Hatteras Island Shopping
While watersports might be the main recreational activities that draw people here, Hatteras Island shopping is a contender for popularity. There are wonderful stores that dot the long and winding road through the island, and you’ll be pleased with the quality and variety of opportunities.
Hatteras Island shops are all locally owned, which allows for great individual character, and the staff members are always friendly and helpful. If you’re out looking for something frivolous and fun, you’ll happen upon it. Cape Hatteras souvenirs abound, from miniature lighthouses to design-your-own T-shirts to hermit crabs. You’ll also find clothes and the essentials – jewelry, clothing, bathing suits, beach toys, watersports equipment, home decor, gourmet food and incredible artwork by local and national artists. You could easily spend an entire day cruising among Hatteras Island’s shops from Rodanthe to Hatteras Village, though the biggest concentrations of retail stores are in Avon, Buxton and Hatteras Village.
If you’re looking for necessities in your Cape Hatteras shopping spree, you’ll find what you need, whether it’s a get-well card, a good book for the beach, a latch for the screen door or backing for your fly line. One large chain grocery store, a couple of smaller but well-stocked mom-and-pop grocers and several gourmet shops fill the food needs on Hatteras Island. You’ll find tackle stores in every village, and watersports equipment shops are everywhere.
Blue Pelican Gallery
- 57762 N.C. Highway 12
- Hatteras Village
- (252) 986-2244
Inside a restored 1950s Hatteras cottage, Blue Pelican Gallery offers an eclectic mix of artwork, most of it local. Owner/artist Jennifer Johnson is a native Hatteras Islander, and her photography reflects her love of the area. She also creates jewelry, which she sells here as well. Blue Pelican represents other local artists too, and you’ll find surf art, prints, tiles, pottery, ornaments, hard-carved birds, music and much more. Look for this gallery beside Burrus Red & White.
Buxton Village Books
- 47918 N.C. Highway 12
- Buxton
- (252) 995-4240
At this bookstore you get to wander around in a charming old cottage with sloping, creaky floors. The owner, Gee Gee Rosell, has a welcoming smile and great taste in books. Look for cookbooks, local interest books and music, fiction, nonfiction, best sellers, a great selection of Southern fiction, mysteries, field guides, half-price used books, unique greeting cards and note cards, journals and much more. It’s open year round.
Fox Watersports
- 47108 N.C. Highway 12
- Buxton
- (252) 995-4372
Fox specializes in windsurfing and surfing. You can buy all the gear you’ll need for these sports plus take lessons if you need them. You can also rent windsurfing equipment, surfboards, kayaks and body boards and purchase skim boards, sunglasses, clothes, flip-flops or a wetsuit. Sailboard and surfboard repair are offered.
Hatteras Trading Company & Island Windblocks
- 51858 N.C. Highway 12
- Frisco
- (252) 995-9990
This little pink shop at milepost 66 is stocked with home, patio and tiki bar décor. From the bright colors of the Caribbean metal art to the elegant beauty of the handmade wood and metal seashore wall scenes, lamps and mirrors, you’re sure to find a special something here. Check out the new surfer designs and saltwater fish collections. The popular beach windblocks are still available for sale or rent and are still only $7 a day or $35 a week.
Home Port Gallery and Gifts
- 26006 N.C. Highway 12, St. Waves Plaza
- Waves
- (252) 987-1550
If you’re looking for a gift or vacation souvenir, Home Port Gifts offers a variety of items to choose from. You’ll find nautical gifts, local artwork, pottery, gold and silver jewelry, lighthouses, cards, stained glass, chimes, candles and the island’s largest selection of Jan Scarborough’s handcrafted jewelry.
Indian Town Gallery and Gifts
- 50840 N.C. Highway 12
- Frisco
- (252) 995-5181
Indian Town Gallery is one of the Outer Banks’ best art galleries. Most the art is made by Outer Banks artists, the majority of them from the island. The gallery also sells handmade crafts from locals and select artists from around the country. One look in here and you’ll be convinced that the gift of creativity is abundant by the sea. This is the place to come for original works of art, some of them exclusive to this gallery, including paintings, pottery, jewelry, woodworks, photographs, blown glass, baskets and more. Most days you’ll find native painter Wayne Fulcher at work here. This gallery is also home to The Coffee Shop at Indian Town Gallery, offering expertly made coffee and espresso-based drinks, homemade scones and muffins and WiFi on your computer or theirs.
Island Spice & Wine
- 40246 N.C. Highway 12
- Avon
- (252) 995-7750
Your taste buds will love you for visiting this store. The wine selection is vast and pleasantly surprising, with numerous worthy selections from California and around the world. You’ll also find fine tea and coffee, specialty sauces, hard-to-find spices, imported olive oils and vinegars, cheeses, sweets, chocolates, gourmet snacks and many other things that will inspire a night of cooking. The store also sells sushi-making supplies, cookbooks, dishes and other kitchen-related items. Gifts and gift baskets are available.
