Fayetteville is the rare small town where you can buy a crash pad, a hand-thrown mug and a jar of local honey on the same stroll. The good stuff is downtown around Court Street: three of the town's four outdoor gear shops, a makers' co-op, an arts center, a new bookstore, vintage and gift shops, and the Saturday farmers market in the courthouse lot. Out on the U.S. 19 strip you'll find the practical stops, "Wal-Mart, Lowes, and chain restaurants," as the town's 2024 plan puts it. Visit Fayetteville lists about 30 shops, and the New River Gorge CVB counts 52 county-wide.
Two tips before you go. Hours shift with the seasons, so check before an early-week visit, and Court Street parking is tight, so park once and wander on foot. For a full supermarket, head south to Oak Hill.
Shopping guides
Coming soon: a guide to downtown fayetteville, block by block.
Where to shop in Fayetteville for what you need
Where to shop in Fayetteville, West Virginia, by what you need | You need | Where | Notes |
|---|
| Climbing gear, crash pads, guidebooks | Water Stone Outdoors, 101 East Wiseman Ave | Rents by the day; opens 8 AM on weekends |
| Paddling safety gear | ACE Adventure Gear, 239 N Court St | Daily 9 to 7, seasonal hours may differ |
| A bike, repairs or a rental | New River Bikes, 221 N Court St; Arrowhead Bike Farm, 8263 Gatewood Rd | New River Bikes closes Wednesday and Sunday |
| Local crafts, art, souvenirs | Court Street and Maple Avenue shops; Tamarack in Beckley | See below |
| Produce, baked goods, crafts | Farmers market, courthouse lot | Saturdays 8 AM to 12:30 PM in season |
| Groceries, pharmacy, basics | Walmart and Lowe's on U.S. 19; CVS on Whitewater Ave; Kroger in Oak Hill | No grocery store downtown |
Outdoor gear shops for climbing, paddling and biking
Forgot your chalk bag? Need a bike tuned before Arrowhead? Four independent shops have you covered: Water Stone Outdoors for climbing, ACE Adventure Gear for paddling, and New River Bikes downtown or Arrowhead Bike Farm at the Arrowhead trailhead for mountain biking. The gear shops guide compares what each one sells and rents, with hours and prices.
Local makers, galleries, books and gifts on Court Street
Start on Court Street and let yourself drift onto Maple Avenue, Keller Avenue and Rotan Street. Lost Appalachia Trading Company, 171 North Court Street, stocks apparel, hats, candles, books and art, plus J.Q. Dickinson Salt Works products. The Wild Kind, an artisan boutique at 137 South Court Street, carries handmade jewelry and other local and American-made goods, and Mountain Magnolia Artisan Co-op and Bakery, 211 West Maple Avenue, pairs souvenirs and artwork with baked goods (a dangerous combination). Love Hope Center for the Arts, 100 Rotan Street, runs a free gallery, open Thursday to Saturday 11 AM to 6 PM and Sunday 11 AM to 4 PM. Book lovers, head upstairs at 129 South Court Street, above Wood Iron Eatery, to Canary Books, an independent bookstore that threw its grand opening on July 10.
Keep browsing and you'll turn up vintage and thrift (Ari's House Vintage, Enjoyed Again, Very Rare Vintage), gifts (Wisteria's Gifts, The Hobbit Hole, Mayari, Great Googly Moogly) and Southern Pillar Jeweler. Few of these post hours online, so call ahead early in the week. Stop by the Visit Fayetteville office at 162 South Court Street (304-574-1500) for a downtown map and parking map; it's open Monday and Wednesday to Saturday 10 AM to 5 PM and Sunday 10 AM to 3 PM, closed Tuesday. Lunch between shops? The dining guide has you covered, and the town portrait fills in the rest of downtown.
Fayetteville farmers market and First Friday
Saturday mornings, the Fayette County Farmers Market fills the courthouse-block lot from 8:00 AM to 12:30 PM with vegetables, meats, baked goods, jewelry, paintings, woodworking and textiles. Its site gives the address as 100-198 Wiseman Avenue, but plugging in 100 North Court Street gets you there. A second market runs Thursdays 2:00 to 6:00 PM at 1400 Virginia Street in Oak Hill. The season runs roughly from late April or May until the cold sets in (around mid-October), so check before an early-spring or late-fall trip. Benefit-program lists say it takes SNAP/EBT, WIC and senior vouchers.
Catch First Friday if you can: an evening art walk with vendors set up in parking lots and yards alongside local businesses. The last one of 2026 is October 2, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM, per the chamber; Court Street stays open to traffic, so mind the cars. The series returns in June, and other dates are on the events calendar.
Groceries and supplies
Stocking the cabin? Downtown has no grocery store, so head for the U.S. 19 strip: Walmart Supercenter at 204 Town Center Road and Lowe's at 46 Fayette Town Center Road, with CVS Pharmacy at 72 Whitewater Avenue. The nearest full supermarket is Kroger, 411 Mall Road in Oak Hill, open daily 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Fuel, urgent care and cell coverage are on the rules, safety and services page.
Souvenirs near the bridge, in nearby towns and at Tamarack
At the north end of the bridge, the Canyon Rim Visitor Center has a park bookstore, open daily 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, handy for a trail map or a gorge field guide. Canyon Rim Gifts on Fayette Mine Road and Swiftwater General Store on Ames Heights Road in Lansing are close by too. Makers worth a detour in the nearby towns include New River Hot Glass on Main Street East and Wild Mountain Soap Company on Mall Road, both in Oak Hill, and Gauley River Pottery in Mount Lookout.
Want the whole state's crafts under one roof? Tamarack, 1 Tamarack Place in Beckley, sits "directly off I-64 Exit 45" and gathers work from "over 500 juried West Virginia artists," with a restaurant serving Appalachian-inspired food. It's free to enter and open daily 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM, an easy stop on the drive in or out. The day trips section has more drives from Fayetteville.
