MV shopping by town: Bunch of Grapes, Vineyard Vines origin story, Black Dog history, glassblowing, thrift shops, and no chain stores.
No Target, no Walmart, no malls: Martha's Vineyard is one of New England's last great holdouts against chain retail. Every purchase supports a local business, many run by families for generations. From the Black Dog t-shirt to hand-blown glass pumpkins from a West Tisbury barn studio, this guide covers every major shopping district by town.
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The shops along Beach Road, the working end of Vineyard Haven's retail strip.
The island's most reliable shopping town: many shops stay open 12 months because it's a year-round ferry port. Main Street runs uphill from the harbor.
King’s Barber Shop, a local favorite in Vineyard Haven
Since 1964. Publishers Weekly Bookseller of the Year 2003. Owners Molly and Brendan Coogan (since 2022). 20,000–30,000 titles winter, expanding to 40,000–60,000 summer. Resident cat Bookmark. Author events multiple times/week in summer. Year-round. bunchofgrapes.indielite.org
Founded 1913 by Lithuanian immigrant cobbler Judal Brickman. 110+ years continuous operation. Three floors: footwear, clothing, sporting goods, toys (LEGO, puzzles), hats, proprietary "Brickred" line. Year-round. brickmans.com
Founded 1966 by Cheryl Barbara Stark. Nearly 60 years, repeatedly "Best Jeweler" on MV. Vineyard Charms, Nautical, Seaglass, Jaws 50th Anniversary collection. Sterling silver from ~$95, mid-range $195–650, fine $2,995+. Custom design and repair. Year-round VH, seasonal Edgartown. cbstark.com
LeRoux at Home (62 Main St): 3 floors kitchen/home goods since 1998, year-round. Rainy Day (66 Main St): "way better than touristy crap," gifts/jewelry/home, year-round. Lennox and Harvey: design-forward general store, 51% Black-owned, NYT featured. The Seven Sisters: Boston Magazine "Best of Boston." The Green Room: surf/skate/sportswear 30+ years. Louisa Gould Gallery: fine art, year-round.
Second Nature at Eden (427 State Road): the old Eden garden center, bought from Donaroma's in 2024 and reopened in spring 2025 by landscape designer Renée Clermont. Native and pollinator plants outside; inside, a gift shop they call the She Shed, with baskets, seeds, local honey, cut flowers and work by island artists. Seasonal, open into mid-October.
The She Shed at Second Nature at Eden: baskets in the rafters, local honey, seeds, island artists and the autumn stock arriving in early September.
Closed: Midnight Farm (Carly Simon's boutique, closed 2016 after 20 years). Bramhall and Dunn (closed 2011).
The island's busiest shopping strip: quarter-mile from harbor past the Flying Horses Carousel. More casual, more eclectic, generally more affordable than Edgartown.
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The most upscale shopping town. White-columned whaling captains' homes frame boutiques, galleries, and national brands.
Brothers Shep and Ian Murray quit their Manhattan jobs the same day in 1998, sold 800 ties from a backpack in one MV weekend, and built a brand reaching $476M in sales and ~$1B valuation. First real store opened here July 4, 2005. Now 100+ national locations. Ties $55–85, polos $90–125, tees $40–55. Seasonal on MV.
Two floors in an 1880 Victorian building. Vineyard-author section, porch signings. Companion Behind the Bookstore café: hidden courtyard, lavender lattes, "most delicious cookies." Year-round.
Portobello Road (4 Dock St): eclectic, packed-to-the-rafters shop, "possibly my favorite store in the world." Katydid (38 Main St): women's boutique, MV pajamas. Eisenhauer Gallery: 40+ contemporary artists, weekly summer dance parties. Old Sculpin Gallery (58 Dock St): MV Art Association since 1954, building was the model for Quint's shack in Jaws. Respoke: designer scarves repurposed into espadrilles.
Captain Robert Douglas sketched a building on a napkin in 1969, opened The Black Dog Tavern on New Year's Day 1971. Named for his black Lab-Boxer mix. The brand exploded when Bill Clinton was photographed jogging in a Black Dog t-shirt. Then the Starr Report documented Clinton buying Black Dog merchandise for Monica Lewinsky.
Douglas died April 23, 2025, age 93. His legacy: ~7 MV locations (Tavern, bakeries, general stores across VH, OB, Edgartown). Prices: tees $34, hoodies $76–98, hats $34–48. theblackdog.com
Alley's General Store (State Rd): "Dealers in Almost Everything" since 1858. Oldest retail on MV. Owned by Vineyard Trust since 1993. Still a functioning U.S. Post Office. Penny candy, clam rakes, peacock feathers. Opens 7 AM, year-round.
Farmers Market: 40–50+ vendors, Agricultural Hall, Sat (Jun–Oct) + Wed (Jun–Aug), 9 AM–noon. Granary Gallery (636 Old County Rd): oldest/largest MV gallery in a red barn, 75+ artists including Benton, Wyeth, Eisenstaedt. Year-round. MV Glassworks (683 State Rd): watch glassblowing live, famous glass pumpkins, year-round.
The Chilmark General Store, up-island shopping in its entirety and all the better for it.
Salt Rock Chocolate Co.: successor to Chilmark Chocolates (closed 2019). Sisters Allison and Sarah Flanders, mentored at original shop. Handmade at Beetlebung Farm stand (410 Middle Rd) + Farmers Market. Beetlebung Farm: expanded farmstand Nov 2024, bread from freshly milled grain, year-round.
Larsen's Fish Market (Menemsha): since 1969, lobster rolls at sunset. Seasonal. Aquinnah Cliffs: Wampanoag-owned shops selling wampum jewelry and crafts made by tribal artisans. The cliffs themselves are sacred and protected; taking clay is illegal for visitors. Aquinnah Shop purchased back into Wampanoag ownership for $2M (2023–24).
Inside the Chicken Alley thrift shop. Every visit is a different inventory.
Chicken Alley Thrift Shop (38 Lagoon Pond Rd, VH): operated by MV Community Services since 1962, recently renovated/expanded. Clothing to furniture, plus a rack of second-hand bikes out front. Year-round; hours on the door are Tue 10–7, Wed–Fri 10–5, Sat 10–4, closed Sun–Mon, with customer parking at Veterans Park. ACT TWO (66 Main St, VH): nonprofit funding arts, $38K+ in grants distributed. Trader Fred's (249D Edgartown–VH Rd): discount warehouse, designer jeans, beach gear, cigars. Thu–Sat only, 10 AM–4 PM. Chilmark Flea Market: Wed and Sat, 50+ years, mid-Jun–early Sep. Summer staff buy their bikes here; our seasonal worker guide explains.
The Thrift Shop on Chicken Alley, established in 1962 to benefit MV Community Services, on a wet September morning.
The fleet: six shopping carts in six colors, parked out front for whoever is buying furniture that day.
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