepots share the shelves with new picks, like Iittala mugs and flatware.
1731 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-497-0137
1731 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-497-0137
2
Cambridge Antique Market
Just across the street from the Cambridgeside Galleria mall, this antique market—located in a rickety 18th-century building—sprawls across five floors, housing more than 150 vendors. The inventory is widely varied, from costume jewelry to huge oil paintings to furniture from the early 1900s. There's enough to hunt for here to keep you busy for days.
201 Msgr. O'Brien Hwy., East Cambridge, 617-868-9655
201 Msgr. O'Brien Hwy., East Cambridge, 617-868-9655
3
Colonial Drug
Since 1947, this has been one of the best resources in the region for impossible-to-find beauty products (it counts a stock of more than 1,000 fragrances); it looks much as it did when it first opened, with deep glass cases and two-foot-high archetypes of famous perfume bottles. And it still doesn't accept credit cards.
49 Brattle St., Harvard Square, 617-864-2222
49 Brattle St., Harvard Square, 617-864-2222
4
Curated by the Tannery
Cambridge institution the Tannery has been quietly selling nothing but sensible walking shoes since the early '80s. Then, this past year, its owners decided to spin off two wildly different and fashion-forward ventures. One is Concepts, a rare sneaker emporium, and the other is Curated by the Tannery, which has flooded a cavernous 10,000-square-foot space with an insanely comprehensive selection of independent talent, from names like Pencey, Society for Rational Dress, and Sea. Beyond the impressive depth of cool clothes on offer, it also has one of the largest denim walls we've seen in a stand-alone boutique.
39 Brattle St., Harvard Square, 617-491-1811
39 Brattle St., Harvard Square, 617-491-1811
5
The Garment District
This famous Cambridge vintage warehouse is broken down into several departments, but to our mind there are only two that matter. Those who like a good dig should hit the ground floor's Dollar-a-Pound (where the owners estimate they sell several million pounds of apparel a year) before heading upstairs to the women's section, where a trove of about 40,000 pieces awaits. They're all neatly sorted by color and style, which makes it easier to take in the sheer mass of offerings. And almost everything is under $15.
200 Broadway, Cambridge, 617-876-5230
200 Broadway, Cambridge, 617-876-5230
6
Grand
Occupying a palatial former auto garage in up-and-coming Somerville, this newcomer is owned by three record-label veterans who were all born within four days of each other. Maybe this bit of fortuitousness explains why their tastes are so uncannily similar: Cleverly designed finds abound, like doorstops cast after roller skates, molded plastic lamps, and Tobias Wong's sun jars.
374 Somerville Ave., Somerville, 617?623-2429, grandthestore.com
374 Somerville Ave., Somerville, 617?623-2429, grandthestore.com
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