Shopping in the Great North Woods: Independent Shops and Makers

Nobody drives to the top of New Hampshire for a mall. People come to the Great North Woods for moose, lakes, snowmobile trails and quiet, and the shopping reflects that. It is small, independent and closely tied to the place. If you are looking for shopping in the Great North Woods NH, think artisan gifts on a village main street, a clothing company built around the 45th parallel, farm-raised meat you can bring home in a cooler and a locally owned grocery where you stock the camp kitchen. This guide covers the towns and the local businesses from our directory worth planning a stop around.

Where the shopping is

The Great North Woods is the northernmost part of the state, in Coos County, and its towns are small. Colebrook is the main service town for the far north. It had 2,084 residents at the 2020 census, and its main village sits at the junction of U.S. Route 3 and New Hampshire Route 26. The Connecticut River forms its western boundary, with Vermont on the other bank.

North of Colebrook, Route 3 follows the river through Stewartstown and on toward Pittsburg. Stewartstown had 813 residents in 2020, and the 45th parallel north, the line halfway between the equator and the North Pole, passes through the town. Clarksville, to the north and east, had just 294 residents in 2020, and its town hall, at about 1,980 feet, is the highest town hall in the state. Pittsburg, at the top of the map, is the largest town by area in New England and the only New Hampshire town that borders Canada.

In practice this means the shopping is clustered. Colebrook's village holds most of it, and the rest is spread along Route 3 and the back roads. Plan your stops in one or two runs rather than expecting to wander from shop to shop.

Artisan gifts on Colebrook's Main Street

Fiddleheads, A Great North Woods Shoppe is the Colebrook stop for gifts. The shop features work from local, regional and national artisans and says it promotes American, Canadian and fair trade producers. Its range is wide: pottery, glass, jewelry, candles, balsam products, bath and body goods, home and garden pieces, signs and windchimes, plus tea and bar accessories.

This is the kind of store that solves the souvenir problem for a North Country trip. A balsam pillow or a piece of locally made pottery says more about where you were than a printed T-shirt from a gas station. Fiddleheads also sells online, so if you see something too big to fit in a car full of fishing gear, ask about having it sent.

Apparel from north of the 45th

North of the 45th Apparel Company is on Crawford Road in Clarksville. The company says it built and designed its clothing line around its love for the Great North Woods region of Coos County, and that the store itself is hand-built. The line covers T-shirts and long sleeves, sweatshirts and hoodies, hats and beanies, flannels, jackets and vests, fleece joggers, youth and baby clothing and even dog gear.

The name is the point. Clarksville and Stewartstown both sit on the 45th parallel, and a shirt that says you were north of it is a better story than most. The shop posts seasonal hours and says they can change, so check its website or social pages before making the drive, especially in shoulder seasons.

Local meat for the cooler

CJEJ Farm, The Meat House is a farm in Columbia selling its own meat. The farm's website says its products are sold at Colebrook Feeds, Farm and Garden Supply on Colby Street in Colebrook during that store's business hours, and that bulk orders can be arranged by email. The farm also lists custom processing on its site.

If you are staying in a rental cabin or a camp on one of the lakes, local meat is one of the best things you can bring back from the North Country. Pack a cooler with ice packs before you leave home, and plan to buy on the way back to your lodging rather than at the start of a long day out.

The hometown grocery

LaPerle's IGA is Colebrook's locally owned supermarket, on the Daniel Webster Highway, which is Route 3. The store describes itself as a "Hometown Proud" supermarket and is a member of the Independent Grocers Alliance, a network of independent grocers that IGA says is the world's largest voluntary supermarket network. Its website posts weekly specials and offers curbside pickup.

A grocery is not a tourist attraction, but in the Great North Woods it matters. Services thin out quickly as you head north, and many visitors are cooking for themselves in a camp or cabin. Stock up in Colebrook before driving up to the Connecticut Lakes, and you will not have to turn around for something you forgot.

