Shops in Grasmere
Grasmere is rightly famed for its illustrious literary connections, but this picturesque village is full of lovely independent shops for you to browse in too.
From locally sourced food and drink to unique gifts and souvenirs
You can find shops selling everything from locally sourced food and drink to unique gifts and souvenirs along its winding streets – and not forgetting the world-famous Grasmere Gingerbread. You can’t miss the shop when you get to Grasmere – just follow your nose.
Herdy
Taking inspiration from the Lake District’s iconic Herdwick sheep, Herdy design and create all their gifts, homewares and accessories from scratch at Herdy HQ in Kendal. Their shop in Grasmere was their first and is open every day.
Herdy also support sustainable, rural community and upland fell farming through the Herdyfund – so not only will you be buying a lovely souvenir to take home, you’ll be helping Cumbria’s rural communities too.
Herdwick at Grasmere Gather
Another Grasmere shop inspired by the hardy Herdwick sheep that roam the fells of Cumbria is Herdwick – they make and sell bags, accessories, cushions and caps woven from the wool of the breed so loved by Beatrix Potter and you can now find them in their new home at Grasmere Gather, where you can also find products from lots of other local artisan producers and makers under one roof.
What a lovely way to take a piece of the Lake District home with you.
Grasmere Gingerbread Shop
Food-lovers travel from far and wide to visit the Grasmere Gingerbread Shop and try their wares, and with good reason. It’s unlike any other gingerbread you will have tasted – a spicy, sweet, chewy cross between a cake and a biscuit – and Sarah Nelson’s Victorian recipe, which is still used today, is a closely guarded secret.
You’ll know you’re in the right place when you see the queue of people outside and smell the gorgeous gingery aroma wafting down the street.
Barney’s Newsbox
Looking for something to do on a rainy Lake District day? Look no more.
A two-floor treasure trove for puzzle lovers, Barney’s Newsbox has been in business for over thirty years and is piled high with thousands (around 30,000 to be precise) of jigsaw puzzles of all sizes on every subject as well as toys, games and Lakeland souvenirs.
The Red Gecko
Selling a range of wall art, jewellery, lighting, handbags, mosaics, and much more, this lovely independent boutique in Grasmere (they also have stores in Bowness and Keswick) showcases a wide range of thoughtfully designed and ethically made products – many of which they design themselves and then have handmade by small family businesses in Bali.
Peter Rabbit and Friends
One of several shops in the Lake District dedicated to Beatrix Potter’s much-loved characters (hop over to Keswick, Bowness or Hawkshead to find the others), Peter Rabbit and Friends in Grasmere is a Potter-lovers paradise.
Alongside all the books and toys inspired by Peter and his friends, you’ll also find a wide range of family-friendly games, crafts and activities to get young imaginations fired up.
Osprey Gifts & Interiors
You won’t go short of places to buy gifts in Grasmere, but happily, they all have something different to offer.
Osprey Gifts & Interiors sells a selection of hand-picked classic gifts alongside more on-trend items for the home from its charming shop in the centre of Grasmere.
You can find all manner of lamps, mirrors, ornaments, jewellery and all those lovely finishing touches that make a home more homely.
Sam Read Bookseller
Proudly independent since Sam Read first opened it in 1887, Sam Read Bookseller stayed in the Read family’s hands until 1950. And while the Reads are no longer involved, this much-loved Grasmere bookshop still bears Sam’s name.
It’s only small inside but it still manages to cram its shelves with a pleasingly wide range of titles. You will find Wordsworth and Wainwright, of course, but you’ll also find the latest titles, classics, poetry and a good selection of Lake District-themed fiction and non-fiction.
Loved by locals, it also attracts visitors from around the globe who come to browse in a bookshop that surely boasts one of the most dramatic locations in the world.
Broadgate House
Grasmere
LA22 9SY
Open daily, 10 am–1 pm, 1:30–5 pm
The Chocolate Cottage
Not a cottage made of chocolate (more’s the pity) but a lovely little family-run shop selling handmade artisanal chocolates, fudge, gifts and more.
To get your taste buds twitching, here are just a few of the flavours you can find at The Chocolate Cottage: Marzipan Dark Choc; Mint Fondant Dark Choc; Banoffee Milk Choc; Sticky Toffee Dark Choc, and Salted Caramel Milk Choc… all sound rather scrumptious, don’t they?
They also stock a wide range of sweets and Kendal Mint Cake – perfect fuel for the fells.
Lakes Art Gallery
If you want to pick up some Lake District-inspired artwork to hang on your wall at home, then a browse round the Lakes Art Gallery is in order.
They’ve been in business for over 40 years and stock original paintings, fine art prints and photographs by a wide range of artists who’ve taken their inspiration from the natural beauty of the Lakes.
They also sell a selection of animal-themed bronze sculptures and other items.
Broadgate
Grasmere
LA22 9TA
Open daily, Mon-Fri 11am-4pm, Sat & Sun 11am-5pm
The LAkes Crafts and Antiques Gallery
We think you’ll find it hard to come away empty-handed from The Lakes Crafts and Antiques Gallery.
It’s filled to the rafters with a cornucopia of gifts and collectables – pre-loved and vintage items, toys and books, jams and relishes, cameras and photographic equipment, old and new jewellery, old postcards and new cards for all occasions, paintings and other artworks, musical instruments and much more.
Laid out like an old Victorian indoor market with separate themed units, there really is something for everyone inside.
The Lakes Crafts and Antiques Gallery website >
3 Oakbank
Broadgate
Grasmere
LA22 9TA
Open daily, Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 11am-3pm
Heaton Cooper Studio
A perfect pit-stop for art-loving visitors to Grasmere, the Heaton Cooper Studio is home to paintings by the Heaton Cooper family of artists, including many stunning views of the English Lake District.
With three galleries to explore, and a changing programme of exhibitions in the museum and garden, you can also buy framed, loose or mounted prints of the works on show, or just a postcard to take away as a souvenir.
They also sell a huge range of art supplies and elegantly designed homeware – and when you’re done, you can tuck into some tasty food at Mathilde’s, the on-site café.
Beck Steps Gallery
Run by an art-loving husband and wife team (Matthew and Caroline), the Beck Steps Gallery specialises in high-quality art and craftwork by artists and makers from Cumbria and around the UK.
You can expect to find ceramics, original artworks, prints, sculptures, mirrors, jewellery, silk scarves, hand-printed textiles, lampshades, slate products and lots more besides in their charming gallery.
And they must be doing something right as they’ve just opened a sister shop in Hawkshead.
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