Exploring Nantucket Insider Tips

Staff Picks for Holiday Gifts

To help with your holiday shopping (don’t we all have a few on our list who are difficult to shop for?), our staff has some suggestions from our advertisers. Here’s what we would choose from each business, though they all have much more in their stores and on their websites. Turn to our Shopping Guide in this issue for addresses, phone numbers, websites, and hours. And happy shopping!

Nantucket Estate Jewelry

1 Orange Street • nantucketestatejewelry.com

You never know what you’ll find in this shop a few steps off Main Street, but you can be sure it will shimmer or sparkle or shine and there’s probably a story behind it. Next to fine antiques and art, you’ll find vintage and contemporary jewelry by Tiffany, Cartier, Bulgari, Roberto Coin, and more. Here is where you can find the perfect gift for someone who values quality.

Blue Beetle

bluebeetlenantucket.com

This shop in the heart of town sells a colorful and cozy selection of cashmere, perfect for the coming cold. Our staff pick here this holiday season is their Nantucket Island Cashmere Sweater. A favorite of Elin Hilderbrand, this soft sweater will keep our island close to your heart.

R. Simantov

1 Old North Wharf • rsimantov.com

If you’re seeking something truly special, a gift that will become a treasured heirloom, then stroll over to R. Simantov Fine Jewelry and let this masterful designer help you choose from his unique, exquisite masterpieces. Our staff pick for this year are his enameled earrings with bold designs and delicious colors!

Commonwealth

12 Oak Street • commonwealthnantucket.com

This shop is filled with one-of-a-kind vintage clothing, shoes, accessories, and jewelry. Because they have an ever-changing choice of one-of-a-kind items, it’s a challenge to choose a single Staff Pick from Commonwealth, but we love to search the shop to discover special brands like Gucci, Free People, Dior, and Louis Vuitton. Commonwealth turns shopping into a treasure hunt!

Love Shack

10 Old South Wharf • lolacompany.com

We love the inspirational messages inscribed on the pendants sold at Love Shack by Lola. There’s a wide selection of symbols and designs—angel wings, hearts, celtic knots, compass rose, a cross, lotus, horseshoe, and more. Our favorites are the North Star design and the Gold Snowflake. Stop by during Stroll Weekend for special sale pricing.

Made on Nantucket

9 & 20 Old South Wharf

Filled floor-to-ceiling with exclusive gifts and art that will add style and cheer to any home, our holiday pick this year is Made on Nantucket’s 2022 Stroll Ornament. The latest in a series, this year’s exclusive design depicts a Nantucket lightship basket filled with island treasures. These are perfectly priced for gifts, and they come with red ribbon and a box for giving! Kathleen is open through the holiday season — even on Christmas Eve for last-minute shoppers!

Barnaby Toys & Art Shack

12 Oak Street • barnabysnantucket.com

Local author and illustrator Wendy Rouillard has created the perfect space for kids to be creative. She carries a wide range of toys for children of every age and she offers inspiring classes for little ones. Our staff pick here are the craft kits she offers, and we are particularly fond of the Selfie Craft Tops that let kids color their own clothing.

ACK 4170

18 Federal Street • ack4170.com

Our staff adores the beautifully handcrafted pillows in this downtown shop. Handmade with meticulous attention to detail in Massachusetts and crafted from high-quality materials and adornments, they make a perfect holiday gift for the Nantucket lover! Shop online at ack4170.com or stop by the shop in the heart of town—don’t wait, these are sure to sell out! ACK 4170 also carries similar pillows for everyday use with Nantucket themes.

Current Vintage

4 Easy Street • currentvintage.com

This fun, colorful shop is famous for a fabulous collection of vintage clothing and spectacular wines that drink well above their price. This is also our staff’s favorite place to shop to make any celebration special. They carry modern and vintage party supplies, sweets and other provisions, sassy party napkins, uncommon gifts and fun cards (did we mention wine?). Anything you need to host or attend a celebration, you can find at this shop on Easy Street.

Eleish Van Breems Home

14 Easy Street • evbantiques.com

Scandinavian craftsmanship + island style results in the simply elegant offerings found in this island destination. From a graceful Georg Jensen wine decanter to timeless Appelgren Brass & Pewter, a gift from Eleish Van Breems will be the talk of the season and used for years to come. Our staff pick is their Georg Jensen Alfredo Glass Carafe with Oakwood Top, which we’ll pair with a wine choice from Current Vintage.

