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As a Cambridge real estate agent, the city squares of Cambridge, Somerville and Medford and the town centers of Arlington, Watertown and Belmont, Massachusetts are my home turf. And as a lifelong New Englander who’s lived within twenty miles of Boston most of my life, I can introduce you to other nearby towns as we search for your new home. If you’re planning to sell your home in Cambridge, MA or nearby you’ll find plenty of info about the home selling process here too. Questions? Send me an email or call me at 617-504-1737.

Holiday Shopping at Museum Shops Near Cambridge

Want to steer clear of the malls but still need to finish your Christmas shopping?  Visiting small local shops is always my preference – I’ve made the rounds in Cambridge, Belmont and Concord in the last few weeks.

Every year I try to take shopping local one step further and hit some of the local museum shops.  I’m far happier spending my dollars at a non-profit than at a big box or chain store.

Audubon Shop 

Audubon Shop in Lincoln

Audubon Shop in Lincoln

By far my favorite local non-profit gift shop is the Audubon Shop at Drumlin Farm in Lincoln.  It’s amazing how many people I can cross off my list by the time I’ve finished shopping there.

The Audubon Shop carries plenty of items for bird watchers and bird feeders but the store’s inventory goes far beyond the birding realm. There’s a very good selection of kids’ items and wonderful things for adults too.  There are household accessories, ceramics, jewelry, ornaments, books, and much more. It’s a lovely shop and kudos to the people that make the selections of what to carry in the store.  I can’t list all the treasures I found this year since my family reads this blog – but my bags were heavy when I left. 

Outside the shop there’s a butterfly garden and bird feeding / watching stations to entertain the family while you shop.

The Audubon store is located at 208 South Great Road, Lincoln, MA and is open every day until Christmas.

Orchard House Museum Store

Orchard House ConcordWhen we visited the Orchard House in Concord earlier this year I was amazed to see how the gift shop has grown. Unlike many house museums, Orchard House is open year round so the gift store is worth checking out for holiday shopping.

Most of the store’s merchandise has an Alcott or Little Women tie-in but there’s a lot more here too.  Collectibles, books, stationery, t-shirts, posters, and more fill the shop.  If you can’t make the trip to the Orchard House you can shop the catalog online.

The Orchard House museum shop is open during museum hours and is located at 399 Lexington Road, Concord, MA.

More Museum Shops

Many of the Historic New England house museums have small gift shops including the Otis House on Cambridge Street in Boston. The museum carries an excellent collection of books on historic preservation, architecture and history as well as gift items. Historic New England has an online catalog with some of their most popular items.  The Roseland Cottage ornament is on my wish list this year. 

For kids or anyone on your list with an interest in science or nature the Museum of Science gift shop is worth a visit.  You don’t need to pay museum admission to visit the gift shop.

The Museum of Fine Arts gift shop is a great place to shop for people of all ages – from kids to grandparents. Sculpture, music boxes, prints, games, jewelry, stationery, toys, books, ornaments and much more can be found here. Don’t have time to get into Boston? – you can shop the MFA online.

Seven days left… time to get shopping!

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