Kitty Hawk Kites—Avon
- 39432 N.C. Highway 12, Island Shops
- Avon
- (252) 995-6060, (800) FLY-THIS
Kitty Hawk Kites specializes in kites, from the kiddie kind to high-tech stunt varieties. The store also sells fun things like flags, toys, boomerangs and games. Kitty Hawk Kites offers the Outer Banks’ largest selection of Crocs, Pirate Booty, Rt. 12 and Life Is Good apparel and the coolest selection of T-shirts, sweatshirts and outdoor clothing. It also offers unique toys and gifts that you won’t find anywhere else on the Outer Banks. Kitty Hawk Kites has 13 locations from Corolla to Ocracoke.
Kitty Hawk Kites—Hatteras Village
- 58848 Marina Way, Hatteras Landing
- Hatteras Village
- (252) 986-1446, (877) FLY-THIS
This large Kitty Hawk Kites store sells kites and other fun things like flags, windsocks, toys, boomerangs and games. It’s also an outdoor-lifestyle outfitter offering causal apparel, T-shirts, hats, sunglasses, sandals and more. One of the Outer Banks’ foremost recreation outfitters, Kitty Hawk Kites also offers kayak ecotours, kayak rentals and a climbing wall at this location. See Recreation.
Mad Mad Hatteras
- 41076 N.C. Highway 12
- Avon
- (252) 995-6873
Step into the world of artful living at Mad Mad Hatteras. This is a place where color, style, fun and function combine in ways that celebrate your zest for life. This one-of-a-kind shop features art-to-wear clothing, fabulous footwear, and delightful décor for your home and your home away from home. There are great gifts, bubbly bath and body products and all sorts of other wonderful whatnots you won’t find anywhere else. Look for the purple building in the heart of Avon next to Nino’s Pizza.
Nags Head Hammocks
- 39197 Weakfish Drive and N.C. Highway 12
- Avon
- (252) 995-3744
Nags Head Hammocks have been handcrafted on the Outer Banks since 1974. The rope hammocks, hammock swings and chairs are a favorite souvenir that will put you in a vacation mood all year long. The ropes, wood and hardware used in Nags Head Hammocks are weather-resistant, so these hammocks hold up extremely well and last a very long time. Stop by the store to see the hammocks being crafted onsite.
Ocean Atlantic Rentals
- 40809 N.C. Highway 12
- Avon
- (252) 995-5868, (800) 635-9559
Ocean Atlantic Rentals specializes in providing items that vacationers don’t want to bring with them. Strollers, baby equipment, wheelchairs, roll-away beds, umbrellas, beach chairs, beach cabanas, bicycles for the whole family, volleyball nets, DVD players and VCRs, movie rentals and much more. They even deliver. Advance reservations are recommended.
OceanAir Sports
- 39450 N.C. Highway 12
- Avon
- (252) 995-5000
OceanAir Sports, formerly Windsurfing Hatteras, is a full-service watersports facility offering lessons and rentals for windsurfing, kiteboarding, stand up paddle surfing, surfing, kayaks, sailing and Waverunners. The staff and instructors are experienced, trusted locals who practice their sports regularly and keep up with the latest technical information and trends; they are enthusiastic about sharing their love of the sports with people who stop by. OceanAir sells gear from premier brands like Cabrinha, North Kiteboarding, DaKine, O’Neill, North Sails, Mistral, JP, Ezzy Sails, NoLimitz, Oakley, Smith Optics, Reef Sandals and clothing.
Sandcastles
- 40535 N.C. Highway 12
- Avon
- (252) 995-7171
Sandcastles is an art gallery/gift shop featuring local and national artwork along with hand-blown glass, metal, jewelry, mosaics, original art and photography, Giclee 7 prints, books and cards. There’s a lot of stained glass, pottery, mermaids, wind chimes, frames and boxes. You’ll also find shells.
Scotch Bonnet Fudge and Gifts
- 51684 N.C. Highway 12
- Frisco
- (252) 995-4242, (888) 354-4242
Scotch Bonnet sells sweets and souvenirs. By far the biggest draw is their fudge, which is made fresh in house and is so good it was featured on the Food Network. You’ll find more than 30 flavors, so we dare to try to resist. They also sell 24 flavors of saltwater taffy and 24 flavors of Jelly Belly jelly beans. Sugar-free fudge and taffy can be found here. Scotch Bonnet sells nice souvenirs, not junk, including seashells, T-shirts and more. They sell hermit crabs in the summer; ask about the hermit crab races on summer Fridays.
