Best Museum Gift Shop

National Building Museum

Whether you’re exploring the museum or just looking for a great present, this shop is worth a stop. It’s a dream for fans of architecture and city planning, but there’s something for everyone, from puzzles to home goods. A few favorites: a water bottle printed with the addresses of public water fountains, a chic green vase that grows an avocado from a single pit, and a colorful set of Frank Lloyd Wright–inspired chopsticks.

Best Stationery Store

Penny Post

This Alexandria treasure trove is chock-full of beautiful greeting cards, stationery sets, planners, notebooks, ultra-chic office supplies—including high-end pens—and other gifts. The locally owned business, whose two sister shops include nearby Red Barn Mercantile and Pippin Toy Co., also hosts events—most recently, a correspondence club, a calligraphy class, and a series about fountains pens “for pen, ink, and paper nerds.”

Best Cookware Shop

Hill’s Kitchen

Just last year, this nearly 20-year-old gourmet cookware store changed hands from its original owner to two alums of the restaurants Tail Up Goat and Reveler’s Hour. A beloved neighborhood haunt, the shop offers everything you could need to outfit your kitchen, from steel pans to Staub bakeware. Learn new techniques in culinary classes—recent workshops included pasta-making, fermentation, and knife work—or join the cookbook club.

Best for Fun Gifts

Laurel Leaf

This woman-owned shop in Takoma Park houses three vendors in one location: Cheeky’s Vintage, HouseMouse Books & Vintage, and Indigro Plant Design. Inside, shoppers can browse the curated selection of used books, plants—including a DIY plant bar—and a variety of midcentury-modern home goods and vintage trinkets. (A few doors down, Tabletop has fun cards, gift bags, and wrapping paper to complete the presentation.)

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Best Kid-Friendly Stores

Because Science

A rainbow mural at the entrance of this woman-owned business declares Science is for everyone.” Shelves filled with atom-shaped earrings and make-your-own-root-beer kits prove it. Bring mini mad scientists to the Craft Lab for DIY slime and lava lamps.

Merry Pin

Messes are welcome here—after all, two of the founders are moms. There’s a crafting area where you can make friendship bracelets, paint pottery, and get glue on the table. The first floor sells art supplies and all-day breakfast at the cafe.

Labyrinth Games & Puzzles

Washington’s only store entirely dedicated to games has created a community of gamers. Weekly board-game nights, puzzle swaps, and many more events fill the calendar, offering options for enthusiasts of all levels.

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Best Retail Hybrid

Craft Cafes

Dov & Company

Shop products from local, women-owned small businesses, then head to the crafting area to make your own bespoke items, from decoden phone cases and hair clips to a bouquet of crochet flowers.

Relume

The Capitol Hill shop—with cheeky products such as Twilight matchbooks and astrology nail stickers—expanded to make more space for the build-your-own-charm-jewelry bar with fun trinkets and square Italian-style baubles.

We Make DC

The local maker store Shop Made in DC is running a yearlong pop-up celebrating the city’s creatives. Join their ranks and craft postcards, bracelets, and tote bags adorned with patches.

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Best Vintage Trend

Pop-Ups Go Permanent

Our stylish vintage scene continues to grow, and a number of pop-ups moved into brick-and-mortar spaces this year—a sign that the new wave of vintage vendors is here to stay, together. Stop into the cobalt-and-lime former bank building in Union Market to browse 18 vendors at Vintage Vintage Vintage (Union Market). Owners Rajni Rao and Libby Rasmussen also organize massive markets, including one dedicated to bridalwear. Five retailers came together in the onetime Meeps Vintage space to open Golden Hour Collective (Adams Morgan) , a one-stop shop for secondhand home goods, Y2K fashion, and tea accoutrements. Another Adams Morgan storefront, in the former Miss Pixie’s space, is now home to the funky vendors of Garlic Girl Vintage (Adams Morgan).

Best Zero-Proof Bottle Shops

When Gigi Arandid opened Binge on H Street in 2023, it was the first alcohol-free bar in the city. The scene has since expanded, and Binge remains a destination for an evening of cocktails and wine followed by a hangover-free morning. “Not a lot of people knew that trailblazers in the NA community either lived in Washington or are from the DMV,” says Arandid. “But now that’s a known fact.”

Beyond Binge, Arandid recommends a few places to shop for great nonalcoholic options. One of her go-to brands at the bar is Bare Zero Proof, which she gets from High Spirits on H Street. Arandid has also found success at larger chains. She’s a fan of both the wine and spirits stock at the Potomac Yard location of Total Wine, where Arandid enjoys scanning the shelves to discover new products. “I think Total Wine is an ultimate ‘go’ for you to tap into brands,” she says. It also offers CBD and THC options. For a solid selection of just wine, Arandid is checking out the shelves at Trader Joe’s. “This is where I discovered Mionetto, which is a nonalcoholic sparkling wine from Italy. I use it mainly to top our spritzes and mimosas.” She praises the quality and affordable prices. Beyond the bottles of grape, she likes Trader Joe’s seasonal fermented fruit drinks and sparkling teas for alcohol-free cocktails. For a wine direct from producers, Arandid’s current favorites are the zero-proof hemp and CBD wines from the Gloucester, Virginia, farm River Organics, which can be ordered online.

This article appears in the July 2026 issue of Washingtonian.