Icarus + Co

19 Old South Wharf • icarusandco.com

This island shop & jewelry studio specializes in capturing the beauty of nature. We love to walk along Nantucket beaches, picking up shells that have washed ashore and stones that have been tumbled by the sea. Icarus & Co, has handcrafted jewelry designs that are created in gold, silver, and gemstones from the owners own beach finds. Our favorite holiday gift is their Scallop Shard Studs in 14k gold: these earrings are very wearable, you might never take them off!

40 Straight Wharf • gshill.com

Island artist Greg Hill has captured the heart and soul of Nantucket in his many paintings of our island. From land and from sea, modern views or a look into history— G.S. Hill has painted it. This gallery also has a sensational selection of Nantucket Lightship Baskets chosen by Judi Hill. These Nantucket baskets come in traditional basket form and as Christmas tree ornaments, bracelets, salt-and-pepper caddies, vases, trays, and even ring bearer baskets for a Nantucket wedding. Our favorites this season are from a selection of vintage baskets by island master basketmaker Paul Willer from a private collection. Highly valued for their fine craftsmanship, they don’t often come up for sale. Each is signed by Paul and would be prized by a collector.

Murray’s Toggery Shop

62 Main Street • nantucketreds.com

Murray’s began selling the now famous Nantucket Reds ™ more than 75 years ago, and their line has grown over the years to include a full selection of clothing, bags, luggage, shoes, and accessories for men, women, and children. Any choice from their fashionable Nantucket Reds ™ is an internationally-known mark of someone who loves Nantucket.

Susan Lister Locke

28A Easy Street • susanlisterlocke.com

We love to browse through this gallery of jewelry and art on the waterfront by Nantucket Harbor. Our staff pick this season is Susie’s Oyster Earrings, available in 18kt yellow or white gold with diamonds, emeralds, rubies, or sapphires. Stop by the shop between 1 and 4 pm on Stroll Saturday for Flash Sales and photos with Santa!

Nantucket Bookworks

25 Broad Street • nantucketbookpartners.com

It’s no secret that everyone on our staff loves to read, and readers love to get books for Christmas! At Nantucket Bookworks you’ll find the perfect readers’ gift bundle for every taste and every age: a book (ask about their autographed copies), artisan chocolates, fun holiday cards, and unusual ornaments to adorn your gifts! Each of our staffers has a different favorite author, so you’ll have to choose your own holiday pick in this island shop.

Nantucket Clothing Co.

6 S. Water Street • nantucketclothingcompany.com

Keep yourself and your loved ones warm as the weather turns cold in one of Nantucket Clothing Company’s high-quality sweatshirts. Our staff pick is their full-zip oatmeal sweatshirt embroidered with a felt Nantucket logo. Unisex and available in sizes from small to extra-large, these soft sweats are perfect for staying warm as you cuddle by the Christmas tree.

Nantucket Pearl Co.

40 Straight Wharf • nantucketpearlcompany.com

Our staff pick was easy to choose in this island shop—the Must Have Pearl Bracelet—the hard part is picking which color. The pearls are white, but there are 20 colors of leather to choose from. Black goes with everything, but we confess to loving the red, and the lime green, and the turquoise. Lucky for the gift-giver, these iconic bracelets are priced to make it easy to give multiples!

12 Old South Wharf

Owned and operated by an award-winning artist, there are gifts to discover in this shop that you’ll find nowhere else. Our staff picks are Lorene Ireland’s extraordinary framed mosaics. These 3-dimensional masterpieces are handcrafted and one-of-a-kind. The selection varies and can include a whimsical mermaid, a seashell swimsuit, or (our favorite) her Nantucket whale.

Sara Campbell

6 South Beach Street • saracampbell.com

For classic, effortless clothing for the women in your life, stop by this shop next to the Nantucket Yacht Club. The clothing sold here is all made in the USA and is of paramount quality. You guessed it: this is our staff pick for buying gifts for ourselves! Their new Petra Skort is perfect for next summer on Nantucket.

28A Easy Street

This holiday season you can give the gift of romance in the form of a golden Sailors’ Valentine. These are a traditional sign of love that you can carry on. The wearable miniatures created by Jewelers Gallery come in 14k gold, some studded with rubies, emeralds, or sapphires with diamonds.