Charleston Shopping

This is a tiny little shop on the north end of the outdoor market - and I wish I'd found it sooner. They had the BEST prices for unique food/tea/beverages type things in the whole area!

They had tons of teas, hot sauces, southern mixes, dips, etc. A total assortment of wild culinary type stuff. It made for GREAT gifts!

What to buy: Charleston tea is really reasonably priced here. Skip where they're sold in the outdoor market and go to Gita's!

In general if you're looking for deep south specialty foods then this is the place for you.

What to pay: Way less than for the same stuff at the outdoor stalls.

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The Brass Pirate is Charleston's ONLY Pirate Shop!!

Not only is there a huge selection of pirate stuff (of course,) but the shop also has a treasure hunt you can purchase that will walk you around Charleston. Although I didn't do this tour I heard a bunch of good stuff about it.

I highly recommend stopping here. It was a great place to wander around and pick up some pirate-type gifts.

Open daily from 10am - 5pm.

What to buy: They have a huge collection of statues, bottle holders, spy glasses, telescopes, unique pirate memorabilia, a wide verity of brass stuff, compasses, knot boards, clocks, oil paintings and a billion different pirate t-shirts. Ok, maybe not a billion but it's close.

What to pay: Pretty cheap actually, compared to many of the other touristy type places in the Historic district.

A great little place that seemed classier than most stores surrounding it's location. They had a wide variety of Charleston gifts and an outstanding collection of art and jewelry. They sell both gifts and more collectible pieces. The shop is locally owned and operated.

The service was great and we felt really appreciated for our patronage. I highly recommend this stop.

What to buy: Charleston Gate Jewelry is fantastic!! Although a touch on the pricey side, these items are crafted to resemble various gates and ironwork across the city. A very unique gift for those hard to shop for friends back home.

What to pay: The Gate Jewelry can be anywhere from USD$45-100, but you can get a really nice silver brooch for about USD$30 with a signature Charleston magnolia.

This is a clothing shop for men, women and kids: over runs and seconds from catalogue companies. There aren't many bargains on King Street. This is one of the few.

What to buy: Ooops is fun shop to check out. I've seen brands from The Gap to Eddie Bauer to you name it. It changes all of the time and prices are dirt cheap. Clothing for women, men and kids...even shoes sometimes.

What to pay: Anywhere from $5 to $35

Ross is a well known network of stores selling unexpensive clothing for women, men and children. They can have also house holding and other things like luggages. Twice, I made a bargain buying suitcases by Ross at the third of the regular price.
The most part of the clothes are ugly but it is possible to find some good bargain for few dollars. The female customers use a cart to gather all they buy.

A tip : near the entrance, close to the cash desks, there are the great brands.

Mon-Sat 9:30am-9:30pm
Sun 11:00am-7:00pm

What to pay: Few

Aaah.... Bob Ellis, how best to describe the shoe store that has catered to at least three generations of my family? As you pass the shop, you look in the window and see the magic names: Manolo, Jimmy, Marc, Stuart, Prada....etc, etc, etc. It is difficult for many outsiders to understand the selection of fine ladies shoes available here, with such a vast array of styles.

Your curiousity piqued, you walk into the store and start looking at the shelves of shoes lining the wall. As you pick up the first pair that really gets you, a polite man comes over and offers his assistance. You point to that pair, and that pair, and that pair as he follows your progression around the wall of shoes. At last, your work done, you take a seat in one of teh upholstered chairs and wait for him to come back wiht oyur requests....

And he comes back with boxes and boxes and boxes--first showing you teh ones you asked for, and then pulling out "some other pairs from the back I thought you might enjoy." Sheer heaven, but incredibly dangerous to your pocketbook. However, a few times of year, you will be lucky, and as you sit, he will whisper the magic words "of course, they ARE on sale..." Mmmmm...

What to buy: In addition to the fine selection of shoes, they also have a nice array of desinger handbags to complement your look. There are mens shoes as well, but I don't really botehr with that whole side of the store.

What to pay: How much will you spend? I suppose that will depend on your appetite for shoes and your credit limit :)

The shops along King Street provide a little of something for everyone. There are shoe stores (see specifically my Bob Ellis tip), clothing stores for men and women, lingerie stores, outdoor gear stores, makeup/beauty stores, antique stores, jewelry stores, and and and and....

What to pay: Most of the shopping on King Street is higher end.

We needed a few thing that we forgot and found this Wal-Mart on James Island on 12 minutes away, so off we dashed after work. They were open until 11:00pm and got there in time and still we had plenty of time to shop. The prices were very reasonable and the service was good. Take the bridge over to James Island Take the Folly Beach Road exit and turn left and it's down on the right about 2 miles.