We checked 20 Oxford shops, from the Covered Market to Hoyle's and Daunt Books, for opening hours and what they sell. Updated November 2026.
Oxford has 20 shops worth a Christmas shopping trip in 2026, nearly all of them independent, and this guide lists them with opening hours and what each one sells. The Covered Market, Hoyle’s, Objects of Use and Daunt Books are the names most people land on. We checked each entry on 5 November 2026 against the shop’s own site or its Covered Market listing, and say where we could not.
We have not shopped at any of these for this guide, and nothing here is a review. Each entry says what the shop says it sells. Shops often change their hours close to Christmas, so check before a special trip.
Dates for the Christmas shopping diary
Thursday 12 to Sunday 15 November: Oxford Victorian Christmas Market, Broad Street. It is open from 10am to 7pm on Friday and Saturday, and from 10am to 5pm on Sunday. Our Light Festival page has the weekend’s programme.
Saturday 14 November: Indie Oxford Christmas Market, Botley. This free market is at the Tap Social Taproom from 11am to 5pm, as part of the Light Festival.
Friday 20 November to Thursday 3 December: city centre offers. The city council says Oxford businesses will run promotions for Black Friday as part of its Christmas in Oxford campaign.
Saturday 21 November to Thursday 31 December: Christmas in Oxford market, Broad Street. The organisers list stalls from 10am to 6pm, Sunday to Wednesday, and 10am to 8pm, Thursday to Saturday. They close at 5.30pm on Christmas Eve and all day on Christmas Day. See our Oxford Christmas market page.
Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December: Oxford Botanic Garden Christmas Fair. The garden lists more than 50 stalls in two marquees, from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sunday, with advance tickets on sale. The Saturday is also Small Business Saturday.
The last days. The council lists the Covered Market at 8am to 4pm on 24 and 31 December, closed on 25 and 26 December and on 1 January. The Outdoor Market closes at 2pm on 24 December, stays shut on 25 and 26 December and from 30 December to 2 January, and opens as usual on Wednesday 6 January.
The Covered Market
The Covered Market on Market Street is open from 8am to 5.30pm, Monday to Wednesday, 8am to 10pm, Thursday to Saturday, and 10am to 5pm on Sundays and bank holidays. Those are the building’s hours. The shops below keep their own, taken from each trader’s market listing.
1. Socktopus
A family business that designs what it calls “personality-led socks”, drawing on British and European humour and culture. It says it has the largest range of designs, and the market listing says it now has 12 shops across the UK.
Its site advertises three pairs for £20.
Open Mon to Thu 9.30am to 5.30pm; Fri and Sat 9.30am to 6.30pm; Sun 10.30am to 4.30pm
Price three pairs for £20
Call 01865 745520
Address Shop 3, Avenue 1, Oxford Covered Market, OX1 3DZ
Website socktopus.com
Good for socks, stocking fillers
2. Next to Nothing
The shop says it has been in the market for more than 40 years, selling colourful clothing “that lasts rather than fast fashion”. Its gifts include slogan T-shirts, tea towels, socks, scarves, candles, purses, bags and mugs.
You will find it on Avenue 3, next to The Garden flower shop.
Open Mon to Fri 10am to 5pm; Sat 10am to 5.30pm; Sun and bank holidays 11am to 4pm
Call 01865 246919
Address Avenue 3, Oxford Covered Market, OX1 3DZ
Website nexttonothingoxford.co.uk
Good for clothes, gifts, candles, scarves
3. The Oxford Soap Company
A family-run business that makes soaps and cosmetics in small batches in Oxfordshire. It is best known for soap and shampoo bars, and also sells shaving soap, hand cream, bath salts and body butters.
The shop includes an open workshop, so you can see products being made, and private workshops are available.
Open Mon to Sat 10am to 5pm; Sun and bank holidays 11am to 4pm
Call 01865 366742
Address Oxford Covered Market, OX1 3DZ
Website oxfordsoapcompany.co.uk
Good for handmade soap, shampoo bars, workshops
4. Wicked Chocolate
The market listing calls Wicked “Oxford’s only independent, dedicated, gourmet chocolate counter”. You can make up your own box of Belgian truffles or pick from artisan bars and traditional British sweets.
It says it stocks organic and Fairtrade chocolate, has a whole section for vegan chocolate and works with a producer in Wallingford. Its own website returned an error on 5 November, so these details come from the listing.
Open Mon to Sat 9.30am to 5.30pm; Sun and bank holidays 11am to 5pm
Call 01865 247084
Address High Street side of Oxford Covered Market, OX1 3DZ
Website oxford-coveredmarket.co.uk/traders/wicked-chocolate
Good for truffles, vegan chocolate, gift boxes
5. Space Store
Space Store sells space-themed merchandise, from real meteorites, games and models to clothing and gadgets. It also runs virtual reality sessions of 5 to 20 minutes and an Astronaut experience of 90 to 120 minutes, which it recommends booking ahead.
It is next door to the Nothing jewellery shop.
