If an anti-mall movement exits, it should hire Dave Liscio as its mouthpiece.

“Malls are deadening,” gripes the 52-year-old photojournalist from Nahant, standing outside a Newburyport boutique after a father/daughter day spent kayaking in late fall. “It’s like being in an airplane. The air is re-circulated. People are wandering around at a death-crawl pace. Then there’s the formula — the same stores repeating themselves.”

We hear his pain. And we think we can help him put the esthetics — and adventure — back in shopping.

We’ve found three charming destinations for shopping — places steeped in history, graced with beautiful architecture and dotted with independently owned shops that you’d never find at a mall.

So in the spirit of giving, we offer these far-flung destinations and five reasons to venture there.

Five reasons to shop in Concord

For the full holiday experience in this quaint, historic town, you might want to come on the evening of Dec. 6 to check out “Christmas in Concord.” Some describe the charmingly bedecked town like a page torn from a Dickens’ novel. Expect carolers, tree lighting and a downtown open only to foot traffic

1.
The Toy Shop of Concord
4 Walden St.
978-369-2553

Founded in 1942, this independent toy retailer is a New England institution.

We love the working train suspended from the tin ceiling, as well as the train table and floor models that beg your child — or your inner child — to try out the goods. The oldest specialty toy store in America, this shop is more like a children’s museum than a store.

 Here, a large selection of Corolle Dolls turns an entire wall pink. You’ll also find Kettler bikes, LEGOS, Playmobil, Alex, Brio, Manhattan Toy, Melissa & Doug puzzles, Calico Critters, Small World Toys and Basic Fun.

“The biggest (holiday) hit is going to be the Ravensburger puzzleball” from Germany, owner David Hesel predicts. “We’ve had it since August. It’s a runaway hit.”

Meanwhile, we fell for the Bilibo chair (two, in fact). A Dr. Toy winner, this simple piece of molded plastic from Switzerland looks like a turtle shell and promises “open-ended fun” for ages 2 to 7. The Quadrilla, which looks like a rollercoaster for marbles, is pretty cool, too.

Be sure to check out the large dress-up section featuring fairy princess and ballerina costumes, feather boas, ruby red shoes, and knight, pirate and gladiator apparel.

This, too, is a Concord institution. Calling itself “a hardware store for the kitchen,” the Famous Concord Shop is a second-generation, family-owned enterprise that sells bakeware, cookbooks, cutting boards, candy molds, knives, small appliances, cookie cutters, teapots and French table clothes.

We found great gadgets by Oxo, Zyliss, Leifheit and Messermeister.

Most products are home-tested by owners Meghan and Bob Prestidge before reaching the shelves. Both the every-day cook and professional chef will find it hard to leave.

3.
West Concord 5 & 10 Store
106 Commonwealth Ave., West
978-369-9011

This beloved, old-fashioned find is one of the original 5 & 10 cent stores. No website here, it’s a wonderful trip backwards in time. Employees call it “the mother lode” for stocking stuffers. You’ll find Hot Wheels, Hula Hoops, harmonicas, invisible ink, poster paints, gardening gloves, socks, Silly Putty, ping pong balls, butterfly nets, wooden beads, badminton birdies and bones for the dog. You might as well buy a wheelbarrow here, too, for all your loot.

4.
Concord Cheese Shop
29 Walden St.
978-369-5778

Ask owner Peter Lovis to name his favorite cheese and the guy goes weak in the knees. If he were stranded on a desert island, says Lovis, his cheese of choice would be Parmigiano Reggiano from Italy. If it were his last supper, he’d choose Epoisses, a gourmet cheese from France, or Vacherin Mont d’Or, a soft cheese made in France and Switzerland that’s great for fondue.

“Then there’s the ZolaCrema, a beautiful, handmade tower of Gorgonzola layered with Mascarpone,” says Lovis. “It makes my knees weak thinking about a big mouthful.”

They know Lovis’ name at Thistle Hill Farm in Vermont, where organic milk from 20 grass-fed Jersey cows is turned into Tarentaise alpine cheese. Lovis has his own shelves in Thistle Hill’s aging room.

For the holidays, he suggests a custom-made gift basket (which typically starts at $65). It might contain a Camembert from Normandy and a freshly cut slice of English Huntsman along with El Ray Venezuelan chocolates, some tea, crackers and a bottle of wine.     

5.
Concord Book Shop
65 Main St.
978-369-2405

Another independent book store, Concord Book Shop has been a Main Street fixture since 1940. It feels like a well-endowed library minus the librarian’s “shu-u-u-sh.” We love the background music, the wall of employee picks, the big children’s section, and the helpful staff.

