Shopping

The Pier, at the end of 2nd Avenue Northeast, houses more than a dozen boutiques and crafts shops; but nearby Beach Drive, running along the waterfront, is one of the most fashionable downtown strolling and shopping venues. Here you'll find the Glass Canvas Gallery, at 4th Avenue NE (tel. 727/821-6767), featuring a dazzling array of glass sculpture, tableware, art, and crafts items by local, national, and international artists. Red Cloud, between 1st and 2nd avenues (tel. 727/821-5824), is an oasis for Native American crafts, including jewelry, headdresses, and art.

Downtown's commercial showplace is BayWalk (tel. 727/895-9277; www.yourbaywalk.com), an open-air shopping, dining, and entertainment complex bordered by 1st and 2nd streets and 2nd and 3rd avenues north. It has a branch of Ann Taylor, Chico's, Sunglass Hut, some smaller boutiques, and a 20-screen Muvico theater.

Haslam's Book Store, 2025 Central Ave. (tel. 727/822-8616; www.haslams.com), is a favorite place to browse. Dating from 1933, its collection holds more than 350,000 volumes, making it Florida's largest bookstore. (As a perk, it is said to be haunted.)

Central Avenue is another shopping area, featuring the Gas Plant Antique Arcade, between 12th and 13th streets (tel. 727/895-0368; www.gasplantantique.com), the largest antiques mall on Florida's west coast, with more than 100 dealers displaying their wares. (Downtown has several antiques-and-collectibles dealers; get a list and map from the chamber of commerce.) The Florida Craftsmen Gallery, at 5th Street (tel. 727/821-7391; www.floridacraftsmen.net), is a showcase for the works of more than 150 Florida artisans and craftspeople specializing in jewelry, ceramics, woodwork, fiber work, glassware, paper creations, and metalwork.