The Salem Shops I’d Actually Go Back To
I’ve been to Salem five times, which means I’ve done enough browsing to know the difference between a genuinely good witchy shop and a store selling the same plastic pentagram you could probably order online for $4.
These are the places I’d happily spend my money again—plus a few newer Salem shops that have earned a spot on my list for next time.
Me and my witch bestie shooting the shit at Nocturne in Salem, MA.
Nocturne — Best for Beautiful Dark Things
Nocturne is probably my favorite shop in Salem.
It’s dark and gothic without feeling like a Halloween store. Think artisan jewelry, perfume, books, art, Victorian-inspired home goods and wonderfully strange little objects. Everything feels curated and carefully chosen.
If you like your Salem souvenirs elegant, moody and perhaps slightly cursed, start here.
Go here for: jewelry, niche fragrance and something beautiful you didn’t plan to buy.
Modern Millie — Best for Becoming the Outfit
Modern Millie is where you go when you would also like to dress like Salem.
The clothes are vintage-inspired, feminine and playful rather than straight-up costumey, and the accessories are dangerously cute. Last time I visited they had leather novelty purses shaped like books!
I bought the witchy dress I wore around Salem here and it’s held up beautifully. Quality and cuteness = win-win.
Go here for: dramatic vintage clothing, book purses, jewelry, and becoming 35% more whimsical.
My Modern Millie witch dress always makes me feel like a fancy witch about town.
The Salem Flea Marketplace — Best for Things That May Actually Be Haunted
The Salem Flea is Salem at its weirdest. Expect antiques, art, oddities, old jewelry, unsettling dolls and more.
The flea has operated in several Salem locations over the years—the version I visited was practically across from the Witch House—but the permanent marketplace is now downtown at Dodge Street Court.
Go here for: spooky treasures of all kinds and the fun of the hunt itself.
HausWitch — Best Cozy Witch
HausWitch = witchcraft meets a cute independent design shop.
It’s lighter and warmer than some of Salem’s gothier stores, with candles, crystals, books, ritual tools, home goods and handmade pieces from independent makers.
Go here for: pretty witchy gifts you can display in your house without frightening your mother.
Emporium 32 — Best Vintage Curiosity-Shop Energy
Emporium 32 feels less like a souvenir shop and more like wandering into an old theatrical curiosity cabinet.
Think Victorian and gothic jewelry, hats, accessories, art, books, home décor and strange treasures tucked into elaborate displays. Half the fun is simply looking around.
Also, get your fortune from Zoltar. Obviously.
Go here for: vintage-style jewelry, unusual gifts and old-world weirdness.
The Ossuary — Best Tiny Goth Boutique
The Ossuary is a small shop on Pickering Wharf packed with gothic fashion, jewelry, accessories and darker treasures.
It doesn’t take long to browse, which makes it an easy stop while you’re wandering the waterfront, but it’s good at fitting a lot of temptation into a very small room.
Go here for: something dark, wearable and a little less touristy.
Blackcraft Salem — Best Store for the Spectacle
Blackcraft Salem is enormous, dramatic and housed in an old bank with a giant witch named Nydia suspended in the middle of the store.
The clothes honestly didn’t do much for me the last time I went, but I would still go back. The building is spectacular, there’s a witch-cottage-style coffee shop, plenty of photo opportunities and now a DIY Patch Bar where you can customize hats, totes and other pieces.
Go here for: the experience, the architecture and a coffee under a giant flying witch.
Nydia welcomes you to the Blackcraft Salem clothing store and coffee bar in Salem, MA.
Salem keeps changing. These are new—or newer to me—shops that I haven’t personally tested yet, but after digging through their offerings and reviews, I would absolutely check them out next time.
Hive & Forge — Best for Shopping Local Makers
Hive & Forge is a collective featuring dozens of independent artists and curators with jewelry, ceramics, art, soap, vintage pieces, clothing, antiques and oddities. There’s more emphasis on actual makers than mass-produced Salem merchandise.
This may be the shop I’m most excited to try next.
Go here for: locally made things and actually discovering an artist instead of buying another witch mug.
The Midnight Bookseller — Best for Dark Readers
The Midnight Bookseller opened in 2026 and appears to have been designed in a laboratory specifically to steal my money.
It specializes in fantasy, horror, gothic romance, dark academia and folklore, along with special editions and blind dates with books. It’s also queer woman-owned and building itself around book clubs, author events, games and community gatherings.
They’ve already hosted a tarot book-pairing event. Come on! I’m so there and my Bella Jacobs spooky-author, alter-ego wants a nook on that shelf!
Go here for: books about murder, monsters, and magic
Wicked Good Books — Best All Around Indie Bookstore
Wicked Good Books is Salem’s established independent bookstore and a good palate cleanser if you’ve reached your crystal limit. You’ll find Salem and witch-trial history alongside fiction, horror, fantasy, feminist titles, LGBTQ books and plenty of general reading.
Go here for: an actual stack of books, not merely books as gothic décor.
Witch City Wicks — Best Salem Scent to Take Home
Witch City Wicks hand-pours its candles in Salem, with scents like Salem, Holy Ground, Apothecary, Sea Witch and Night Garden.
They also make perfume oils, room sprays and wax melts. I like this as a souvenir because months later you can light the candle and temporarily convince yourself you're back in Salem.
Go here for: bringing the smell of your witch vacation home with you.
Wandering Salem and contemplating the bats in my belfry.
The Sea Wych — Best for Coastal Witchiness
The Sea Wych takes Salem witchiness in a maritime direction, with shells, fossils, handmade soaps, perfume oils, jewelry, tarot and oracle decks, spell kits and sea-inspired ritual goods.
They also offer readings and occasional workshops, including sea-witch crafts using ocean elements, herbs and salts.
Considering how much Salem’s maritime history gets overshadowed by its witch history, I love this concept.
Go here for: something that feels equally Salem and coastal New England.
Circle of Stitches — Best for Fiber Witches
Circle of Stitches may be the most wholesome witch shop on this list.
It’s a yarn and fiber shop with witchy extras, but what interests me most are the classes, stitch nights and community events.
If you have enough time in Salem, I love the idea of spending an hour or two actually making something and talking to people instead of simply cycling through stores buying things. And I’m a knitter from way back, so…
Go here for: yarn, knitting, crochet and hanging out with the local fiber witches.
Planning a Salem Trip?
If all this shopping has convinced you that maybe you do, in fact, need a witchy New England getaway, I’ve got you. Start with my guide to why November is secretly one of the best times to visit Salem if you want the fall atmosphere without peak October chaos.
Then grab my 1.5-day Salem itinerary for a loose plan that covers the waterfront, downtown, museums, witchy nighttime options, breakfast, the Ropes Mansion garden and plenty of time to wander off-script.
If you’re still trying to decide what’s actually worth your time once you arrive, I also put together my 7 things actually worth doing in Salem after five visits.
Because Salem is very easy to overplan.
It is much better when you leave a little room for wonderfully weird things to happen.
