Shopping in Ashtabula

Ashtabula is home to a working harbor, which means that every half hour, the main bridge into downtown goes up to let boats come and go. So every half hour, the traffic backs up on Bridge Street, and shopkeepers plan their days around the event. It's a fun backdrop to the small shopping area, which features a typical mix of stores. Carlisle's Home in the Harbor is a pleasing jumble of home decor items and furniture alongside a few shelves of wine bottles. Sandpiper Gallery offers a bounty of works by Ohio artists, and a beach-glass gallery next door is filled with delicate jewelry crafted from pieces found on the shores of Lake Erie. A fudge shop, breakfast diner and Briquettes Smokehouse barbeque restaurant complement the shopping and offer the best nonchain eateries in the entire county.