My boyfriend and I love to go to Portsmouth from Boston every year to shop for unusual Christmas…read moregifts that you might not find everywhere else. Unfortunately, we both works nights and therefore aren't very good at getting there early and most of the stores close at six. We don't always get to look at all of the shops outside the main area before our shopping comes to an abrupt end. This Sunday, long after most shops closed, we came upon a warm and inviting Pickwick's. The sign on the door said they closed at 6 and it was at least 7, so I stood an gazed longingly into the shop door wishing I had seen the shop earlier - it looks like Christmas magic inside. The next thing I knew, the friendly and festively dressed shop ladies were inviting us in, saying they still had lots of work to do before they could leave, so we were welcome to have a browse! They even offered to gift wrap some little things we picked out and one of the ladies helped me to hide a gift I was buying for my boyfriend while he wasn't looking! Great little shop with so many fun things, but I was really inspired to write this because I was really impressed at the level of customer service and the "going beyond the call of duty". Very special thing in a world where most people don't care to go the extra mile anymore. The whole experience sent us home with some real Christmas spirit! Give those ladies a raise! :)

Loved this shop! They have a bit of everything that's fun and interesting. The staff (dressed in…read moreperiod costumes) helpful are super friendly.

What a great idea for any friend-group, couples outing, or to come on your own even!…read more All the materials are provided and the staff working are all so nice and knowledgeable. There's a whole wall of different candle scents and there's an awesome list of scents that pair well together if you don't know where to start. I went with a more "clean bathroom" scent and found 3 scents that were suggested on their list. I love the smell of my candle!! Once you've chosen your scents, chosen your vessel, stirred everything in your vessel for 5-7 mins, and labeled it yours, you have to wait 2.5-3 hours for the wax to set. This called for a perfect day-trip walking around the shops in Portsmouth and we also had time grabbed a bite before picking up our candles and heading home. Also - they've got a cute gift shop area featuring local artists and businesses in the area. The 4 of us all had different approaches to our scents and were all obsessed. I'm definitely gonna come back when I'm due for a new Christmas candle!!

Wasn't the best experience. Arrived a bit late and were told several times, by several staff…read moremembers that we had limitied time to create the candle, and was totally rushed through the process. The staff was so worried about a party of 9 that were coming in at 1:00PM, that they could care less about our party of 3 that were sitting there. After finishing on time, paying, using the restroom, gathering our belongings and looking around the shop, we were out the door by approx. 1:20. The party of 9 still had yet to arrive, and I wouldn't be surprised if they never showed. Since no credit card or deposit is needed to hold your seat, there is really no committment, so I'm sure it happens alot. FYI: Just to be clear, anyone making candles on Mother's Day was offered a 10% discount! The owners aren't very business savy. Wouldn't recommend going.

This is one of the stores I always have to stop at when roaming around downtown Portsmouth. They…read morehave a cute selection of gifts or things for yourself. I always get my soy candles there because they have some unique scents. It is a tiny shop with a nice, upscale boutique feel. Lots of beach, cottage feel items. Check it out, you'll love it

We found the perfect house gift here for friends we were visiting. The woman in the store the…read moreweekend we were shopping was nice enough to let us return the next day to pick it up so we didn't have to carry it around while we were exploring the town. Interesting items and friendly service. A place to return to.

If you like loose tea, rubs, spices, salts, sugars, little gifts, you won't be disappointed with…read moreyour visit. Our daughter got us hooked on this place because she always brought a variety of loose teas back home since she was going to school at UNH. We got addicted and each trip up there we always stop in and stack up on loose teas, rubs, and spices for the BBQ. Prices are very reasonable and there is a tremendous selection of everything. There is a rewards program which we take part in and it has help us save some money over the years. The store is located in the heart of downtown Portsmouth. There is plenty of parking in the garages and not so much on the street.

