Along the winding paths of the Historic Village at Allaire, towering as high as the large sycamore trees alongside it, is the Allaire General Store & Museum Gift Shop. Outfitted with goods from bygone days - particularly when the Store made James P. Allaire’s Howell Iron Works a self-sufficient community – patrons are invited to reminisce and enjoy a unique shopping experience. The fragrances of hand-made soap, the strong smell of beeswax candles, and 
the aroma of the store’s oak floorboards are welcoming signs. Next to the 1830s post office – open for Allaire’s Christmas Events in December - are shelves stocked with all kinds of pottery, lanterns, old-fashioned writing implements, tinware, ironware, and glassware. Bonnets and top hats for children, old-time candy for young and old, unique souvenirs, and toys from various time periods continue to fascinate shoppers of all ages. Through the Store’s large interior brick archways one encounters sticker books, historical coloring books, paper doll books, and novelty books by famous authors such as Copeland, Twain, Emerson, Dickens, Thoreau, Poe, Shakespeare, Ambrose, and others. These books are bound to be on any “school required reading list.” Books of poems, copies of historical documents, and histories of wars are all part of the Store’s book department. Hand-made items from the tinsmith, blacksmith, carpenters, quilters, and Allaire Auxiliary help shoppers pick out a product that was manufactured at Allaire similar to how it was done back in the 1830s, the village’s heyday. Just as the apothecary corner and store’s elevator was stocked with goods 175 years ago, so too is the Store today. As one walks through the Store in the cooler months, you can see the large cast iron stove that would have kept shoppers warm and reminisce on how the post office area would have been overflowing with villagers sharing the latest news of the time. Teamsters, wagons, horses and stagecoaches would have been lining up in front of the Store or passing by to take a look through the large front windows, eight foot high! A game of cards or checkers would perhaps make the day complete for some, and still can be done today. Holiday items and changing merchandise displays help to create a new look for all seasons. And constantly arriving are new Allaire souvenirs – mugs, pencils, mousepads, magnets, coloring books, and more. Old maps of Monmouth County have been reproduced, an 1853 map of the Howell Works, as well as a black and white drawing of the chapel – the 
perfect gift for anyone married at the Allaire Chapel. The Store has a variety of wedding related merchandise for sale at various times of the year. From September to December, this is often a favorite time to visit the Store, for it is during this time “Old World Christmas Ornaments” are sold. Fanciful, colorful, and glass, each ornament has a story to it, just like the “punched tin lanterns” sold largely at evening Lantern Tour events. A wide variety of ever changing stock awaits to find you at the Allaire General Store & Museum Gift Shop. Come and explore its wares, taking you back in time to an era before electricity, after our country won its independence, and among the nation’s first industrial revolution. The Allaire General Store, also known as the Howell Iron Works Company Store, has now been retailing goods for 175 years. A testament to its construction, it was one of the largest, if not the largest, general stores in the State of New Jersey when it was built. Rivaled only by shops in New York City, it is the largest building still remaining at Allaire today. On Wednesdays, Weekends, Event Days, and other weekday openings during the year, we invite you to explore the store’s stock and marvel at its architectural ingenuity.