North Conway Village Map & Guide

January 15, 2008:
Alie in the Valley (Shopping in the Mt. Washington Valley - North Conway, NH)

Winter is in full swing here in the Valley. We have about a foot of snow in North Conway Village and more in the mountains and at all the ski areas like Wildcat and Attitash and Sunday River in Maine. Cold weather and wintry winds means one thing to moi…….I need a new wardrobe. I LOVE TO SHOP. I live in one of coolest (no pun intended) towns because there are over two hundred and fifty factory outlet and specialty shops to choose from. Everyday is a perfect day for shopping here in Mt Washington Valley.

So, I’ll start walking the streets of North Conway Village. First, I’ll come across Aaron Hats (www.getahaton.com). All the hats are reasonably priced, which makes the cute, brown, newsboy cap hard to resist. Across the street is Eastern Mountain Sports (www.ems.com) located at the Eastern Slope Inn. I would really like a new, North Face, black fleece, which would be great for this time of year. Near EMS, I see a sign for New England Charms and Imports (www.newenglandcharms.com) and I decide to take a peek. Their sterling earrings are always buy one, get one-half price, which is such a great deal! Then I think I may head over to Joe Jones (www.joejonessports.com) and look at all the great ski and snowboard gear they have on sale from such top brands as Rossignol, Atomic, Solomon, and Burton just to name a few. Once I am done there, I will cross the street and head over to Sawyer River Trading Company (www.sawyerriver.com). This store has everything you could want for kitchenware and gadgets, thousands of items actually. Nearby is Olympia Sports (www.olympiasports.com) where I may pick up some Patriots hats and tees for gifts. Then, I will head over to Zeb’s General Store (www.zebs.com) for my sweet tooth. They have one of the longest penny candy counters in the world! In fact, everything in there is made in New England. Next to Zeb’s is The Penguin Shop (www.thepenguinonline.com) - a very cool gift store with great quality items. They have jewelry and tons of penguin stuff. A couple of weeks ago I found the Happy Feet soundtrack CD there and they also have birdhouses, lawn ornaments, pottery, and so much more. This shop is awesome!

Oh my God, I am starving! I need food stat! Peaches has the best homemade soups and quiches. Elvio’s Pizza rocks! Oh gosh, I don’t know where to go. I think I’ll try the Up Country Saloon today. After lunch, I’ll head to The Sound Resort (www.thesoundresort.com) south of North Conway Village to look at their surround sound systems and get a new battery for my Verizon cell phone. Next, I’ll head to Wal-Mart (www.walmart.com). There I’ll pick up some makeup and shampoo. I’ll take a look at The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography by Sidney Poitier, which is prestigiously apart of Oprah’s book club and go to the movie section and look for The Departed. From Wal-Mart I’ll walk to Settlers’ Green (www.settlersgreen.com), which has a variety of different stores. I may go into Reebok, Adidas, and Nike in search for some new running sneakers and then head over to Banana Republic. I found a really cute, metallic, hobo handbag at Banana that would be great for any season. They also had some jean that would go perfectly with a pair of Cole Haan high heel boots. After BR, I’ll go to J. Crew. They have a great selection of cashmere sweaters ranging in all different colors. Also, they offer my favorite cords that come in all my favorite colors. After J. Crew, I’ll walk across the common to Norm Thompson (www.normthompson.com). Norm Thompson has some great gift items that would be perfect for Mother’s and Father’s Day. The iPod Travel Mate Speaker Set caught my eye as well as their selection of gourmet goodies. Woolrich (www.woolrich.com) is another great store there. They now have the cutest clothes too. I’ll make one last stop at Pfaltzgraff (www.pfaltzgraff.com) and take a look at all their great dinnerware and glassware.

Whew, I’m exhausted! I never thought I would say this, but I think I am done with shopping for the day! At least I got to see many of the wonderful shops in North Conway. North Conway certainly offers a variety when it comes to retail. Everything from sporting goods to jewelry and from clothing to furniture is at your fingertips. I always find new, cool items and bargains. I love how most of the shops carry unique gifts that can only be found in their store. North Conway, New Hampshire……it’s where it’s at! See you on the slopes!