Christmas Shopping in Abingdon 2026: Independent Shops

1. Mostly Books, Stert Street

Mostly Books is the independent bookshop at 36 Stert Street, run by its owner, Sarah Dennis. It was shortlisted as one of seven South East finalists for Independent Bookshop of the Year at the 2019 British Book Awards, the Oxford Times reported.

Its website says titles not in stock are back-ordered and should arrive within 48 hours, and its gift range includes book subscriptions, Blind Date With a Book, mystery book bundles for adults and children, and signed independent bookshop editions.

Open Mon to Fri 9.30am to 5pm; Sat 9am to 5pm; Sun closed
Call 01235 525880
Address 36 Stert Street, Abingdon, OX14 3JP
Website mostly-books.co.uk
Good for books, children's books, book subscriptions, signed editions, next-day ordering

2. Masons, Bath Street and Stert Street

Masons is a family business with three shops in the town centre, trading as J.E. North.

Its website says the dress fabric shop at 20 Bath Street sits next door to the craft shop at 22 Bath Street, which sells craft items, cake decorations, ribbons, card making, jewellery making and embroidery supplies. The knitting and soft furnishings shop at 39 Stert Street, a five to ten minute walk away, sells knitting yarn, patterns, crochet accessories and upholstery fabric.

Its online shop sells wire-edge Christmas ribbon.

Open dress fabric and Stert Street shops Mon to Sat 9am to 5pm; craft shop Mon to Sat 10am to 5pm; all closed Sundays and bank holidays
Call 01235 527720 (dress fabric); 01235 520165 (craft); 01235 520107 (knitting and upholstery)
Address 20 and 22 Bath Street, OX14 3QH; 39 Stert Street, OX14 3JF
Website masonsfabric.com
Good for fabric, yarn, craft supplies, cake decorations, ribbon

3. Added Ingredients, Stert Street

Added Ingredients says it ran as a wine shop and deli from 2002 to 2022 and came back in November 2025. Its website says the shop opens at about 8.30am most mornings, and that the owners are in from about 10am to 5pm Tuesday to Saturday, so afternoons are best for questions about the stock.

It runs wine evenings with small plates; the festive evening on Friday 11 December was sold out when we checked, with a reserve list, and it also makes up tasting evenings to host at home.

Open from about 8.30am most mornings; staffed Tue to Sat about 10am to 5pm, to 5.30pm Fri and Sat
Call 01235 537405
Address 14-16 Stert Street, Abingdon, OX14 3JP
Website addedingredients.co.uk
Good for wine, deli, Portuguese wines, wine tasting evenings

4. Abingdon Picture Framing, Stert Street

Abingdon Picture Framing says it was established in 1990. Alongside custom framing, it sells Abingdon photographs by Mark Alger and historical county maps through its website, both of which can be framed as presents.

It says it does not quote for framing until it has seen the work, so bring the picture in, and allow time before Christmas. It also takes texts on 07385 696677.

Open Tue to Fri 9am to 5pm; Sat 9am to 4pm; closed Sun, Mon and bank holidays
Call 01235 612138
Address 34 Stert Street, Abingdon, OX14 3JP
Website abingdonpictureframing.co.uk
Good for picture framing, Abingdon photographs, historical maps

5. Abingdon Distillery, Ock Street

Abingdon Distillery is a small batch distillery in Coxeter House on Ock Street, making gin and rum; the town council says its first English whisky was due for release in spring 2026. The bottle shop is open three days a week, and the distillery runs bookable experiences that work as presents: gin and rum tours with a tasting of five spirits at £25 a person on Saturdays at 2.30pm, whisky tours at £30, and the Rum Academy, where you blend a bottle to take home, at £80 on Saturday nights.

Open shop Thu and Fri 11am to 4pm; Sat 11am to 2pm
Price gin and rum tour £25; whisky tour £30; Rum Academy £80 (per person, distillery website, 5 November 2026)
Booking tours must be booked online
Address Coxeter House, 21-27 Ock Street, Abingdon, OX14 5AJ
Website abingdondistillery.com
Good for gin, rum, distillery tours, experience gifts

6. Loose Cannon Brewery shop, Suffolk Way

Loose Cannon is Abingdon’s brewery, on the Suffolk Way industrial estate off Drayton Road. The town council lists its signature beer as Abingdon Bridge.

The brewery’s website sells bottles and cans for national and local delivery, and its shop and taproom share the site, so the shop’s later evening hours run alongside the taproom on Thursday to Saturday.

Open shop Mon 11am to 6pm; Tue and Wed 9am to 6pm; Thu 9am to 9.30pm; Fri 9am to 10pm; Sat 9am to 11pm; Sun closed
Call 01235 531141
Address Unit 6, Suffolk Way, Abingdon, OX14 5JX
Website lcbeers.co.uk
Good for local beer, bottles and cans, taproom, delivery

7. Millets Farm Shop, Frilford

Millets Farm Shop, on the A415 a few miles west of Abingdon, says it has been selling food for over 45 years. Its website lists an in-house bakery, a butchery counter with handmade sausages, a deli of its own quiches and sausage rolls, and a cheese counter of more than 100 cheeses.

