The Best Far-Flung Shops of 2025
Shiprock Santa Fe/Wendy McEahern
For Wildsam's inaugural Road Trip Awards we asked a panel of seven expert judges for the places that will make your next voyage through America unforgettable. Here, we're taking a look at Super Shops, places with wise owners, hard-to-find goods and community heart. Bonus points for open-air poetry.
Rock Creek Fisherman’s Mercantile
Fly-fishing shops come in several flavors, these days often leaning just a bit toward the tech-y side of things. This place—this is a fly-fishing shop. Part country store, part community center, it’s a nexus of expertise and gear that looks (and creaks) more like your grandpa’s house. Blue-ribbon stream Rock Creek is straight out the back. On nice days, the banter is usually on the low-slung porch—a dog or two, as well.
The Greatest General Stores In America
The best places in America to grab your provisions and sundries.
OK Pantry
This is the kind of place that just makes you feel like you know what you’re doing. You’re getting your coffee and fancy pantry snacks here, in this cheerful Upstate nook? Pro, pro move.
Imogene + Willie
At the 2009 debut, all the cool kids in Nashville wanted the tailored jeans inside a former gas station. Then the gospel of the USA-made garments began to spread. Quality stays in style, always.
Literati Bookstore
In 2013, Hilary and Mike Gustafson lived the dream when they opened this brick-walled, tin-ceilinged readers’ clubhouse in the classic college town. Ever since: local love, national acclaim.
COBRA ROCK
“Quintessential Marfa. The shop, though small in square footage, feels deeply spacious in an energetic sense—part showroom for their boots, part conduit for connecting their clients with other artisans they admire. I first got to know Colt and Logan in 2014. They are both quiet, thoughtful and kind. I’m a far cry from a fashionista, in large part from my longing for comfort. I was gobsmacked when trying on a pair of the boots. They were downright cozy! The buttery softness of the leather, the gentle arch of the sole ... they wear like a dream.”
—Kathie Sever, founder, Fort Lonesome
Allanstand Craft Shop
The deeply stocked emporium of the Southern Highland Craft Guild traces back to 1895. More than 400 artisans sell their wares there—a trove of Appalachian talent and quality.
HN Williams
How many places can claim seven generations of family ownership and a track record that goes back to 1840? Huge and beautifully barn-like, this hub for Vermont-made products and rural essentials has what you need.
Bart's Books
Outdoor browsing in the California sun? If you insist. The story goes back to an inspired 1964 decision to set up a few open-air shelves; it’s grown to 100,000+ titles and an iconic scene.
Shiprock Santa Fe
On Santa Fe’s plaza, dots connect, linking traditional Navajo weaving to midcentury modern furniture and contemporary art. A curatorial master-class, based on generational experience.
Marston House
Take an hour-long ferry ride to an Atlantic island of lore, then browse expertly chosen antique textiles, French furniture, art and some very cool espadrilles.
The Road Trips Awards
We scoured the map. We asked our smartest, most well-traveled friends. The results are in.
