None of North America’s streets are older than Water Street, one of St. John’s main shopping meccas. Sailors and merchants from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean have bartered on Water Street since the 16th century. Today, Newfoundland and Labrador’s largest shopping mall is the Avalon Mall, located in St. John’s and containing 140 shops. At least three other big box shopping complexes can be found in St. John’s, as well.
Nevertheless, Water Street still has the most unique boutiques in St. John’s, including Couture Studio’s Asian clothing and locally-produced textiles from Living Planet T-Shirts and Twisted Sisters Boutik. St. John’s is also home to the flagship store Bowring’s of Newfoundland and the province’s only shop specializing in hemp products, Hempware.
The Downhomer Shoppe may be the best place to buy local books and souvenirs in St. John’s, but the smaller city of Corner Brook also contains a fair amount of souvenir shops. In addition to books and music, many also sell T-shirts with cheeky separatist slogans such as ‘Newfoundland Liberation Army’ and ‘Free Newfoundland.’ Republic of Newfoundland flags from the province’s era as an independent country are also popular. Separatist sentiments among Newfoundland and Labrador’s locals, on the other hand, are virtually non-existent.
Labrador’s most popular takeaways are jewelry made from the bluish grey labradorite stone found throughout Labrador, and warm parkas and hats from Grenfell Handicrafts, who also sell handmade ornaments, hooked rugs, carvings, housewares, and books about Labrador’s history and culture.