Shopping - Nags Head
Shop Nags Head for a variety of treasures from handcrafted jewelry and surfboards to designer dresses and original Disney animation art.
Take home a souvenir T-shirt, seashell, lighthouse or hermit crab. Stock up on beach towels, boogie boards and other beach supplies.
Visit the antique mall at Central Square or shop outlet heaven at Tanger Outlet Mall. Specialty stores feature everything from Christmas wares and antique decoys to baby, boating, birding and angling essentials. You can find a variety of gifts in multi-room shops or nestled in restaurant, gallery or recreation hot spots. From fresh seafood catches at the market to oceans of swimsuit selections, Nags Head offers quality goods and services to enhance your daily, weekly or lifetime stay.
Remember that locals call Croatan Highway—aka U.S. Highway 158—The Bypass, and they refer to Virginia Dare Trail—aka N.C. Highway 12—as the Beach Road. Those simple names are just easier to remember!
Brew Thru—Nags Head (2 locations)
- 3700 S. Virginia Dare Trail (Beach Road) and 2203 S. Croatan Highway (The Bypass), MP 10 & 13
- Nags Head
- (252) 441-5108 and (252) 480-2739
The original drive-through beverage store has been on the Outer Banks for more than 30 years and has become a tradition for visitors and locals alike. The Nags Head locations offer ice-cold beer, wine, soft drinks, snacks and much more. Almost bigger than their fun reputation are their world-famous T-shirts—they’ve sold so many (more than 3 million since 1977) that they now create annual editions that are considered collectibles. Check out Ebay if you think we’re kidding! Stop in and get your own! It’s the #1 selling souvenir on the beach.
Cavalier Surf Shop
- 4324 S. Virginia Dare Traill, The Beach Road, MP 13.5
- Nags Head
- (252) 441-7349
One of the oldest surf shops on the Outer Banks, Cavalier is a family-run operation and is known for providing good customer service in sales and rentals. You can buy or rent hard or soft-top surfboards, bodyboards, skimboards and wetsuits. They have a full line of clothing for boys, men and women including beachwear, sportswear, swimwear and sandals. They also have a wide selection of sunglasses. Check out their cool Cavalier Surf Shop T-shirt designs. See Recreation for more information about the surfing lessons they offer.
Cloud Nine
- 3022 S. Croatan Highway, The Bypass, MP11.5
- Nags Head
- (252) 441-2992
Colorful and creative, Cloud Nine is a happening stop these days for shoppers and artisans and has been for more than 20 years. Buy beads to create your own jewelry, or bring in a piece of beach glass or a found treasure and they’ll create it for you. The owner, Ginny, is a talented jewelry artist who shares her knowledge and provides lots of helpful info. Ask about their jewelry-making workshops. The shop is recently expanded to offer more beads, worktables and finished jewelry plus books and tools for the aspiring designer. Choose from a selection of gold and silver jewelry and other beaded delights, apparel, incense, body oils and around the world finds. They carry a great selection of local artwork, and Ginny can tell you a bit about each artists.
Cotton Gin
- 5151 S. Croatan Highway, The Bypass, MP 14.5
- Nags Head
- (252) 449-2387
This shop is perfect for finding special touches for your home or cottage, gifts or that little something for yourself. Browse through nautical and beach home décor from furniture and lamps to decorative kitchen and garden items, or choose from a variety of gifts, jewelry and body products from Crabtree & Evelyn and Burt’s Bees. They have a huge collection of Yankee Candles and soy Beanpod candles. Shop for Outer Banks apparel or resort wear for the whole family including Tommy Bahama and Banana Bay items. Pick up some North Carolina wine from their very own vineyard.
Front Porch Café
- 2707 S. Croatan Highway, The Bypass, MP 10.5
- Nags Head
- (252) 480-6616
The Front Porch Cafe is a traditional community coffeehouse with deliciously fresh roasted coffee. The aroma will greet you when you step inside, and you can even watch as the coffee is roasted here. The Front Porch serves an array of specialty coffee drinks, teas and chai. Fresh pastries and cakes are baked on site, like croissants, muffins, cinnamon buns and turnovers. A wide variety of whole bean coffees are for sale. The interior of this coffee shop is unique, with artwork from coffee-producing countries across the globe and a hand-painted mural by local artist Elizabeth Kays. This is a great place to hang out, open year round with free wireless Internet access, extended summer evening hours and a community bulletin board with local news and events. The Front Porch has two other locations, one in Kill Devil Hills at MP 6 and their new store in Manteo.
