Ilfracombe Shopping Holiday Guide | Juul at Home

As with all counties, not all seaside towns are equal in terms of purchasing.  Our Ilfracombe Shopping Holiday Guide aims to give you a flavour of what’s on offer, with some hints and tips on where to find it.Get your wallets ready! For many tourists visiting the North Devon coast, particularly the beautiful harbour town of Ilfracombe, shopping is on top of the agenda.

Shopping sprees in a different area can be a bit daunting, however, with fabulous independent shops in gorgeous Victorian buildings and a diverse range of clothing, original artworks, unique artisan souvenirs, seaside themed accessories and organic skincare, you can’t afford not to take a look. In fact, you might want to bring some more bags…and an extra suitcase will come in handy for all of those ‘finds’ you simply don’t have at home.

For the new arrival, or first-time visitor, Ilfracombe is certainly unique. With the beautiful Victoriana architecture, comes some run-down elements, or building works in progress. Many of these buildings are listed, and with that comes a lot of maintenance and a requirement for specialist renovation. So please bear that in mind. At first you’ll see some scaffolding, but juxtaposed are some gorgeous and wonderful businesses open for you to explore.

Shopping in Ilfracombe is sort of divided between three main areas: Ilfracombe Harbour, Ilfracombe High Street, and Ilfracombe Fore Street (where Juul at Home is situated) and joins the harbour area to the high street. In the summer, Ilfracombe’s Dotto road train can take you on a little tour of each zone and from there you’ll get to see what’s on offer. Ilfracombe’s laid back and often sunny atmosphere in Fore Street is conducive for artisan and handicraft hunting, plus the fabulously quirky Kiki Barista Cafe; whereas the Harbour offers more seaside themed accessories, seafood and pasties, as well as homemade Roly’s Fudge. The High Street provides more traditional shopping, banking, Superdrug Ilfracombe, Costa Coffee and lovely unique cafes. Monthly you will also find the Farmer’s Market in the Lantern hall.

Beauty and relaxation shopping in Ilfracombe

With Ilfracombe on the great British coast, it goes without saying that it is one of the best places for creativity. And we don’t just mean Fine Arts, Ilfracombe also boasts its fair share of apothecary artisans. In the lifestyle shop of Juul at Home, you’ll find the wonderful beauty brand of Dolly Lemon – all natural, all vegan facial oils, body scrubs and moisturisers. Also on the shelf is a selection of Bathing Beauty Jones the Bones and Soothe Oils, super for aches and pains and alleviating sun burn. In the High Street, you’ll find Reflections offering beauty treatments, massage therapies and a fabulous Bomb Cosmetics store.

Beach Dress and Accessories Ilfracombe

Next on our list in our Ilfracombe Shopping Holiday Guide, just has to be beach dress and accessories. Obviously, with Ilfracombe being a harbour town and so close to the award-winning beaches of Woolacombe, Saunton Sands and Croyde, we have one of the country’s most vibrant beach shopping scenes, and the ideal place for towelling robes, kaftans, t-shirts, swim-ware and the obligatory buckets and spades. What we will say is, please try and buy plastic-free and stay away from foam bodyboards. Our lovely town is actively part of Plastic Free North Devon and we really try hard to take care of seas and sands.

For a fabulous range of dry robe style kaftans, beach bags and sunglasses, head to Salty Shangrila on Fore Street and see the lovely Nikki. For more yacht and boating gear, down at the harbour you will find the gorgeous clothing shop of Adrift, right on the quayside. For an array of beach shoes, pop into Quay Shoes, just a few doors down.

Fashion and men’s accessories in Ilfracombe

Whether you are looking for a silk cravat for a particular outfit, a beautiful tie to offset that shirt, or a leather belt to hold up your wedding trousers, you’ll find some fabulously fresh ideas and fashion accessories in Pedlars in the High Street. For indie inspiration, there is the wonderful Seventh Heaven and the Combe Emporium, both in the High Street too. And, for more brand fashion, try the Factory Shop or Weird Fish for sunglasses, hats, fleeces and t-shirts.

Bag shopping Ilfracombe

Bag lovers will be in absolute heaven in Ilfracombe. Why? Well thanks to Juul at Home, Salty Shangrila, Forty-Three (all on Fore Street), and the Curious Mr Fogg at the bottom of the road towards the harbour, this is the perfect place to spend the morning perusing the boutiques. You’ll find leather bags, beach bags, handmade stitched bags, jute bags, cute off-the-shoulder bags, and vegan bags in abundance. Not only that, because most of these bags are handmade by local, UK or Fair Trade artisans, you’re more likely to find something complete unique and help independent small businesses at the same time.

Healthy snacks and homemade treat shops in Ilfracombe

If you are looking for vegan or vegetarian alternatives, dried nuts and seeds, local eggs and honey, or to top up your vitamins, then Happy Wholefoods is the ideal destination. Situated on the High Street, almost opposite the cinema, freshly painted sky blue, this treasure trove has an array of wholesome snacks. Chocoholic? Look no further than the delicious Ilfracombe Chocolate Emporium. Delve into homemade chocolates and chocolate flavoured drinks, stirrers and gifts. Want to watch delicious crumbly fudge being made on-site? Head down to the end of the harbour near the pier, for the ever-popular Roly’s Fudge shop – we recommend the lemon meringue flavour!

Cheap stores for those essentials

It might come as a surprise, but not only is Ilfracombe known for its boutiques, it’s also renowned for its discounted shopping. So, we simply had to afford this fact a mention in our Ilfracombe Shopping Holiday Guide. For the best recycled bargains, head to the wonderful charity shops: Delboy Stores, TLC Charity, Tyrell Hospital Shop and North Devon Hospice for an eclectic collection of clothing, shoes and homeware, with profits going to local community causes. At All Kinds of Furniture, you’ll find a super selection of beds, wardrobes, coffee tables and more. Can’t find what you’re looking for? The fabulous Stella will probably be able to resource it for you.

Shopping for Ilfracombe souvenirs

What says ‘Ilfracombe’ to you? Is it the land of surf dudes, the destination for beaches, or the home of great sea excursions? Whether its Seagull Poop rock; anchor bottle opener; sea-glass jewellery; or the more traditional Seahorse mug, shopping for seaside-themed souvenirs is easy in Ilfracombe. There are also some things that you can only get here – like a piece of original art by Sara Clark, a lovely knitted bobbly hat by Wandering Free UK, or an essential oil soy candle by Dolly Lemon.  Plus being in North Devon, you are bound to find pasties and cream teas to take home too. Discerning souvenir hunters will also love some of the eclectic oddities that can be found digging around some of the smaller shops by the harbourside.