We left with “Little Red Riding Hood” by children’s book illustrator Jerry Pinkney. Pinkney has the rare distinction of being the recipient of five Caldecott Honor medals and four New York Times Best Illustrated awards.

Five reasons to shop in Charles Street

This tony Beacon Hill neighborhood still houses fusty antique shops, but several newcomers are turning one-way Charles Street into a destination for the young (under 40) and young-at-heart. It’s chock-full of tiny boutiques, where owners and their dogs are typically found on the premises. Better still, it lacks the mega chains (overlook Starbucks) and mega attitude of Newbury Street.

1.
The Beauty Mark
33 Charles St.
617-720-1555

 If you need a little ankle-depuffing after all that walking around, stop by this sanctuary-esque cosmetics boutique and spa for a deluxe pedicure. The well-priced service ($45) includes a toe-to-knee relaxation massage with body butter, and nail buffing or polishing “to perfection.”

Featured in InStyle and Allure magazines, The Beauty Mark is the place to preen (and buy gift certificates for your best friends). Our favorite finds include eyelash extensions, lip plumpers and Kai perfume, made with white flowers-lily of the valley, magnolia, jasmine — and cucumber. Store shelves are lined with hard-to-find skincare and beauty products.

Owner Rebecca Primentel offers these best-gift recommendations: For the boyfriend or husband: a stocking full of Marvis dentifrice toothpaste or Tend Skin to prevent razor burn. For girlfriends, best friends and wives: eyelash extensions. “It’s fun and different,” says Primentel. For the nanny: “Something pampering” like a manicure/pedicure combo. For yourself: vitamin C serums from SkinCeuticals.

Ann Campion loves caramel sushi and snails filled with dark chocolate mousse. She’s the thin employee with the Irish accent standing behind the truffle case in this charmingly old-fashioned shop, and it’s her job to taste every piece of chocolate that comes in.

“I have to walk for my sins,” Campion confesses, adding that salted caramels are her absolute favorite confection.

Beacon Hill Chocolates offers artisan chocolates from New England as well as from around the world. Turtles and toffee share case space with chocolate-covered cranberries, potato chips and pretzels.

We’ve got a sweet spot for the martini truffle filled with Grey Goose Vodka and drizzled with dark chocolate.

Perhaps the sweetest treat is the Mary truffle of Belgium — a dark chocolate filled with almonds and hazelnut nougatine. A bite-sized Mary is the signature truffle at Brussels’ famous Mary Chocolatier. Locally, it can only be found on Beacon Hill — Pala Barth, proprietor of Beacon Hill Chocolates, is the exclusive U.S. distributor.

Expect to pay $50 a pound (about 30 pieces) and be sure it’s enshrined in one of the store’s gorgeous, handmade keepsake boxes.

3.
Red Wagon
69 Charles St.
617-523-9402

This high-end kids clothing boutique carries some of our favorite labels: Baby Lulu, Sweet Potatoes and Zutano. Sizes range from newborn to 6X for girls and boys, although the inventory favors girls. It also leans toward the hip versus the traditional, which is fine by us.

Our favorite finds at this two-level shop are a Room Seven coat and embroidered dress. Sadly, though, the prices might give you pause. Here you’ll also find a small selection of Primigi shoes, Robeez, Giesswein slippers and galoshes.

The store, a perennial Best of Boston Magazine winner, is easily recognizable by the jam of strollers outside. Bugaboo seems to reign in this neighborhood.

4.
good
88 Charles St.
617-722-9200

This boutique is all about reasonably-priced objects of desire, where fashion trumps function. We love the hand-blown glass paperweights, the fit-in-your-pocket-sized silver wishbone (a great conversation piece with no other known-to-us purpose) and decoupage serving trays.

But it’s the jewelry that best captures our attention. Check out the cufflinks made by a designer called Tokens and Coins. These links are made from recycled T tokens as well as from discontinued European change — the Italian lire and Spanish peseta —thanks to the Euro. We also like the set made from old watch parts set in sterling silver.

It’s as if my grandmother’s jewelry box were upended. Twentieth Century Limited is a treasure trove of vintage designer costume jewelry crammed with rhinestones, clip-on earrings, hat pins, stick pins, pearls and broaches.

You’ll also find pill boxes, cosmetic cases, Aurora Borealis crystal necklaces, cigarette cases, charm bracelets, Bakelite bangles, shoe clips, cufflinks and more.

Shop here for gently-worn baubles and tons of bling. This fun shop also carries vintage hats and handbags.

 It’s here you’ll find the perfect rhinestone tiara for your little princess or big beauty queen.