When we went to check out, we attempted to purchase 4 or 5 items, the price differed from our…read morereceipt. When we pointed this out to the girl behind the counter, she was unable and the real problem was she was unwilling to correct the discrepancy. We purchased 2 bags of tea, the price marked on the label was 22.99 or thereabouts. On the receipt it was 29.99, similar for every item we purchased. Our response was, well "I can't do anything about this." "I will have to get someone else to help you." We pointed out our concern and what just happened to us, to the next customer. They also had a 4 dollar discrepancy and walked out before paying , when the exact same speech was given to them. We however were waiting for our refund / credit. We were not paying about 25 dollars more than the prices marked on the packages. We waited for about ten minutes for some man to show up, standing there while the 2 woman clerks assisted other people. We spent our idle time pointing out to customers to check their receipts for discrepancies with the posted prices. This is a tourist trap, they are "short" common teas and charge exorbitant prices in the first place, and then on top of that, it was painfully apparent to us they have a lot of mistakes with their cash register. Overall we spent about 15 to 20 minutes more while the man attempted to explain he needed to do something to "fix" the software , while we waited and waited. he didn't care one bit about the inconvenience and time he was spending delaying us, which seemed intentional. One of the women asked us to stop speaking t the other customers,..... We will never be back, and quite frankly I fail to understand how this place remains in business considering their deceptive practices?

I'm happy to add this stop on our way to Maine! Portsmouth has a lot of fun shops, and I'm glad to…read moreadd this place on our list. I found an herb that I've always been looking for and a little tumbled stone to carry with me. My husband found a very cute Witch/kitty salt & pepper shakers. Overall it was a fun experience. My husband and I are accustomed to the Salem experience, so this was very familiar. We both love the aesthetic and how items were displayed, but there times when we had some difficulties in reading some of the descriptions on items. We'll definitely stop by again!

Friendly staff. Esoteric and wide selection…read more Very dark in the store (very much in vibe)

I grew up in New England but live on the west coast now so when I come back to visit, I love…read morevisiting towns like Portsmouth to get the New England feel. This store supports local artists and businesses, and offers a variety of gifts and specialty items. Anne, the owner, was warm and inviting. This is a great spot to purchase local, and in my case, to grab a beautifully crafted souvenir! Check this place out!

Don't believe the "we love puppies" sign outside to lure you in. We were greeted immediately with…read morekeep it on a short leash...not everyone likes dogs....keep it away from the stuff. We hadn't even taken two steps in. I said, "oh your sign says we love puppies otherwise we wouldn't have even taken her in." Same products in a great store in Newburyport. I'll go back there.

I ordered some flowers to be delivered to my Mom who lives in an assisted living facility. The…read morenurses told me the arrangement was spectacular! We've used Drinkwater several times and have never been disappointed. I highly recommend Angela for all your floral needs.

I ordered flowers over the phone from across the country and paid $105 with delivery. When I…read morereceived a photo of the flowers from the recipient, I was admittedly somewhat disappointed with what was delivered. The person on the phone was helpful and friendly. Delivery was on time. The sentiment was there, but if I lived near the recipient, I would have been happier with flowers from the grocery store for $20. You pay for convenience.

Hand crafted galore. This place has everything from jewelry to unique designed flower planters!…read more My boyfriend and I are huge fans of decorating our home in hand crafted things. We willll definitely return to this store! We bought everything from little musical instruments to cute cat decorations. Another cool thing about this store is that they will give you information on the artist that made your product! Very reasonably priced an definitely worth checking out!

Love the concept of Ten Thousand Villages and first became aware of them via their Massachusetts…read morelocation. Not a fan of this one though as I watched my boyfriend be blatantly and incessantly followed around the store by an employee. Nice racism Portsmouth!

i have bought several pieces from her when she was in Newington mall. Very good quality at…read morereasonable prices!! fraction of what it costs new. I wish i could fit more if her furniture in my condo!! Strongly recommend you check ot out!!

Love the bistro table I got from here! It's exactly what I was looking for. Great place for shabby…read morechic furniture! They have new furniture too!