If any place exemplifies the pleasures of shopping locally, it’s Ouimille.
The stores, in Cambridge and Boston, feel like a creative fête, a 24/7 kaleidoscopic fashion week array of audacious clothing and accessories. It’s a creative environment that inspires you to just break out, dang it, and buy those hot pink Parisian pumps—for your mother.
Every item on display has been curated. “We work with smaller vendors and designers from across the globe to find pieces that are both statements and fundamental, fun staples,” says owner Millicent Cutler (hence the store name, pronounced wee-Milly.) “Some of the pieces are one-of-a-kind, or from a small run. But we don’t have a giant supply anyway, so that means something from Ouimille will not show up elsewhere” in Greater Boston.
Cutler ventured into fashion retail in 2016, opening pop-up spots with European jewelry, home goods, and a line of denim. The company, run by a close-knit team, has since expanded into clothing, handbags, shoes, and other accessories, many of which are produced by young or emerging designers. Ouimille recently featured wildly unique shoes and clothing by Boston designer Mauryn Kkira (who is soon opening her own shop in Cambridge). Cutler also highlights Airy Heights Design, a fine-art line of nature-themed jewelry by Bermudan Elisa Stubbs. “With us, you’re not just buying locally,” Cutler points out, “but original items.” Moreover, sales support a creative business venture that employs artistic young people passionate about art and fashion. For specific gifts this season, look for “cute clutches, knit beanie and scarf sets, and some fun underwear and bralet sets we just got in from Italy,” Cutler suggests, “and oversized tote bags that make a great present for the holidays and zipping around.”
Not far from Ouimille’s Huron Village location are the eclectic items at RESIDE. The classic modern home goods and furniture store is among the clutch of small businesses along Concord Avenue, in the Observatory Hill neighborhood. RESIDE features rare, artful objects reflecting high-quality workmanship. “A big part of what we do,” says store manager Chloe Larochelle, “is work with local families, and many of the pieces that come through our doors have been in Cambridge for a long time. I think it’s really special to keep those items here and preserve their story.” The company, celebrating its twentieth year in business, offers a wide selection—from jewelry, vases, glassware, pottery, and candlesticks to rugs, lamps, pillows, and both folk and fine art from Africa, Asia, and America—along with mid-century and antique furniture. (If someone on your list wants a graceful George Nelson walnut coffee table, this is the place to go.) Because the new objects are rotated into the store weekly, arranged displays can look like museum exhibitions. “A lot of the items we are fortunate to see once,” Larochelle says, “and never see it again.”
Environmentally, the benefits of buying vintage items are clear. Everything at RESIDE “already exists in the world, which speaks to sustainability,” she notes. “We also refinish a lot of pieces and breathe new life into things that would otherwise probably be thrown away. Things are all beautifully made, either of solid wood or sometimes just out of materials you can’t get anymore—and using craftsmanship you can’t get any more unless you pay an arm and a leg to a local fine carpenter.”
RESIDE and Ouimille and other locally owned shops in that neck of Cambridge—including the Matthew Feldman Gallery, GreyMist Studio and Shop, Bryn Mawr Books, Cambridge Mercantile, Formaggio Kitchen, Hi-Rise Bread Company, and the restaurants La Royal and Talulla—celebrate the season with food, drinks, and festivities during the thirteenth annual Observatory Hill and Huron Village Holiday Stroll, slated for early December.
Formaggio Kitchen is a well-known hub for holiday food and drinks—wine, cheese, and chocolates are always appreciated gifts. For other locally made treats, goods, and gifts, try the Boston Public Market (a block from the Haymarket MBTA station). The more than 30 vendors include Peterman’s Boards and Bowls (all made from fallen trees), Curio Spice Co., and Parlott Chocolatier, which sells handcrafted truffles, barks, bars, and Brazilian brigadeiros (made with sweetened condensed milk).
For tea-lovers, or those venturing into alternatives to coffee, MEM Tea offers a tour of the contemporary tea trade. Buy online or go to the Somerville store, talk with knowledgeable staffers, and choose from more than a hundred artisanal varieties, from small-scale growers in China, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Japan, India, and Nepal. From earthy pu-erhs and unusual oolongs to ceremonial-grade matchas and chai blends, there’s probably something here for everyone on your list.
Bibliophiles can still find a trove of independent booksellers in Greater Boston. Saunter through Harvard Square Books and Porter Square Books, in Cambridge, perusing the selections, enjoying the thrill of finding much more of interest than you even knew to look for. Sterile, online book-shopping pales by comparison—especially when meandering through Beacon Hill Books & Café on Charles Street. Opened in 2022, this charming store fills four floors of a historic brownstone (with ample restored historic architectural details) that once housed a globe-maker. The café—serving breakfast, lunch, supper, and a traditional high tea on Sundays (reservations required)—covers the ground floor, and some 10,000 volumes are shelved throughout other cozy rooms, including sections devoted to food, art, and children.
Seasonal artisan markets, highlighting unique hand-crafted gifts, abound—and customers can feel good about supporting the region’s creative economy. The annual Harvard Ceramics Program Winter Show and Sale, December 12-15, offers works by more than a hundred artists, from dinnerware, sculptures, and wall hangings to ornaments, vases, and jewelry. At the Harvard Square Holiday Fairs, one of the longest-running such events in New England, find a variety of regional craftspeople and curated goods from around the world (December 13-15 and December 20-22).
The most dynamic holiday fair in Boston is the SoWa Winter Festival, open every day from November 29 through December 22. In its ninth year, in the city’s South End neighborhood, the festival spans indoor and outdoor locations, along with Thayer Street’s artist studios, galleries, shops, and showrooms. “We strive to spotlight [some of] the region’s best makers, artists, designers, and specialty food vendors, all in the name of bringing the community together,” says community events manager Aleksis Melo. “Cultivating community is our mission.” The historic SoWa Power Station hosts some 109 artists selling wares—from witty cards and posters, glassware, and beauty products to fine-art photography, jewelry, and clothing—within the palatial space amid celebratory sparkling lights. Also on hand are holiday-themed cocktails with hot food and snacks—like crêpes, empanadas, and soft pretzels.
“The ‘winter wonderland’ continues,” Melo notes, “in the 500 Harrison Ave. courtyard, with our beer garden (beer, wine, cider) and holiday-themed food trucks.” Adjacent to that, and integral to the SoWa arts scene, are a group of arts-related studios and stores on Thayer Street. Look, too, for the D’s Keys’ interactive, dueling pianos show, where performers and audience members alike let their vocal selves loose on the crowd. Spending a day, or even just a few hours, at the SoWa festival is an ideal excursion for anyone to find special gifts, to interact with artists and, in general, as Melo suggests, to “soak up the seasonal cheer.”