Seaworthy Gallery
- 58401 N.C. Highway 12
- Hatteras Village
- (252) 986-6510
In a stunningly beautiful robin’s-egg blue building N.C. 12 just before the Ferry Docks, you’ll find Seaworthy Gallery. Painter and owner Carole Nunnally showcases fine, hand-crafted local and regional art in a variety of mediums, including painting, ceramics, jewelry, sculpture, wood carvings and much more. Rather than the expected grouping by artistic mediums, she divides the gallery into themes – shorebirds, marine life, boats and lighthouses, whimsical, jewelry-pottery, and people-places-things. It adds up to a delightful shopping experience. Hand-painted porcelain and sand dollar ornaments are some of the favorite items here.
The Art Cottage
- 53460 N.C. Highway 12
- Frisco
- (252) 995-3400
Located in Frisco, just north of the Native American Museum, is a new gallery called The Art Cottage. Supporting and showcasing the work of more than 50 North Carolina and coastal artists, The Art Cottage specializes in unique art by incredible artists at affordable prices. You’ll find pottery, metal, blown glass, wood, fiber and jewelry. A large percentage of the proceeds goes to scholarships for high school and college students.
ABC Store
- N.C. Highway 12
- Buxton
- (252) 995-5532
In North Carolina, all liquor and spirits other than beer and wine are sold at package stores by the name of ABC Stores. The Buxton ABC Store is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. They are closed on Sundays. Beer and wine are sold at grocery and convenience stores.
Ace Hardware
- 41934 N.C. Highway 12, Hatteras Island Plaza
- Avon
- (252) 995-6600
Now in a new and much bigger stand-alone location, Ace Hardware sells everything for the home, garden and yard. Most people know Ace as a traditional hardware store, a place to find tools, paint, hardware and lawn and garden supplies. But you may not know that they also sell deck furniture, cleaning supplies, kitchen items, bathroom accessories, beach good, pet supplies, holiday decorations, fishing tackle, grills, gifts, home accessories, art supplies, Carhartt clothing and much more.
All Decked Out
- 53392 N.C. Highway 12
- Frisco
- (252) 995-4319, (800) 321-2392
All Decked Out offers finely made outdoor furniture, hand-crafted on site, including Adirondack chairs and rockers, loungers, picnic tables, swings and much more. All furniture is made of Atlantic white cedar, which is durable and weathers beautifully. Delivery is available from Corolla to Ocracoke, and they ship if you can’t get it home on your own.
Askins Creek Store
- 42676 N.C. Highway 12
- Avon
- (252) 995-6283
The southernmost commercial business in Avon, this store sells necessities and fun stuff. Gas and diesel fuel, beer and wine, groceries, snacks, beach items, sunscreen, bait and tackle, ice, beach toys, T-shirts, local interest books, maps, charts, cards, souvenirs, gifts and flags are just some of the things you’ll find here. Askins Creek also has an automatic car wash with undercarriage wash and a manual car wash, and if you buy this service you get $1 off any purchase of $15 or more in the store. Money orders and money wiring services are available, and they sell N.C. Education Lottery tickets and the N.C. Recreational Fishing License.
Austin’s South Island Seafood and Produce
- 23500 N.C. Highway 12
- Rodanthe
- (252) 987-1352
When you’re cooking in, stop here for fresh local seafood, including fish, crabmeat and shrimp, along with fresh produce.
Avon Surf Shop
- 40136 N.C. Highway 12
- Avon
- (252) 995-4783
Avon Surf Shop sells Newton Surfboards, which are made by a local shaper Mark Newton in Buxton, plus boards by McTavish and Sharp Eye. They also have a great skate selection and do custom orders for skateboards. You’ll find wetsuits, rash guards, apparel for men, women and children, shoes and flip-flops, handmade jewelry and more. Half of the store is a women’s surf boutique featuring cutting edge surf-inspired fashion. Clothing lines you’ll find include Volcom, RVCA and Jobell, which is a line of one-of-a-kind women’s clothing made from vintage clothing and accessories. Avon Surf Shop is just south of the Dolphin Den in north Avon.
Beach Pharmacy of Avon
- 41934 N.C. Highway 12, Hatteras Island Plaza
- Avon
- (252) 995-3811
This pharmacy fill prescriptions, plus it offers a variety of over-the-counter medicines, sundries, beach supplies and more.
Beach Pharmacy of Hatteras
- 41934 N.C. Highway 12
- Hatteras Village
- (252) 986-2400
This pharmacy fill prescriptions, plus it offers a variety of over-the-counter medicines, sundries, beach supplies and more.
