Spring Garden Road is Halifax's main shopping street, running from the Public Gardens to the Halifax Shopping Centre. It has a mix of independent boutiques, bookshops, and chain stores alongside coffee shops. The Hydrostone Market in the North End — a small historic shopping district rebuilt after the 1917 explosion — has distinctive specialty food shops, wine merchants, and local retailers.
For local products, the Seaport Farmers' Market on Saturday morning is the best source of Nova Scotia food and craft. Local specialties worth taking home include Scotian Gold apples, dulse (dried Atlantic seaweed eaten as a snack), cedar jelly, and smoked seafood. Several waterfront shops sell acceptable Maritime-made goods alongside the expected souvenir tat; distinguishing between them takes a few minutes of looking.