Known less as a shopping destination than a place to people watch, eat, and browse, Thayer Street has nonetheless seen an influx of young, hip new shops recently. One of the best is Therapy Beauty Bar (297 Thayer St., 401/331-4777, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.). Bright limeade-hued walls electrify this sunny, friendly beauty studio, where you’ll find cult beauty collections like the entire line of Fresh products, plus hard-to-find lines like T. LeClerc, Skinceuticals, and Red Flower. Services are also on offer: facials, waxing, and excellent manicures and pedicures in the upstairs loft.

Down the street is Pie in the Sky (225 Thayer St., 401/861-3954, piegirl225 [at] verizon [dot] net, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.), a gift shop peddling everything from pig-shaped toasters and Lucite jewelry to Shakespeare action figures.

The selection of women’s clothing and accessories may not be epic at La Femme Boutique. (297 Thayer St., 401/270-7016, femme_boutique [at] yahoo [dot] com, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.), but what’s there is worth a gander. A nice selection of denim labels—Blue Cult and True Religion, for starters—plus racks of cardigans, dresses, and skirts.

Women and men can bone up on the latest fads at Urban Outfitters (285 Thayer St., 401/351-4080, www.urbanoutfitters.com, 10 a.m.–9 p.m.); this branch of the national chain is here largely for the local college crowd, as witnessed by the extensive selections of dorm-room gadgets and accessories, trendy clothes, and CDs.

Typifying Thayer Street’s eclectic sensibility, Angell Street Curiosities (183 Angell St., 401/455-0450, www.angellstcuriosities.com, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.) overflows with vintage clothing, jewelry, postcards, and old photographs, amusingly labeled by the owner.

Catering to the trust-fund backpacker, Cargo (294 Thayer St., 401/831-1500) clearly believe in traveling in style, with discounts on outdoor clothes from Patagonia and North Face, and hip labels like True Religion, Water Girl, and Ben Sherman.