Hallmark Gold Crown
- 5000 S. Croatan Highway, The Bypass, MP 14
- Nags Head
- (252) 441-7015
Gifts, cards, wrap, stationery and photo albums are the “hallmark” of this venue. Need a wedding or baby gift? Look no further. You’ll also find Yankee Candles, Sandicast dogs, Heartwood Creek, Precious Moments and Enesco Collectibles. They also carry the highly sought after collectible Willow Tree angels. There’s a great selection of gifts and jewelry that can be engraved for special occasions. Hallmark also has balloons and a large selection of plush animals.
Jewelry by Gail
- 207 Driftwood Street
- Nags Head
- (252) 441-5387
Designing in platinum and gold, Gail Kowalski is a local artist whose work with natural, fancy-colored diamonds and other precious gems and metals has won her national recognition. She creates one of a kind high-quality jewelry and also features handpicked reasonably priced selections from the world over. To see a work of astonishing beauty, stop in for a look at her amethyst chandelier.
Kitty Hawk Kites and Whalebone Water Sports
- 3933 S. Croatan Highway, The Bypass, MP 12.5
- Nags Head
- (252) 441-2210
Kitty Hawk Kites offers equipment for all adventure needs, including hang gliding, kiteboarding and kayaking gear. They have souvenirs, including Wright Brothers merchandise, pirate gear and Outer Banks paraphernalia. There is also a great selection of fun toys, special gifts and all types of kites. Check out the on-site climbing wall and ask about hang gliding lessons, which are held across the street at Jockey’s Ridge. See Recreation.
Kitty Hawk Sports
- 3933 S. Croatan Highway, The Bypass, MP 12.5
- Nags Head
- (252) 441-6800
Kitty Hawk Sports has a great selection of outdoor and surf brand clothing as well as summer fashions and swimwear for the whole family. There are T-shirts galore, lots of OBX paraphernalia and Nags Head Casino products. They have tons of watersports equipment for sale like kayaks, surfboards, body boards, skim boards, fins and wetsuits. See Recreation for more information about the watersports opportunities.
The Cottage Shop
- 5000 S. Croatan Highway, The Bypass, MP 14
- Nags Head
- (252) 441-2522
The Cottage Shop is the Outer Banks’ “home outfitters for seaside living.” The store features the latest in gifts for special occasions, weddings and holidays, decorative accessories, housewares and accent furniture to complement any home. The Cottage Shop also offers all-inclusive Cottage Packages designed to help homeowners outfit their beach homes or year-round residences. The packages encompass kitchen, bed, bath, decorative accessories, outdoor and recreational items. Kellogg Design Center, a sister company that’s located next door, can help you create a totally new kitchen or bath with all your lighting, flooring and cabinet needs.
TW’s Bait and Tackle
- 3022 S. Croatan Highway, The Bypass, MP 10.5
- Nags Head
- (252) 441-4807
TW’s is now at home in a brand-new facility; it’s three times as large as the old store and packed with even more quality fishing gear and accessories. At TW’s they can fix you up with a custom fishing rod. You’ll find T-shirts, sweats and hats, all emblazoned with the best fishing designs around. They also carry clothing for children and ladies. There’s a good selection of sunglasses for the whole family, in quality brands like Costa Del Mar and Maui Jim. They also carry Helly Hansen and Columbia raingear as well as hunting clothing and accessories. Check out their selection of fishy gifts and home décor items. You can pick up all the fishing extras, like rod racks, and essentials or a fishing license, with one stop at TW’s. See Recreation for more information.
Yellowhouse Art Gallery
- 2902 S Virginia Dare Trail, The Beach Road, MP 11
- Nags Head
- (252) 441-6928
Featured in the nine rooms of this wonderful old cottage is a great collection of local art prints and original paintings, local photography, antique maps and prints, original antique engravings and Civil War prints, botanicals and nature prints and Outer Banks maps (modern and antique). Custom framing is available in the Annex. They are celebrating 40 years in 2009!
