Shopping
Shopping in Nelson is focussed around the historic Baker St and includes various sporting goods stores as well as unique locally owned boutiques that sell clothing, antiques and jewellery. The shopping is diverse and relaxed, and some of the shops don’t open until 9:30am, 10am or even 10:30am. The waterfront area also has shops but these tend to be more main-stream.
There is also the WH2O store at the Whitewater ski resort.
Whitewater Shop
The shop at Whitewater is small but jam-packed with various goodies. They sell ski and snowboard accessories and lots of Whitewater souvenirs. The logo wear includes windcheaters, jackets, hoodies, vests, caps and t-shirts. The most talked about items are the Whitewater cookbooks, which share the secrets of the infamous food sold in the café.
Nelson Ski and Snowboard Equipment and Clothing
For a town with a population of only about 9,500 people, there are a surprising number of sporting goods stores as well as specialist ski and snowboard shops.
The pick of the bunch is The Village Ski Hut (367 Baker St 250 352 6326 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 250 352 6326 end_of_the_skype_highlighting). It’s hard not to be lured into this Nelson ski shop considering the fantastic front window displays that they frequently rotate. If the Powderhounds gave out an award for the best ski shop window in Canada, The Village Ski Hut would definitely be the winner. This reasonably small shop is chock-a-block with delightful ski clothing from brands such as The North Face and Peak Performance. If you’re in need of some new outerwear, this is the place to come. They also sell a small range of skis, mainly Rossignols. The Village Ski Hut does not have ski rentals.
Nearby is Snowpack Outdoor Experience. Downstairs is the Patagonia outlet store where Patagonia fans can go crazy, but there are also bargains to be found upstairs in the main shop where they sell an array of outdoor clothing and footwear, including all the Merrell shoes you could ever dream of.
Valhalla Pure (624 Baker St, Nelson) is another option for outdoor clothing, hiking boots and a few ski accessories.
The Sacred Ride is a bike, ski and board shop, with more of a focus on bikes and boards. They sell limited apparel and accessories, and have a workshop for tuning, waxing and repairs.
ROAM (Rivers, Oceans and Mountains) is a large shop with gear from Arc’teryx, Mountain Hardwear, Icebreaker, Cloudveil, Helly Hansen, and Mammut. They also sell skis and mountain gear.
For a range of ski equipment including cross-country and telemark sales and rentals, try Gerick Cycle and Ski (702 Baker St). They also have a selection of alpine powder skis for sale and a small amount of ski clothing, but their main focus in on bike riding.
A very interesting ski and snowboard shop is Boomtown Sports Emporium. The large shop looks like a White Elephant sale with a mish mash of new and recycled gear (boots, skis, boards). They also sell Valhalla skis; locally made skis with a bamboo core.
General Shopping
The shopping in Nelson is eclectic so it’s fun to stroll through the shops searching for something a little different. From alternate organic teas to the adults-only Bent Over Leather shop, there are plenty of interesting shops to visit.
Grocery Shopping
The Kootenay Co-op store (295 Baker St) is packed full of food and produce that is organic and locally grown. The Extra Foods supermarket is located on the corner of Vernon and Hendryx St, and on Pine St/Highway 3A there’s a huge Safeway and liquor store.