In this season of gift-giving, it is important to note that, while PVD is known as an arts mecca, there is no shortage of shopping sanctuaries nestled among the cliches of capitalist consumerism. Hidden in plain sight are unique retail experiences in this urban oasis of urbane artists and free thinkers. Some bear a local flair with touches of the familiar, repackaged into something entirely new. Others are timeless, long-standing institutions that harken back to another era. Let’s start in the very heart of this vibrant city, at the very first indoor shopping center/mall in the country. The Arcade Providence, built in 1828, was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976. It is a marvel of Greek Revival architecture with its stoic stone pillars at both entrances (Westminster and Weybosset Streets) that seem to hold up the entire arched structure. Inside, the elegant colosseum aesthetic resonates throughout its three floors of mixed use, residential and commercial space.
Tucked away on the first floor is an easy-to-miss shop by the name of Lovecraft Arts and Sciences. As the name implies, this bookstore/ gift shop is filled to the brim with oddities, celebrating the macabre and the weird, while paying homage to Rhode Island’s own sorcerer of the strange, HP himself. This may be the perfect stop for the hard-to-shopfor offbeat oddball on your holiday shopping list. If kitsch is more your kink, then a hike up College Hill may be worth the trip. Pleasant Surprise at 297 Thayer Street is a quirky collection of eclectic gifts that marry contemporary and nostalgic. There are giggle-worthy kitchen gadgets, ironic socks galore, and even some local merch showcasing Providence splayed across t-shirts, mugs, and postcards, all part of being the spiritual successor to OOP, long a Thayer St staple.
A short walk further down Thayer you’ll find Spectrum India. This hodgepodge storefront houses an assortment of new age goodies like tarot cards, incense, crystals, and energy stones. There’s also clothing, jewelry, and a selection of pipes. Just a hop downhill, the city’s West End plays host to a growing and vibrant artsy enclave. Rocket to Mars, at the very start of Broadway leaving downtown, is a funky, vintage antique store with items from the 1920s through the early 1990s. This quaint shop sets the tone for the remainder of Broadway where shops, eateries, and cafes line either side. It’s worth noting here that there is another, massive vintage/antiques store just a short drive away in Pawtucket.
While a ten-minute drive may seem like an eternity by Rhode Island standards, the RI Antiques Mall just off of route 95 is a potential treasure trove of nostalgia for that elusive gift and boasts the title of New England’s largest antique shop. If there is a finicky foodie on your shopping list, maybe a trip a few blocks over to famed Federal Hill is in order. Tony’s Colonial Food is a longstanding landmark to get all fresh ingredients like meats, pasta, cheeses, olive oils, vinegars and antipasti. If bakery goods are more what you’re looking for, there is no shortage of delectable goodies at both Pastiche Fine Desserts and Scialo Brothers on the Hill. The versatility of Providence has always been one of its greatest draws; that reflects in our assortment of small businesses. So, this holiday season consider shopping local and supporting everything that makes PVD what it is. Enjoy the season, be safe and be kind! •