Ace Hardware
- 2718 S. Croatan Highway, The Bypass, MP 11
- Nags Head
- (252) 441-5644
Most people know Ace as a traditional hardware store, a place to find tools, paint, hardware and lawn and garden supplies. But you may not know that they also sell deck furniture, cleaning supplies, kitchen items, bathroom accessories, beach goods, pet supplies, holiday decorations, fishing tackle, grills, gifts, home accessories, art supplies, Carhartt clothing and much more. Check it out.
Aeropostale
- 7100 S. Croatan Highway, The Bypass MP 16
- Nags Head
- (252) 449-9380
Your teens and young adults will flock to this outlet. It’s filled with stylish clothes for that set.
Ann’s Beach Crafts
- 206 E. Driftwood Street
- Nags Head
- (252) 441-7459
There’s a little bit of everything here, with crafts and gifts including hand-painted mailboxes and flowerpots, ceramics, handmade purses, glassware and sun catchers. Call for hours.
Atlantic Treasures
- The Bypass, MP 13
- Nags Head
- (252) 441-1348
This shop offers beachy gifts from seashell and lighthouse decor to wind-chimes, picture frames, beach bags and more. They have jewelry and sun hats too.
Austin Fish Company
- 3711 S. Croatan Highway, The Bypass, MP 12.5
- Nags Head
- (252) 441-7412
Austin’s features a variety of seafood including crab meat, shrimp, oysters, clams, fish, scallops, crabs, live lobsters, lobster tails and snow crab legs. They’ll steam your shrimp and crabs for you, and they’ll also vacuum pack, freeze and ship your catch.
Bass Shoe
- 7100 S. Croatan Highway, The Bypass, MP 16.5
- Nags Head
- (252) 441-8858
Locate quality shoewear for the whole family. Girl’s shoes start at size 11, and boy’s begin at size 12.
Beach Braids
- 4104 S. Virginia Dare Trail, Beach Road, MP 13
- Nags Head
- (252) 441-6970
At Beach Braids you can accessorize with braids, cornrows, hair wraps, jewelry and temporary full-color and henna tattoos.
Beach Memories
- 2236 S. Croatan Highway, The Bypass, MP 10
- Nags Head
- (252) 441-7277
Shop here for all your scrapbook supplies. Scrapbooking is a great way to archive your memories by displaying photos and memorabilia. Beach Memories has scrapbook pages for all occasions like weddings, birthdays and, of course, vacations.
Beach Soul and Hairwraps
- 3933 S. Croatan Highway, The Bypass, MP 12.5
- Nags Head
- (252) 449-9066
Bop on in to Beach Soul for fun island accessories, like hair braids, wraps and temporary tattoos. They also have fun stuff like nail polish, jewelry, visors, tote bags, sweatshirts, tank tops and Frisbees.
Bear Drugs
- 4711 S. Croatan Highway, The Bypass, MP 14
- Nags Head
- (252) 441-1252
Bear Drugs is a locally owned drugstore. The pharmacists are helpful, and they stock diabetic and home healthcare supplies.
Ben Franklin
- 2117 S. Croatan Highway, The Bypass, MP 10
- Nags Head
- (252) 441-7571
Ben Franklin is a great stop for beach items such as floats, towels, boogie boards, hats and sandals. You can pick up souvenirs and sundries and browse a host of attractive swimsuits and beach dresses for women. There also are swimsuits, shorts, T-shirts and pants for the whole family.
Cahoon’s
- 7213 S. Virginia Dare Trail, The Beach Road, MP 16.5
- Nags Head
- (252) 441-5358
This vintage, family-owned grocery store offers fresh meats, a great selection of fine wines and a variety of groceries. They have gourmet cheeses and pates, homegrown vegetables, herbs, spices, sauces and marinades. And, while you’re here, pick up all the fishing tackle you need. They really have it all!
Chalet Gift Shop
- 6406 S. Virginia Dare Trail, The Beach Road, MP 15.5
- Nags Head
- (252) 441-6402
Wow! Shop the Chalet for lovely gifts, collectibles, souvenirs and jewelry including 14-karat gold and sterling silver creations. Offerings include home accessories and beach items. The staff here is especially nice.