Open Mon to Sat 10.30am to 5pm; Sun 10.30am to 4pm
Booking recommended for experiences
Call 01865 246698
Address Oxford Covered Market, OX1 3DZ
Website spacestore.co
Good for meteorites, models, virtual reality
6. Gulp Fiction
An independent bookshop, coffee house and bar, with craft beer, wine and cocktails on the menu and regular book clubs and author events. The Oxford Clarion reported in an August update that it had applied to open at 6 Broad Street.
The market still listed it on 5 November, so check where it is trading if you go later in the season.
Open Mon to Wed 10.30am to 5.30pm; Thu to Sat 10.30am to 10pm; Sun and bank holidays 10.30am to 5pm
Address Oxford Covered Market, OX1 3DZ
Website gulpfictionbooks.com
Good for books, coffee, evening opening, book clubs
7. Oxford Cheese Company
The company says it has traded in the market since 1983 and is known for rare alpine cheeses and for goat’s and ewe’s milk cheeses. It says Baron Robert Pouget began making Oxford Blue in 1995.
The hours below are from its market listing. Its own home page still gives Tuesday as 10am to 4pm, so call before going on a Tuesday.
Open Wed 10am to 4pm; Thu 10am to 6.30pm; Fri and Sat 9am to 5pm; closed Mon, Tue and bank holidays
Call 01865 721420
Address Market Street entrance, Oxford Covered Market, OX1 3DZ
Website oxfordcheese.co.uk
Good for artisan cheese, Oxford Blue
High Street, Turl Street and the city centre
8. Hoyle’s of Oxford
A family-run games shop, on the High Street since 1997 and run by a father and daughter. It began with a small selection of chess sets.
It now sells chess, backgammon, mah jong and go, along with modern board games, party games and gift cards.
Open Mon to Sat 10am to 6pm; Sun 11.30am to 6pm
Call 01865 203244
Address 71 High Street, OX1 4BA
Website hoylesoxford.com
Good for board games, chess sets, gift cards
9. Payne & Son
A family firm of jewellers and silversmiths, founded in Wallingford in 1790 and, it says, still run by the same family after eight generations. It sells jewellery, new and second-hand silverware, and work by British designers.
Open Mon to Fri 10am to 5pm; Sat 10am to 5.30pm; closed Sun and bank holidays
Call 01865 243787
Address 131 High Street, OX1 4DH
Website payneandson.co.uk
Good for jewellery, silverware
10. Sanders of Oxford
Sanders describes itself as one of the largest print sellers in Britain, with more than 30,000 items in stock. Independent Oxford says the prints and maps date from the early 16th century to contemporary work.
The shop is in Salutation House on the High Street.
Open Mon to Fri 9am to 5pm; Sat 10am to 6pm
Call 01865 242590
Address Salutation House, 104 High Street, OX1 4BW
Website sandersofoxford.com
Good for antique prints, maps
11. Babylon Trading
An independent shop selling what its owner told Independent Oxford is “an eclectic mix of home interiors, giftware and lifestyle products”. Its own site names Umage lights and Gluggle jugs among its ranges.
There is a second shop in Guildford.
Open Mon to Sat 10am to 6pm; Sun 11am to 5pm
Call 01865 245577
Address 86/87 High Street, OX1 4DN
Website babylontrading.co.uk
Good for homeware, gifts, lighting
12. Scriptum Fine Stationery
Scriptum’s own account lists hand-stitched leather-bound journals, dip pens, quills, Murano glass pens, inks, sealing wax and prints, plus what it calls Oxfordshire’s largest assortment of Venetian masks. It also sells a small range of bound fiction.
Open seven days a week, 9am to 6pm
Address 3 The Turl, OX1 3DQ
Website scriptum.co.uk
Good for leather journals, pens and inks, Venetian masks
13. Objects of Use
The shop calls itself “a modern day hardware store”, selling traditional household items sourced from around the world. Its site lists Monocle’s Top 100 Shops Worldwide and The Independent’s Top 50 Independent Stores among its mentions.
It also delivers within the UK.
Open daily 10.30am to 5pm; closed bank holidays
Address 6 Lincoln House, Market Street, OX1 3EQ
Website objectsofuse.com
Good for household tools, kitchenware, garden tools
14. Ashmolean Museum Shop
Not an independent, but a shop whose sales support the museum. Its 2026 Christmas range includes cards, decorations, jewellery, prints and canvases.
The main shop is on the lower ground floor, and the museum recommends booking a free general admission ticket to guarantee entry. It is closed on 24, 25 and 26 December and on 1 January.
Open daily 10am to 5pm
Call 01865 278000
Address Beaumont Street, OX1 2PH
Website ashmolean.org/christmas
Good for Christmas cards, jewellery, prints, decorations
15. Jericho Cheese Company
Established in Oxford in 2016, it specialises in British and Irish farmhouse cheese, with two shops: one in Jericho and one in the city centre. Its site says Christmas orders are open for collection or delivery.
It also sells selection boxes, gift vouchers, Pump Street chocolate and Monmouth coffee.
Open Mon to Sat 9am to 5.30pm; Sun 10am to 4pm
Call 01865 516000
Address 25 Little Clarendon Street, OX1 2HU; 7 St Michael's Mansions, Ship Street, OX1 3DE
Website jerichocheese.co.uk
Good for farmhouse cheese, selection boxes, gift vouchers
East Oxford
16. Caper
“A family bookshop, events and activity space” on Magdalen Road. Independent Oxford says it stocks books for adults and children as well as cards and gifts.
