1. Fred Giampietro Folk Art
City: New Haven, CT
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (203) 787-3851
Description: Fred Giampietro and his wife, Kathryn, run this antiques store in New Haven, specializing in 19th- and 20th-century folk art. Giampietro is a leading expert in the field and helps many people build private collections. The store also has a gallery with changing exhibitions of contemporary art, open Tues to Fri from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call if you’d like to also browse the collection of antiques, in which you might find painted furniture, folk art portraits, decoys, weathervanes, needlework samplers, whirligigs, game boards, carousel figures, cigar store Indians, hooked rugs, and more. Giampietro has been in the business for over 25 years, and as a leader in his discipline, is a great resource for other Connecticut antiques dealers.
City: New Haven, CT
Category: Shopping
Address: 1082 Chapel St.
3. Yale Bookstore
City: New Haven, CT
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (203) 777-8440
Address: 77 Broadway
Description: Technically run by Barnes & Noble, the Yale Bookstore bears only a slight resemblance to the well-known chain. Along with all the Yale memorabilia that you can imagine, this huge multi-level store has a larger selection of new books, magazines, art books, and literary journals than any other store in the state. Along with apparel and school supplies, you will also find small appliances, computer accessories, and backpacks. Park at the very convenient and strangely cheap lot in the center of Broadway, and spend an hour or two browsing the shelves before enjoying a sandwich at the cafe. If all college bookstores could only be this extensive and well-run, students might not complain about the price of textbooks so often.
4. Fair Haven Furniture
City: New Haven, CT
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (203) 776-3099
Address: 72 Blatchley Ave.
Description: This remarkable store in the Fair Haven section of town is the place to go if you are designing your new home, or just looking for that perfect piece. These are not antiques, but the best of modern craft furniture and accessories. For the last 30 years the store has been a family-run business, located on 3 floors in a historic factory building, with a loyal customer base. Kerry Trifin and Elizabeth Orsini specialize in wood—cherry, walnut, maple, ash, mahogany—and scour the country’s craft shows and artists’ studios to get the best pieces from up to 150 suppliers. Wandering through the store itself is a calming experience; imagine having this furniture in your home.
5. Kebabian’S Oriental Rugs
City: New Haven, CT
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (203) 865-0567
Address: 73 Elm St.
Insider Pick:
Description: Kebabian’s Oriental Rugs is the oldest business of its kind in America, owned and operated by the same family since 1882. John Kebabian immigrated from Turkey to attend Yale, and sold his first rug to help pay his tuition. The current owner, also named John Kebabian, has been running the store since 1992 and brings in authentic, hand-knotted rugs and carpets from all over the world. They also offer other services, like restoration and padding, and give demonstrations by hosting traveling Turkish and Tibetan weavers at the shop; these are well attended by locals and rug enthusiasts every time. Simply put, you will not find a more well-respected and durable shop to buy your next rug.
6. Judies European Bakery
City: New Haven, CT
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (203) 777-6300
Address: 63 Grove St
Description: For 30 years Judies has provided the New Haven area with top-quality breads, such as her specialty, a French peasant bread that will make you understand why the agricultural revolution happened 10,000 years ago. The pastries and cookies are definitely European in style, tasty without being too sweet like so many American baked goods are. Judies also serves lunch and specializes in hot-pressed paninis, made with her delicious bread, of course. Try the grilled spicy shrimp with chipotle or the steak and cheese. The special Yucatan lime soup strongly echoed one I had in a jungle shack in the depths of Mexico. You’ll also find Judies breads at many local restaurants and groceries, and she teams up with independent coffee shop Willoughby’s to cater coffee breaks throughout the area.