Five reasons to shop in Newburyport

As you arrive, be sure to pilfer holiday decorating ideas from the grand Victorian and Federalist homes lining High Street. Also, State Street — the heart of downtown — is perfect for a romantic stroll, window shopping and a cup of java. However, we like The Tannery, a former Water Street leather mill, best for buying.

1.
Eureka!
Tannery Mill No. 1
50 Water St.
978-465-9359

Each February, owner Nancy Streeter scours the New York Toy Fair for the unique, the educational and the “open-ended.” Which is why you’ll find lots of puppets, games with Dr. Toy’s gold seal of approval, and wooden toys at Eureka!.

“There’s no set way to play with puppets,” says Streeter, in the toy biz for 14 years. “Kids can act out their emotions. It’s totally open-ended. Two puppets talking to each other can go anywhere.”

Streeter’s shop carries toymaker names such as Melissa & Doug, Playmobile, Bruder, Groovy Girls, Blue Orange and Learning Resources as well as a huge selection of Thomas the Tank Engine cars and tracks. Personal favorites include the Folkmanis puppets and a tin tea set by Schylling.

“We try and stay away from mass-market toys, the kind you’d find at Wal-Mart or Kmart,” Streeter explains. “Even our games. Instead, we find unique games that are fun.”

2.
Chameleon
18 Liberty St.
978-463-7623

This gem in downtown Newburyport is eclectic and whimsical. Here you’ll find small indulgences like hand-etched night lights by Sparks Design, Ugly Dolls, and twinkly Starlightz for the sun porch. You’ll also find big-ticket luxuries like oil paintings by local artists Cindia Sanford and Julia Purinton (as well as about 50 other artists); and (our favorite) a grandfather clock by Concord folk artist Rich Dunbrack, who uses wood salvaged from old New England homes.

“We’re also an incredible destination for stocking stuffers,” says co-owner Chris Fitzmaurice.

3.
Jabberwocky Bookshop
Tannery Mill No. 1
50 Water St.
978-465-9359

One of the largest independent bookstores in New England, Jabberwocky is nirvana for bibliophiles. “People walk in and go a-a-a-h-h,” says the owner, Sue Little.

It’s fun, funky, and full of knowledgeable staffers who actually like their job.

“Jabberwocky is the greatest,” says Newbury’s Martha Terry, shopping with her son at The Tannery on a recent Saturday. “You could spend all day in there. In fact, I think people do.”

Notice the scattered step stools for those hard-to-reach shelves. Notice, too, how books are displayed: They face outward like art should, not stacked like dominos with only their spines showing. We love the selection of hard-to-find magazines, the glorious gardening book section, the children’s section upstairs, and the fact that Jabberwocky is open until 9 p.m. every night.

What to stick in your stocking: “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen, a BookSense Book-of-the-Year winner for best adult fiction, or Richard Russo’s “Bridge of Sighs.” If you’re shopping for a child, we recommend “Flotsam” by David Wiesner.

4.
Riverside Cycles
Tannery Mill No. 1
50 Water St.
978-465-5566

Celebs love this new unisex bike, which retails for about $600. Tom Hanks is a proud owner, and Ellen DeGeneres recently called this three-speed upright with computer-controlled shifting “the coolest thing.”

 The Trek Lime also features a comfy saddle with a hidden trunk and a color customization kit. It’s a fun, casual, around-town set of wheels aimed at non-cyclists, not hardcore commuters. Riverside Cycles manager David Ricker calls it the iPod of bikes. “You can buy a skin package to change its color,” he explains.

Check out the accessories: speedometers, tire pumps, locks, glasses, gloves, cushy seats, Camelbaks, helmets and clothes.

“Our tag line is, fun at any pace,” says Ricker. “We try to take the fear factor out of buying a bike.”

5.
Wishbasket
Tannery Mill No. 1
50 Water St.
978-465-1515

The beds, linens and pillows here beg customers to curl up and sleep until spring. A bit too foofoo for our tastes, Wishbasket nevertheless got the nod from Boston Magazine for best home accessories shop on the North Shore in 2006. (And we did manage to walk out of the store $137 lighter).

“I travel to trade shows all over the world,” says owner Kerry Vaughan, in business 21 years. “There’s a lot of European influences in my buying.”

Here you’ll find French-milled soaps, aromatherapy and beeswax candles, potions and green tea lotions, Thymes bath products, Harbor Sweets chocolates, glassware, cutting boards, Bella Cucina pesto, Stonewall Kitchen jams — you get the picture. It’s the place to shop for the perfect hostess gift or, say, a marble-top Provence table for $1,195.