The best Christmas shops in London

Good for: gifts that make a difference

’Tis the season for rampant consumerism, but if all the covetable clobber, shiny new tech and luxury knick-knacks are failing to fill the void, you’d do well to swing by the Choose Love store during your Christmas shopping spree. First set up in 2017 by Help Refugees, the clever pop-up doesn’t peddle fancy beauty products or the latest trainers. Instead, its shelves are filled with emergency blankets, children’s shoes, sleeping bags, toiletries, mobile phone credit, nappies, education supplies and other essentials needed by refugees around the world. Once you’ve bought what you can, the products are distributed via more than 80 projects that the humanitarian aid organisation works with across the globe. Head down to the Regent Street pop-up and to do your bit to spread some Christmas cheer to those who need it most.

245 Regent Street, W1B 2EN

Good for: lavish treats for foodie friends

At most times of the year, it's hard to justify a wallet-emptying food shop in Fortnum & Mason, however sumptuous their array of goodies might be. But at Christmas, it truly comes into its own as a place to scoop up fanciful riffs on festive favourites that will be recieved with a lot more delight than yet another scented candle. This year's range includes cognac butter, figgy mustard, and even pickled brussels sprouts, which'll certainly be a conversation starter if you bring them to your next xmas bash. 

181 Piccadilly, W1A 1ER

Good for: plush cards and beautiful baubles 

Absolute haven for stationery fetishists, you may never have dreamt of spending £15 on a pocket sharpener, but when it shimmers gold and comes with a tiny leather case, you’ll find yourself doing just that at this sublime stationary shop in Seven Dials. At Christmas time, you’ll also find what must be the best collection of baubles in town – including food-shaped ones that have been handmade and glass-blown – plus a ton of quality Christmas cards and wrapping paper. 

21 Tower Street, WC2H 9NS

Good for: Arty accessories and glossy books

Forget rainbow rubbers and giant pencils, Tate Modern’s gift shop is full of lovely things you actually want. Got an art fan to buy for? Knock yourself out with David Shrigley tote bags or Grayson Perry cushion covers. Plus loads of lovely art books, gifts for kids and cool cards. Stop by after visiting an exhibition, or make a pit stop just for pressie buying – the gift shop is right at the museum entrance so you don’t have to get distracted by all the stunning art elsewhere in the building if you’re low on time.

Bankside, SE1 9TG

Good for: niche pressings for music lovers

Looking for a gift for the die hard vinyl fan on your list? Make for this record den owned by Jack White (of The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather). Located on a busy Soho street, it has an eye-catching bright yellow exterior and sells White’s trademark pressing in obscure, limited-edition vinyl formats and often holds intimate gigs in the basement, which doubles as a label HQ. You can even press your own vinyl in-store to add a personal touch to your pressie. 

1, Marshall Street, W1F 9BA

Good for: Throwback toys 

Want a Victorian Christmas (without the rickets)? Start here. In these times of VR headsets and child-centric iPad games, it’s heartening to see there’s still an appetite for playthings of the more traditional variety – as found at this timewarp of a toyshop. Founded in 1856, Benjamin Pollock’s is still a must-visit for tangible toys and houses an intriguing jumble of toy theatres, books and puppets. 

44 The Market, (Covent Garden), WC2E 8RF

Good for: beauty obsessives

This atmospheric shop has been peddling lotions and potions for centuries, which makes it an ideal spot for rounding our your Christmas shopping. The store is home to a globetrotting selection of fancy brands, from French cult favourites including Embryolisse and La Roche Posay to under-the-radar Antipodean suncare. And while you're there, you can espy intriguing bits of antique paraphernalia – JB&C houses a royal prescription book, so you can gawp at Queen Victoria’s beauty secrets (cold cream and Coraline toothpaste, FYI).  

50-54 Wigmore St, W1U 2AU

Good for: sumptuous chocs that'll blow Quality Street out the water

It's almost impossible to walk past Dark Sugars without falling under its chocolatey spell: it scents Brick Lane with lavish scents of Ghanaian cocoa (there's also a large Greenwich branch). Join the crowds who queue for its rich hot chocolate, made from freshly carved shavings of the dark stuff, before filling your own boxes with truffles for your nearest and dearest. 

141 Brick Lane, E1 6SB

Good for: Design-savvy kids gear

This Islington children's shop manages the near impossible, that of being incredibly adorable without being remotely nauseating. Housing roughly as much tulle as a fairy palace and more crowns than the Tower of London, this dinky shop makes growing up to be a princess a legitimate career path. It also has a lovely line of contemporary wooden toys, sleek money boxes and cool soft toys – for children with more humble ambitions.

