16 Best Places to Shop in Northern Vermont, Vermont

This nonprofit collective and gallery sells contemporary and traditional crafts, paintings, and photographs by more than 200 Vermont artists and artisans.

This factory store has great deals on woolen blankets, household goods, and the famous Johnson outerwear.

Although just a small storefront in downtown Montpelier, this shop counts customers as far away as Hawaii, thanks to owner Lauren Andrew's masterful concoctions of lotions, oils, and aromatics. Her CBD- (cannabidiol-) infused versions are particularly popular.

Opened in 1978, this craft gallery celebrates and supports Vermont's craft community. The store sells jewelry, textiles, sculptures, and paintings by more than 120 local artists.

Old-fashioned village bookstores don't get more cute and quaint than this, and locals work hard to keep it that way by actively embracing the printed word. A community hangout, the nearly 50-year-old shop hosts numerous readings by authors, workshops, and book clubs, as well as a significant section of Vermont writers.

The folks who started this quintessential Vermont company also helped start snowboarding. The flagship store sells equipment and clothing.

In addition to shelves of Vermont-made jams, mustards, crackers, and maple products, the store features a long central table with samples of a dozen Cabot cheeses.

Once a Broadway pro, Dawn Wagner turned her artistic talents to chocolate when she took over this sweet Vergennes biz after moving back to Vermont in 2016. Barks, clusters, caramels, and other confections are all made within view before filling the glass case; the honey sponge toffee's secret ingredient is honey from Wagner's family's own hives.

Cob-smoked ham, aged cheddar cheese, maple syrup made on-site, and other well-crafted specialty foods can be sampled here. You can also visit the smokehouse and sugarhouse, which offers educational videos explaining the process and a display of sap-collecting tools through the years. Be sure to try the maple creemee, using Dakin's own maple syrup, when it's in season.

The boisterous blooms in this flower shop come from its nearby farm, where they're sustainably grown; bouquets are for sale along with a lovely selection of housewares, gifts, and the card you forgot to get ahead of time.

It should come as no surprise that this bookstore is notable for its whimsy and carefully curated children's section: one of the founders is a picture-book author, and the other is a stand-up comedian.

One of Vermont's most skilled and distinctive potters welcomes visitors to his shop and studio in downtown Waterbury. A few apartments are also available to rent in the guesthouse.

This chocolatier makes sensational truffles, caramels, candies, and fudge. The chocolates are all-natural, made in Vermont, and make a great edible souvenir. Its flagship store now boasts a big café with house-made pastries, chocolate cake, ice cream sundaes, espresso drinks and decadent hot chocolates. A retail branch is also on Church Street.

This European-style chocolate boutique combines Swiss-trained chocolatier, premier Belgian equipment, a minimalist’s eye for detail, and a family-owned mentality. Owners Laura and Kevin Toohey and their children, co-founders Rowan and Virginia Toohey, spotlight their chocolate craftsmanship with delights like cocoa-dusted almonds, chocolate-covered candied orange peel, and uniquely beautiful seasonal truffles.

As you enter this store, you'll feel as though you've stepped back in time. Walk past the potbelly stove and take in the aroma emanating from the fudge neatly piled behind huge antique glass cases, alongside a vast selection of penny candies and chocolates. There are creemees, of course, but here the specialties are candles, weather vanes, glassware, and local foods.

Greensboro-based Jasper Hill Farm doesn't have its own retail shop, but this everything-but-the-kitchen-sink country store is the next best thing, with a huge selection of the artisan cheesemaker's award-winning raw-milk cheeses at prices even locals love. Family owned for five generations, the store stocks Vermont-made Darn Tough socks, picnic provisions, and Hill Farmstead beer, too.