The Oxford Clarion singles out its children’s books and cookery books.
Open Mon to Sat 9am to 5pm; Sun 10am to 4pm
Address 74-77 Magdalen Road, OX4 1RE
Website caper.fun
Good for children's books, cookery books, cards, children's events
17. Löfgrens Nordic Style
A Scandinavian-inspired homeware shop, set up by its Swedish owner in 2021, according to Independent Oxford. It lists lanterns, sheepskins, throws, linen, vases, basketware, tableware and candles.
Gift vouchers are sold in store. Sunday opening is only on the last Sunday of the month, “or as advertised”.
Open Tue to Fri 10.30am to 5pm; Sat 10am to 4pm; last Sunday of the month 11am to 3pm; closed Mon
Call 07768 905672
Address 101 Magdalen Road, OX4 1RG
Website lofgrens.co.uk
Good for candles, sheepskins, homeware, gift vouchers
18. Truck
Established in 2004, Truck calls itself Oxfordshire’s longest-running independent record store. It sells records and CDs across genres, plus band T-shirts, its own merchandise and gift vouchers, and is taking pre-orders for Record Store Day’s Black Friday releases.
The shop is also home to Mostro Coffee, which keeps different hours.
Open Mon to Sat 10am to 6pm; Sun 10am to 5pm
Call 01865 793866
Address 101 Cowley Road, OX4 1HU
Website truckmusic.store
Good for vinyl, band T-shirts, gift vouchers, coffee
Summertown and west of the centre
19. Daunt Books Summertown
The Summertown branch of Daunt Books, on Banbury Road. The chain’s site sells fiction, poetry, non-fiction, signed editions, book bundles, Penguin and Everyman classics and stationery, though it does not say what this branch stocks.
Open Mon to Sat 9am to 6pm; Sun 10am to 5pm
Call 01865 511056
Address 247-249 Banbury Road, OX2 7HN
Website dauntbooks.co.uk/shops/summertown
Good for books
20. Rainbow & Spoon
An independent women’s clothes shop selling clothing, accessories, jewellery and homewares, with “Fair Trade” among the words it uses for its brands. Independent Oxford says it was established in 1982.
It is closed on Tuesdays and Sundays.
Open Mon 12pm to 5.30pm; Wed to Sat 10am to 5.30pm; closed Tue and Sun
Call 01865 723492
Address 22 Park End Street, OX1 1HU
Website rainbowandspoon.co.uk
Good for women's clothes, jewellery, accessories
Who is not here
We could not read the opening hours of Broad Canvas on Broad Street, Bad Girl Books on Walton Street or Sarah Wiseman Gallery in Summertown on their own sites. The Oxford Wine Company and Grape Minds sites would not load for us. We have left these out for now and are not saying any of them has closed. We also left out the national chains at the Westgate and the Clarendon Centre.
Getting there
The city council asks Christmas visitors to come by bus, bike, train, on foot or by Park and Ride where they can. Our parking page lists car parks and charges, and our Christmas train page covers travel later in December.
How we chose
We started from the Covered Market’s trader list, the Oxford Clarion’s 2025 shopping guide and its bookshop list, and Independent Oxford’s guide. We then read each shop’s own site or market listing on 5 November 2026 and looked for closure notices. We kept shops that sell things people give as presents, and spread them across the city. Where a detail comes from somewhere other than the shop, the entry says so.
Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@theoxfordpost.co.uk. Taken a good photograph of any of these places? Email it to newsdesk@theoxfordpost.co.uk and we will add it with your name as the credit.
For more locally, see things to do in Oxford, what’s on in Oxford this month, Christmas dinner in Oxford, ice rinks near Oxford, Santa grottos and trains and the Oxford business directory.
Frequently asked questions
Is there late night Christmas shopping in Oxford?
The Covered Market opens until 10pm from Thursday to Saturday, but its gift shops listed here close between 5pm and 6.30pm, and mainly food, drink and book traders stay later. Gulp Fiction lists 10pm on those nights. The market’s special late night in 2025 was 28 November, and we found no 2026 date when we checked on 5 November. The Broad Street Christmas market stalls open until 8pm from Thursday to Saturday.
What are the Covered Market’s Christmas opening hours?
The city council lists 8am to 4pm on Thursday 24 December, closed on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 December, 8am to 4pm on Thursday 31 December, and closed on Friday 1 January. Individual traders set their own hours, so check with a shop before a special trip.
Which Oxford shops open on Sundays before Christmas?
Sunday hours are published by Socktopus, Next to Nothing, the Oxford Soap Company, Wicked Chocolate, Space Store and Gulp Fiction in the Covered Market, and by Hoyle’s, Babylon Trading, Scriptum, Objects of Use, the Ashmolean shop, Jericho Cheese, Caper, Truck and Daunt Books. Payne & Son and Rainbow & Spoon close on Sundays, and Löfgrens opens only on the last Sunday of the month.
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