111 Essex Rd, N1 2SL

Good for: Designer streetwear

Christmas doesn’t have to mean novelty socks and jumpers. Give your loved ones the gift of cool and quirky clothes and homeware that still doesn’t take itself too seriously by picking up some of this concept shop’s wares. Goodhood is full of handpicked items, all catered towards its very hip clientele – expect to see handmade soy candles and affordable accessories as you browse.

15 Hanbury St, E1 6QR

Good for: Nailing all the Christmas shopping in one place

Doing your Christmas shopping in Selfridges is a marathon, not a sprint. With nine floors’ worth of designer goods, a well-stocked beauty hall and a wealth of price points, plus a dedicated Christmas shop, you’ll want to pace yourself. Take it slow and steady, though, and you could tick off your entire shopping list in one go. Need a break? Head to the food hall for some very classy snacks to refuel on.

400 Oxford St, W1A 1AB

Good for: witchy bits and bobs

If you're celebrating yuletide not Christmas, you'll find all the crystals you could dream of at beautiful esoteric boutique She’s Lost Control on Broadway Market. Aesthetically pleasing sets of tarot cards sit next to books about waking your inner witch, as well as stylish jewellery, natural skincare and gifty bits and bobs for the horoscope obsessive in your life.

74 Broadway Market, Hackney, E8 4QJ

Good for: A decadent gift experience

There’s not a shop in the world like Liberty at Christmas. Wandering through this doyenne of department stores is like browsing at Downton Abbey, both in terms of its architecture and its atmos. As you wander around, you’ll find a lovingly curated selection of beautiful floral fabrics, designer fashion and top beauty brands, plus a banging Christmas shop and wrapping service to take the hard work out of making your exquisite gifts look perfectly presented. None more festive.

Regent St, W1B 5AH

Good for: Bling and old-school elegance

You know you’ve made it when your Christmas tree is covered in silk-panel baubles from Harrods. Gloriously grandiose, with its famous grotto, this London institution really comes into its own at Christmas. You could easily lose hours here, floor-hopping from Toy Kingdom to ultra-lux designer brands to the elegant beauty halls. This is London shopping at its most decadent.

87-135 Brompton Rd, SW1X 7QN

Good for: Renowned literature and bijou tea

Everyone loves a book at Christmas. With informed and enthusiastic staff, invitingly arranged shelves and two floors packed with politics, poetry and philosophy, plus sections for audiobooks, classic and new fiction, this petite store is well worth a seasonal visit. Reward yourself after and flick through your purchases in the new onsite café from St John, while feeling all clever.

14 Bury Place, WC1A 2JL

Good for: Christmas curds and wahey!

Sniff out this Greenwich outfit to find one of London’s classiest cheese shops. It celebrates some unusual British varieties along with Continental classics. Looking for something extra to go with your new fromages? You’ll also find biodynamic wines, crackers and chutney stocked here for good measure. Staff are happy (in general, probably) to let customers try before they buy. Be warned, though, queues get LONG at Christmas.

26 Royal Hill, SE10 8RT

Good for: Unusual editions

This cute corner shop gives shelf space to small-press publications, artsy limited editions and carefully selected small runs of collectable books. Beautifully designed cult magazines and coffee-table tomes make this tiny haven a lovely place to grab a special Christmas gift for your beloved bookworm who has already read all the usual novels and mags. 

17 Pitfield St, N1 6HB

Good for: Super-stylish stationery

Most of us know a stationery lover – someone who finds notebooks exciting and gets a kick out of a nice ruler or stapler. Instead of heading to the high street, get them something lovely this Christmas from Clerkenwell’s Present & Correct. An organised mash-up of books, pencil cases, paint brushes, prints and other desktop paraphernalia – much of it vintage deadstock sourced from across Europe – this is the shop for the person who knows their Rhodia from their Penco.

12 Bury Place, WC1A 2JL

Best for: Gift wrap

Marby & Elm has come a long way since it began in a garden shed. The family-run shop has maintained its handmade appeal since those humble days and now operates from a store in Exmouth Market. If you derive more pleasure from Christmas wrapping than buying, you know, gifts, this is the shop for you – gift tags, wrap, tape and cards abound, all hand screen-printed in neon shades of pink, green, orange and blue.

33 Clerkenwell Rd, EC1M 4DS

Good for: Directional labels

Fashion doesn't stop just cos it’s Christmas. This mecca for the fashion-obsessed houses some of London’s (and the world’s) brightest stars and biggest names, from Kiko Kostadinov's collaborations to Comme des Garçons fragrances to edgy streetwear in the basement. Stop by to splash some cash, or get some window shopping inspo. 