Arts and history in the same stop

The Great North Woods Center for the Arts in Colebrook is not a shop, but it belongs on a shopping day because it is where the region's culture gathers. The center says its story begins in 1789, when the Parsons family built a log cabin and barn on the land. Over the years the property has served as a family farm, a seminary, the historic Hampshire Inn and the Shrine of Our Lady of Grace, and it is listed on the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places. Today it hosts music, theater, art and history programs, and it sells gift certificates.

Check its calendar before your trip. Pairing an afternoon of browsing in Colebrook with an evening show is one of the better ways to spend a North Country day that does not involve a trail or a boat.

Planning a shopping day in the far north

A few practical points make the difference between a good day and a frustrating one.

• Check hours before you drive. Small independent shops in rural areas often keep seasonal or limited hours, and many post changes only on social media. A phone call saves a long drive.
• Start in Colebrook. It is the hub, with the grocery, the gift shop, the farm supply store that carries local meat, and the arts center. From there it is a short drive north on Route 3 toward Stewartstown and Clarksville.
• Bring a cooler. Between local meat and farm products, you will want one, especially in warm weather.
• Fill up and stock up. Gas stations and stores are farther apart as you head north toward Pittsburg. Do your errands in Colebrook before heading to the lakes.
• Combine shopping with scenery. The drive along the Connecticut River on Route 3 is part of the trip, and Colebrook is also home to Beaver Brook Falls Natural Area, an easy roadside stop.

Late summer is a good time to go

At the end of August, the Great North Woods is between its two busiest seasons: summer lake trips and the fall foliage drive. Shops are usually still on summer schedules, and the roads are quieter than they will be once the leaves turn. It is a good window for a long weekend that mixes a morning on the water with an afternoon of browsing, and for picking up gifts well ahead of the holidays.

Wherever you shop, buying from the region's independent businesses keeps money in towns where every storefront counts. A sweatshirt from Clarksville or a piece of pottery from Colebrook is a small thing, but in a town of a few hundred or a couple thousand people, it adds up.

Getting there

Colebrook sits on U.S. Route 3 in the northern part of Coos County, near the Vermont line. Route 3 is the main road through the whole region, running north along the Connecticut River from Colebrook through Stewartstown and on to Pittsburg and the Canadian border. New Hampshire Route 26 heads east from Colebrook toward Dixville Notch. Most visitors arrive by car, and a car is essential once you are here.

Frequently asked questions

What is the main shopping town in the Great North Woods?

Colebrook. It has the region's locally owned grocery, an artisan gift shop on Main Street, a farm supply store that carries local meat and a regional arts center.

Where does the 45th parallel cross New Hampshire?

The 45th parallel north passes through Stewartstown and Clarksville in the Great North Woods. Pittsburg is the only New Hampshire town entirely north of it.

Can I buy local meat in the North Country?

Yes. CJEJ Farm, The Meat House sells its products through Colebrook Feeds, Farm and Garden Supply in Colebrook, and takes bulk orders by email.

Are shops in the Great North Woods open year-round?

Hours vary, and many small shops change them by season. Check each business's website or social pages, or call ahead, before you drive.

Sources

• Colebrook, New Hampshire, Wikipedia (population, Route 3 and Route 26, Connecticut River, Beaver Brook Falls): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colebrook,_New_Hampshire
• Stewartstown, New Hampshire, Wikipedia (population, 45th parallel): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewartstown,_New_Hampshire
• Clarksville, New Hampshire, Wikipedia (population, 45th parallel, town hall elevation): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarksville,_New_Hampshire
• Pittsburg, New Hampshire, Wikipedia (largest town by area, Canadian border, 45th parallel): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburg,_New_Hampshire
• Fiddleheads official site: https://www.fiddleheadsusa.com
• North of the 45th Apparel Company official site: https://northofthe45thapparelco.com/
• CJEJ Farm, The Meat House official site: https://www.cjejfarm.com/
• LaPerle's IGA official site, About Us: https://www.laperlesiga.com/about-us/
• Great North Woods Center for the Arts official site: https://www.gnwca.org/