For individual listings of stores, go to https://www.frommers.com/destinations/washington-d-c/shopping

Antiques

Georgetown, Adams Morgan, and the U and 14th Street Corridors all have concentrations of visit-worthy antiques stores.

Art Galleries

Art galleries used to center on the Dupont Circle neighborhood but now are scattered throughout the city. 

Beauty

The city’s best hair salons and cosmetic stores are in Georgetown, while spas are more evenly scattered throughout the city. The listings are a sampling of recommended places to go for beauty treatments and products.

Books

A funny thing is happening in the capital: Real live bookstores are on the rise!

Children's Clothing

Also consider Macy’s at 1201 G St. NW (tel. 202/628-6661), in the Penn Quarter; and GapKids at 1258 Wisconsin Ave. NW (tel. 202/333-2657) in Georgetown, and at 664 11th St. NW (tel. 202/347-0258) in the Penn Quarter.

Men’s & Women’s Clothing

See the “Great Shopping Areas” section if you’re interested in such chain stores as Urban Outfitters, Gap, Brooks Brothers, or H&M. Our individual shop listings speak more to the fashion zeitgeist of D.C. 

Gift Shops/Souvenirs

Washington’s museum shops hold a treasure trove of unusual gifts. Right now I’m loving the set of coffee mugs I bought my husband for Christmas at the Folger Shakespeare Library gift shop. They’re covered in Shakespeare quotes, both for when you’re in a foul mood (“Bolting-hutch of beastliness,” “Thou art a boil, a plague sore”) and for when you’re feelin’ the love (“Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs”). I’ve always had a weakness for the shop at the National Building Museum, which is jammed with surprising, useful, and cleverly designed housewares and interesting games, including bookends embossed with Celtic designs, Bauhaus mobiles, and collapsible strainers. And I can never visit the National Gallery of Art without lingering a little while in the store to admire captivating catalogue books, notecards, posters, children’s games, and a slew of other things. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art has unusual items from all over Africa, but I especially liked the interesting designs of the colorful dishtowels, handbags, and headbands from Ghana. And then there’s the woman-centric National Museum of Women in the Arts gift shop, which has fab Frida Kahlo candles and leaning lady bookends. Also check out the White House Historical Association Gift Shops at Decatur House (1610 H St. NW, tel 202/218-4337), around the corner from Decatur House, (740 Jackson Place, on Lafayette Square, tel 202/218-4315), and at the White House Visitor Center, at 1450 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. The shops sell interesting memorabilia, such as the White House Christmas tree ornament newly designed each year, and sundry items related to the White House and its history. 

See also Eastern Market (weekend artisans sell excellent take-home gifts, such as Mary Belcher’s Washington watercolors), and Hill’s Kitchen.

Gourmet Goodies to Go

Demanding jobs and hectic schedules leave Washingtonians less and less time to prepare their own meals. Or so they say. At any rate, a number of fine-food shops and bakeries are happy to come to the rescue. Even the busiest bureaucrat can find the time to pop into one of these gourmet shops for a movable feast.

Home Furnishings

You may not have come to Washington to shop for housewares or furnishings, but step inside the shops of Cady’s Alley or Home Rule and you may change your mind.

 

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.