The same site has the Sprouts gift shop and a Webbs garden centre. It is the only entry here with published Christmas hours.

Open daily 9am to 5.30pm; to 7pm on 11 Nov, 14 and 15 Nov, 19 to 22 Nov and every day from 26 Nov to 21 Dec; 8am to 7pm on 22 and 23 Dec; Christmas Eve 8am to 4pm; closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day
Address Millets Farm Centre, Kingston Road, Frilford, OX13 5HB
Website milletsfarmcentre.com/millets-farm-shop
Good for cheese, butchery, bakery, gift shop, garden centre

8. Wantage Bookshop, Mill Street

Wantage Bookshop is an independent bookshop on Mill Street, just behind the Market Place, with a sister shop in Hungerford. Its website says it stocks new releases and classics, a children’s section, cards, gift wrap and bookish gifts, and that most ordered books arrive the next day.

It sells book vouchers, book subscriptions and book hampers. Its November events include Tim Spicer on his book An Axe & Four Balloons at 7pm on 19 November.

The hours below are from the shop’s wantage.com listing.

Open Mon 9.30am to 4pm; Tue to Sat 9.30am to 5pm; Sun closed
Call 01235 362023
Address 18 Mill Street, Wantage, OX12 9AQ
Website wantagebookshop.co.uk
Good for books, children's books, book hampers, vouchers, author events

9. Peter Casey Jewellery Boutique, Wallingford Street

Peter Casey calls its Wallingford Street shop a jewellery boutique and its team “Diamond Specialists”, and its website points to a family tradition in the trade. Its services are wedding bands, bespoke jewellery, jewellery restoration and watch repairs, and consultations can be booked online.

Note the short Friday and Saturday hours if you are planning a weekend trip.

Open Mon closed; Tue to Thu 9am to 5pm; Fri 9am to 1pm; Sat 9am to 3pm; Sun closed
Call 01235 772907
Address 4 Wallingford Street, Wantage, OX12 8AX
Website petercaseyjewellery.co.uk
Good for jewellery, diamonds, bespoke pieces, watch repairs

10. Lesley Ford, Arbery Arcade

Lesley Ford is a deli, hamper shop and coffee bar in the Arbery Arcade off the Market Place. Its website describes “expertly curated fine foods, artisanal cheeses and luxury lifestyle goods”, and it takes pre-orders for fresh bread and pastries to collect on Saturday mornings, with a 4pm Wednesday deadline.

Its wantage.com listing, from the business’s own information, says it opens on Sundays throughout December.

Open Mon closed; Tue to Fri 9am to 4pm; Sat 8am to 4pm; Sun closed (open Sundays in December, per its wantage.com listing)
Call 07716 954303
Address No. 5 Arbery Arcade, Market Place, Wantage, OX12 8BL
Website lesleyford.co.uk
Good for hampers, cheese, deli, coffee, in-store pickup

11. Play it Again, Arbery Arcade

Play it Again is a record shop at 3 Arbery Arcade. Its wantage.com listing says it sells new and second-hand vinyl records and CDs, guitars and accessories, hi-fi and retro items.

It has no website of its own that we could find, so the details here come from that listing; ring before a special trip.

Open Thu to Sat 10am to 4pm; closed Sun to Wed
Call 07887 724284
Address 3 Arbery Arcade, Wantage, OX12 8BL
Good for vinyl, CDs, guitars, hi-fi

12. Creations, Market Place

Creations is a shop at 22 Market Place, next door to the Dolphin Gallery, selling what it calls “re-loved furniture, interiors, gifts and curiosities”. It is an Annie Sloan paint stockist, takes furniture and kitchen cupboard revamp commissions and runs creative workshops, according to its entry on the Annie Sloan stockist list, which is also where its hours are published.

Open Tue to Sat 10am to 4.30pm; closed Sun and Mon
Address 22 Market Place, Wantage, OX12 8AE
Website anniesloan.com/stockists/creations
Good for gifts, upcycled furniture, interiors, Annie Sloan paint, workshops

13. Regent Furniture, Books and Gifts, Newbury Street

Regent is a family-run shop on Newbury Street that its website says has more than 100,000 second-hand books, alongside craftsman-built pine and painted furniture made to order and oriental rugs. Its wantage.com listing adds old-fashioned toys, kitchenware, candles and cards.

It has its own car park, and offers free furniture delivery within 25 miles on orders over £100. Neither the website nor the listing published opening hours when we checked, so ring first.

Call 01235 766625
Address Newbury Street, Wantage, OX12 8BU
Website regentfurnitureandbooks.co.uk
Good for second-hand books, furniture, rugs, toys, parking

14. The Mustard Seed, Market Place

The Mustard Seed is a shop in the centre of Faringdon that says it offers “the most comprehensive selection of Fairtrade foods and fairly traded crafts in the area”: coffees, teas, chocolates, honeys and jams alongside handmade writing paper, scarves, jewellery, wood carvings and cards. It also sells Christian books and cards.

Its website notes that Faringdon became the first Fairtrade Town in the South East in February 2004. It does not publish opening hours, so check before travelling.

Address 19 Market Place, Faringdon, SN7 7HP
Website mustardseed.org.uk
Good for Fairtrade food, chocolate, crafts, cards, books