Shopping

The Church Street Marketplace is one of the more notable success stories of downtown development. Situated along 4 blocks that extend southward from the elegant 1816 Congregational church, the marketplace buzzes with the sort of downtown energy that makes urban planners everywhere envious. While the marketplace has been discovered by the national chains (Banana Republic, Borders, Pier 1, Eddie Bauer), it still makes room for used-book vendors and homegrown shops. In summer, leave time to be entertained by drummers, pan-flutists, buskers, and knots of young folks just hanging out. Most of the shops listed are either in the marketplace or within walking distance downtown.