Town Center
Town Center District
For holiday shoppers with a clear gifting agenda, the Virginia Beach Town Center is a smart place to start; this A-list retail hub is home to many of the city’s most popular flagship stores. For the wild hearts and creative souls on your list, Anthropologie and Free People are brimming with bohemian shoes, clothing, jewelry, beauty/skincare, housewares and a host of other goodies. Both typically offer incredible stocking stuffers near the register and around the store. If your special someone’s tastes run more to the classic, there’s a Madewell and Brooks Brothers, too.
Shopping for kids? Town Center has a LEGO Store for classic playsets and more, Merriment on Main for the most adorable outfits and a Five Below for thousands of little treasures. For the fitness enthusiasts on your list, try lululemon or Nike Well Collective. Of course, foodies and sweet-toothers will be thrilled to get something from The Royal Chocolate, Macaron Tart or Taste food café and market; the latter is also a great place to stop for your own sustenance.
Looking for bookish types? Barnes & Noble is here for thoughtful gifts that always fit. On a budget? Across the boulevard, the newly reimagined Pembroke Square offers a spectrum of affordable options, including Nordstrom Rack, DSW, Old Navy, J. Crew Factory and more.
Atlantic Avenue
Oceanfront District
Want your gift to have a distinctly coastal flair? We love that idea — and so do the many local and regional retailers on bustling Atlantic Avenue in the Oceanfront District. Independent shops like Sea La Vie, the Beach Nut and Beach Bodies offer a colorful array of clothing, jewelry and housewares drenched in our city’s sun-and-sand aesthetic.
You’ll find classic Virginia Beach souvenirs and other kid-friendly staples like homemade fudge and confections at Sunsations, Pier Gift Shop and Virginia Gift Shop. And don’t miss 31 Ocean, where you can grab a bite and score cheerful all-ages gifts at shops like Kitty Hawk Kites and Life is Good.
The Artery
Oceanfront District
If you’d like to combine your holiday gifting with sightseeing, put The Artery on your agenda. This eclectic retail district stretches from the King Neptune Statue on the Virginia Beach Boardwalk and down the Laskin Corridor. You’ll find a reliable collection of gifts for her (and possibly yourself!) at French Twist and Lemon Cabana, both offering an ever-changing assortment of only-in-Virginia-Beach clothing, accessories and meaningful gestures.
Every trip to Thanks for Listening Record Store is an enjoyable treasure hunt, thanks to a carefully curated stash of vintage vinyl, cassettes and CDs covering every conceivable genre. The same goes for Thank You Gallery, a contemporary art space full of quirky delights. And if you’re a collector (or an especially extravagant gifter,) you’ll want to hit up Coastal Mod for an astounding selection of mid-century furniture, art and artifacts crafted by the era’s most celebrated makers.
ViBe Creative District
Oceanfront District
Known for being “a little off the main drag and a lot off kilter,” the ViBe Creative District is a brilliant tapestry of self-expression — and THE best place to find one-of-a-kind gifts for the most unique people in your life. The North End Bag Company makes their handcrafted leather goods to last generations; every part of the process, from traditional bark tanning to finding each bag its forever home, takes place in the homey little shop. If you like the vibe there, you’ll also want to visit Jars of Dust, where heirloom ceramics are handmade on the daily.
While local legend the 17th Street Surf Shop carries all the top surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding brands, the real score here is the shop’s logo tees and old-school skateboard decks. Old and new combine to chaotic perfection at Gypsy Soul Boutique; it may take some hunting to find that just-right upcycled vintage blazer or leopard-print pony-hair clutch, but any time here is well spent. And finally, the Old Beach Art & Eco Market, which takes place on select Saturdays throughout the year, provides a unique platform for local artists and sustainable businesses and is a wonderful place to find a locally hand-crafted gift that gives back.
Lynnhaven Mall
Inland District
Just a few miles inland, Lynnhaven Mall offers more than 120 shops and restaurants to explore. This is an especially great option if you’ve little ones or pets in tow — both can get photos with Santa, and there’s even a handy reservation system to help you avoid a long wait. Shopping for tweens and teens? You’ve come to the right place, with an Apple Store as well as popular shops like Altar’d State, Bath & Body Works, The Buckle, Charlotte Russe, H&M, Hollister Co. and more to choose from.
There are also plenty of gifts for adults, including apparel options ranging from the opulent (Michael Kors) to the everyday (L.L. Bean) and everything in between. And finally, if there’s an extra-special someone on your list Adel Diamond, Kay Jewelers and others are here to help.
The Shops at Hilltop
Inland District
The Shops at Hilltop, just a few minutes inland from Oceanfront, offers more than 120 specialty shops to explore, as well as 20+ restaurants to help you refuel after your shopping session. In addition to national chains like Athleta, Beecroft & Bull, Dressology and Frances Kahn, there are lots of local gems for you to discover.
Independent boutiques like Jody G., Pixelated Boutique and The Collective Garments & Goods offer curated collections of clothing, accessories and gifts you can only find within their walls. Hilltop even caters to special interests like gaming (Warhammer) or birding (Wild Birds Unlimited.)
And finally, if you’ve got tobacco aficionados on your list, Emerson’s Cigars is a great place to find exactly what they love — and learn a bit about what makes each kind of stogie special, too.
Staci Amend
As a Californian living in Colorado, Staci takes a “why not both” approach to the whole mountains vs. oceans debate. She covers travel, nature, beauty and fashion for a variety of publications and brands — and is happiest when surrounded by hand-painted tile, struggling to pronounce her next meal. A Huntington Beach native and enthusiastic longboarder, she tries to time her Virginia Beach visits with the East Coast Surfing Championships.