18-22 Haymarket, SW1Y 4DG

Good for: Cool retro gear

This fabulous old furniture factory now plays host to rails upon rails of great vintage finds – we’re talking coloured denim, silk kimonos, seersucker blazers and shiny brogues. If you can think of it, it’s likely Atika has it. You won’t find any of that musty charity shop smell here: all the stock is carefully cleaned, steamed and folded.

55-59 Hanbury St, E1 5JP

Good for: Mid-mod aesthetics

Heal’s puts its 42,000 square feet to good use with an aspirational edit of fancy furniture, Nordic dinnerware and Tom Dixon fragrances and candles. If you’re short on Christmas present-getting inspiration, its gift-laden ground floor is sure to provide a festive epiphany or two, and its customer service has been a virtue throughout its long history.

196, Tottenham Court Rd, W1T 7LQ

Good for: Books, d’uh

With its oak balconies, stained-glass windows and viridian-green walls, this could well be London’s most beautiful bookshop. Its Edwardian shelves are packed to the rafters with paperbacks and the travel section is especially great: ordered by country and bound to induce wanderlust in the homeliest of homebodies. Even if you just end up buying them the Private Eye annual, you’ll have had a very merry and festive time here.

84 Marylebone High St, W1U 4QW

Good for: Unusual stocking fillers

The V&A’s lovely shop is home to all sorts of things – jewellery, textiles, superb cards and reasonably priced homeware. If you’re filling a stocking, look out for those little knick-knacks like compact mirrors, bejeweled pencils, funky stitch-on clothes patches and embroidery kits. There are often designer collabs on offer here, too, if you're looking for something extra special. It also does some excellent Xmas decs. German Albert would have approved.

V&A, Cromwell Rd, SW7 2RL

Good for: Weird/amusing stocking-fillers

Selling ghoulish-sounding sweets such as ‘Fang Floss’ and ‘A Vague Sense of Unease’, plus stationery, T-shirts and letterpress cards, this inspired east London store feels like it's straight out of a fantasy novel. In fact, its takings help fund the Ministry of Stories, a charity co-founded by Nick Hornby that provides writing workshops and coaching for youngsters. Great for a little leftfield Christmas extra gift that also does good for the city's communities. 

159 Hoxton St, N1 6PJ

Good for: Utilitarian-yet-stylish gifts

If you’re shopping this Christmas for a design-loving chum, it’s worth sticking your head into Labour and Wait. Think toolboxes, pocket knives, can openers and the like, mixed up with plaid shirts, Welsh tapestry, enamelware and all manner of charmingly packaged condiments (never has a jar of mustard looked so desirable). You may leave clutching a Japanese ladle, wondering how you can feasibly pass it off as a Christmas present. 

85 Redchurch St, E2 7DJ

Good for: Beautiful books

Take a more creative approach to sourcing the ideal bookish gift at this fun, stylish, tech-free bookshop, where you can leaf through literature which has been arranged into themes such as ‘Wanderlust’, ‘Enchantment’ and ‘The City’. It’s a great system for discovering new authors, and also lets you tap into the themes you think will suit your chosen recipients.

65 Hanbury St, E1 5JP

Good for: Horticultural delights

Petersham Nurseries has a knack for making you want to buy everything in the shop; carefully curated displays of intricate glass baubles sit beside potted ferns, botanical-themed stationery and handmade ceramics. For something pocket-friendly, thoughtful and a little homespun this Christmas, consider a plant. The nursery greenhouse has all the ingredients you need, from hyacinth bulbs to terracotta pots.

Church Lane, off Petersham Rd, TW10 7AB

Good for: Anything on paper

Buying books as presents can be tricky. You don't want to pick something that's already been gathering dust on your mate's nightstand for months, or something so long and boring it'll be used as a doorstop. Foyles is here to help. With 37,000 square feet of floor space and more than 200,000 books, it'll cater to your friends' and family's every passing whim or long-held fascination, with history books, novels, cookbooks and high-profile releases as well as plenty of niche titles, plus very well-read staff. Plus, there's wrapping paper, fetching notebooks and tasteful calendars to round up your gift shopping sesh.

107, Charing Cross Rd, WC2H 0EB

Good for: gorgeous houseplants and chic homewares

Garden centres come into their own around Christmas, filling up with nature-inspired decorations and elegant pressies. And none more so than the always-vibey Nunhead Gardener, which mixes retro beats with enticingly arranged collections of houseplants and homewares. Candles and diffusers are available, too, making it a must-visit for anyone looking to improve their flat's zen quality. Since it opened, The Nunhead Gardener has blossomed into a small chain with outposts in Mayfair, Elephant Park and Camberwell, ready to add a touch of nature's magic to your pressie list.

1a, Oakdale Road, SE15 3BW