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Nantucket is home to an impressive array of shops and boutiques to satisfy the most eclectic tastes, from the traditional to the whimsical. Many stores are small and independently owned, ensuring that you’ll receive a rare level of personal attention while browsing for the perfect souvenir or a fabulous gift for that special someone back home.

One of the fun facts about shopping on Nantucket is that a large number of shops on Centre Street downtown were once run by women who were responsible for commerce in the 19th century as many of the men were either whaling or otherwise engaged at sea. This is why the upper portion of Centre Street is also known as Petticoat Row.

Browsing through the stores on island you will discover that many offer hand crafted items and one-of-a-kind pieces of art. During the first half of the twentieth century Nantucket was home to a well known art colony. Artists traveled to the island from the eastern seaboard and beyond to study and produce art. This tradition lives on through the painters, weavers, potters, jewelers and furniture makers who create one-of-a-kind heirlooms and treasures.

You are likely to encounter a Nantucket lightship basket in some form as you shop. There are four distinctive elements that define a Nantucket lightship basket. The basket is woven on a mold; the staves are made of rattan; the weavers are of cane; and the basket has a solid wood base. Baskets with these characteristics developed on Nantucket during the course of the nineteenth century. While the precise origins of these baskets is not known, they have become a lovely symbol of Nantucket and her history. There are a few basket makers on island today who continue to hand craft these iconic baskets which you can find in better boutiques. You can also find the basket in jewelry form at various jewelry stores.

Antiques shops abound, featuring nautical pieces such as sailor’s trunks, scrimshaw, maps, paintings, and lightship baskets paying homage to Nantucket’s rich maritime history. You’ll marvel at the myriad opportunities to windowshop or purchase a unique piece of history on this island with a past that is ever-present.

The following merchant section of the guidebook shows the diversity of businesses serving the island. In addition to gifts you’ll find all of your practical needs can be met. We have everything from fishing gear to plants, and paint to cleaning supplies.