Below is our list of favourites broken down into the major towns and then outreaching areas and each should be hyper-linked to their respective sites or social media pages.
PICTON:
Prince Edward County T-Shirt Company
252 Main Street (down laneway)
I am not a fan of tourism T-shirts at all, but this place is different. Started and owned by a lovely young couple with a good sense of design and humour, we actually WANT to wear these shirts. I also bought a very cool PEC branded Baggu brand bag and love it!
289 Main St.
The book company in The County. They carry a lot of top ten books but also some great second hand books and a number of great reference books for the County area. Also a great magazine and newspaper selection. It also joins to Miss Lily's Cafe...
289 Main St.
Not exactly a store, bit great cafe where you can get your caffeine fix or a nice lunch, it is adjacent to Books & Company so why not grab (buy) a good book, get a coffee and settle in for a good read :) They also do have some other products for sale!
10 Elizabeth St.
This is a great little community health bulk-style store just steps off of the main street in the heart of PIcton. This is where I first found Israeli couscous and have since purchased wheat berries, homemade granola and other grains from her. She is extremely knowlegable and helpful, hosts cooking workshops in her studio. You can even sign up for her weekly newsletter that features great recipes.
192 Main St.
Speaking of food...if you enjoy cooking, this is a great little store on a par with Williams Sonoma (but less pricey!!) that carries cooking equipment, gadgets and utensils and the owners are incredibly helpful and enthusaistic about their products.
172 Main St.
A great little cafe in the heart of Picton, this is where we buy our fair trade coffee in The County. They also serve gelatto and baked goods. It's almost like a little art gallery too as you can purchase nice works of art that are displayed around the cafe.
185 Main St.
If you love olive oil and balsamics - you need to stop by here! A terrific selection of olive oil and balsamics from across the globe. A discount on refills when you return bottles, and their product makes excellent gifts!
206 Main Street Picton
Described as uniquely bespoke jewellery that intertwines the old with the new creating bold, unique looks that are relevant for today. The owner of this store is lovely, her product is interesting and she designs and creates a lot of the jewelry. She also carries interesting pieces of clothing as well. Very good quality and tasteful.
42 St. Philip Street, Milford
Françoise Méchin Pellet and Thierry Méchin (who came to Canada from Provençe about 20 years ago) are one of the loveliest and most talented couples you could ever want to meet. Their stunning products range from very cool unique handcrafted casual fashions and accessories (mostly linen but also some VERY interesting washable paper products too) to gorgeous products for your home, and the pair designs, cuts and sews everything in their Milford-based studio. They also carry some interesting antiques that are truly suited their unique French style and they JUST opened a beautiful retail shop (a true French oasis!!) in a gorgeous new barn that at the back of their property. I can almost guaranty that this will be the most fun shopping experience during your visit to PEC!
BLOOMFIELD:
1317 Wilson Road
Carson Arthur is one of Canada's most well-loved television gardeing experts as well as a lifestyle expert. He is a TV mainstay as part of Tracey Moore's Cityline, HGTV and he has graced the pages of Sun Media and the Halifax Chronicle Herald just to name a few. PEC is pretty lucky that he and his partner chose Bloomfield to open their first gardening centre/store in 2019. I don't really have a green thumb (yet!) BUT, I really love this place. Carson clearly has excellent taste in the lifestyle arena as I have been tempted to purchase quite a few things that are great for the home (I DO have a gorgeous pom pom throw that I bought there - and the prices are really really reasonable). He offers gardening classes as well which would be super fun. When he isn't meeting his TV obligations - you often will see him in store and he is super friendly too - all of the staff are. It's for sure worth a visit!!
246 Bloomfield Main St
You really must stop by this gallery/store. The owner, Tammy Love, fills her store from floor to ceiling with interesting finds from artists from across North America. Every piece has a story. She carries jewelry, clothing, dishes - you name it. She also is a passionate and talented artist herself, and is always fun to chat with. It's not the kind of store you can just pop in and out of, you need time to explore but you'll like what you find and it's a great place to find gifts as well.
273 Bloomfield Main Street
I like this store mostly because of the jewelry she carries. The store predominantly carries product from Mexico, so you can purchase Mexican pottery and decor items, but I also love the silver she carries (likely from Mexico) and a few other jewelry artists she represents.
285 Bloomfield Main Street
They carry an eclectic array of housewares, art and accessories with a cozy/cottage feel. The collection includes both new and vintage items from near and afar.
225 Main Street
How can you not love a store whose motto is: TV SUCKS, Ride your bike. The staff in this store are down to earth, extremely passionate and knowlegable about biking and you can rent bikes here too. They also can provide you with advice on the best biking trails/routes.
768 County Rd 12
What a terrific place this is and a great idea too. If you are looking for locally produced products or gifts, this one-stop shopping destination for local artisanal products is worth the trip. Located in a gorgeous big old red dairy barn in a stunning location just south of Bloomfield and minutes away from Sandbanks - they carry jewelry, non-perishable food items, quilts, pillows, artwork etc.
WELLINGTON/HILLIER AREA:
500 Closson Road
This adorable farm store is open from May until late Fall. They carry gorgeous alpaca product crafted from locally spun alpaca yarns. This shop is literally a little wooden shed located on their alpaca farm, and the beauty of it is that you can actually see these gorgeous (and hilarious!) animals when you visit. When we first visited, they were all feeding right next to the shed. During the winter months the shop is closed, but their product can be found at Canery Row in Bloomfield (details above). I had never seen an alpaca that close before and they truly are beautiful animals. Our first visit inspired this drawing below :)
There are a lot of fun and quaint places to shop all over The County. There is a large concentration in both Bloomfield and Picton as you can see on the map so you can just park your car and easily wander through each town (and the towns are roughly 10-15 minutes apart by car). There are also some wonderful specialty shops scattered around the area that are WELL worth the drive, from lavender and honey farms to great cheese dairies.
264 Main St. Wellington
When we first got our place here, we needed to have an awkwardly huge poster framed, so we were told we needed to stop by the Sidestreet Gallery and we were glad that we did. Not only did they do a wonderful framing job for us, but we were able to see some great work by very talented local artists. It is worth stopping by for sure, and it is also a wonderful place to purchase unique one-of-a-kind gifts.
283 Main St. Wellington
Located right on the mainstreet - their takeout coffee is excellent, and they have fun items for sale too. A fun place to poke around in while you get your caffeine fix!
Drake Devonshire Hotel - 24 Wharf St.
A very pared down version of the Drake General in Toronto - this is a fun corner to nose around in The Drake Devonshire Hotel
Midtown Brewing Company (T-shirts + branded merch)
266 Main St. Wellington
You know them for their great beer and food, but they also carry pretty cool merch as well. Take time to peruse their goods while you are enjoying the culinary delights!!
