Since the days of Clark Gable and Carol Lombard, this appealing Californian seaside town has been a favourite haunt of the Hollywood set and its shops still cater to a discerning clientele. The Studio in the Garden (Ocean Avenue, between Lincoln and Dolores, tel: 1 831 626 6700; www.kinkadegalleries.com ) has a comprehensive collection of paintings, sketches and lithographs by American artist Thomas Kinkade. Known as the painter of light, Kinkade uses techniques that make his paintings glow. Small limited-edition lithographs start at US$500 while large paintings can cost thousands of dollars. Coast Gallery Carmel (Ocean Avenue and San Carlos, tel: 1 831 625 3200; www.coastgalleries.com ) has limited-edition prints of paintings by French surrealist Marc Chagall. Although an unframed serigraph with the seal of the Chagall Estate costs US$1,800, you'll be safe in the knowledge you own one of only 950 produced. His lithographs, printed by Mourlot of Paris on Arches paper, are slightly cheaper (US$1,000) and come in editions of 750, again with the Chagall seal. Pick up a dainty bronze sculpture of a frog (US$480) or a gecko (from US$285) by Tim Cotterill. The Big Kahuna Koi sculpture by the same artist costs US$1,930. Dawson Cole Fine Art (San Carlos Avenue, between Fifth and Sixth, tel: 1 800 972 5528; www.dawsoncolefineart.com ) sells fine art works by Richard MacDonald, Robert Heindel, Chuck Close, Henry Moore and Jian Wang (a Dalian-born painter who studied at California State University). Music Boxes of Carmel (Ocean Avenue, between Mission and San Carlos, tel: 1 831 622 9120) sells music boxes from around the world, including valuable antique models and Swiss brand Reuge. Prices start at about US$100. From the popularity of Diggidy Dog (below; southwest corner of Mission and Ocean avenues, tel: 1 831 625 1585; www.diggidydogcarmel.com ), it is obvious the residents of Carmel love their pets. You will find everything from Swarovski crystal collars (US$60) to Jeep Wrangler pet strollers (US$195) and shea butter coat conditioners (US$15.50). For gadgets galore head to The Sharper Image (northwest corner of Ocean Avenue and San Carlos, tel: 1 831 626 0393; www.sharperimage.com ). Its newest gadgets are the StressEraser (US$299.95), a hand-held bio-feedback medical device to calm the mind and relax the body; and the Celestron SkyScout Personal Planetarium (US$399.95), which uses GPS technology to identify more than 6,000 stars, 88 constellations and hundreds of deep-space objects. Villeroy and Boch (Ocean Avenue, between Dolores and Lincoln, tel: 1 831 624 8210; www.eshop.villeroy-boch.com ) sells fine china and crystal. A stylish four-place dinner set with a country-style design costs US$158. And for fine cutlery with prices to match, go to Carmel's oldest cutlery store, Adam Fox (Ocean Avenue, between San Carlos and Mission, tel: 1 831 624 5244).
