Department Store shopping in North America
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Westfield San Francisco Shopping Center
So much for traveling light: SF souvenirs start out packable in Chinatown with silk slippers; however, on Grant Ave between Bush and Filbert Sts, you'll discover custom zoot suits, local designer dresses and rare vinyl. Anyone tempted by locally designed earrings, handmade felt rugs and mod candelabras should beware Union St from Steiner to Van Ness Sts, as well as Hayes St between Franklin and Laguna Sts. Foot fetishists, CD hoarders and vintage clotheshounds can't resist the siren call of the Upper Haight, while used books and thrift-store scores await along Valencia and Mission Sts between 16th and 24th Sts. Mall rats may never escape the 400 stores of Westfield San Fr…
reviewed
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Louis Boston
If you want to shop here, you should learn to say it right. Not like the French, not like the English, but like the Bostonians. That’s ‘Loooeeez’. This four-story town house occupies the entire block between Newbury and Boylston Sts. As such, there is plenty of room inside for ultra-trendy (and pricey) clothing and cool, contemporary house wares. The 1st floor has gift ideas like gourmet foods, fancy bath accessories, nostalgic books and sweet pet gear. Upstairs, you’ll find the fashion: Louis caters disproportionately to the male of the species, but somebody’s got to. Note that at the time of writing, Louis Boston was searching for a new location. Check the website for u…
reviewed
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Filene’s Basement
The granddaddy of bargain stores is Filene’s Basement. Originally, Filene’s sold its overstocked and irregular items in the basement of the flagship store. Shoppers would flock from miles around for a chance to browse the merchandise at deeply discounted rates. The store became so popular that Filene’s Basement started opening outlets in malls around metropolitan Boston and up and down the East Coast. But this is the original, right here on Washington St, in the basement of the original Filene’s building (even if Filene’s is no longer here).
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Takashimaya
Seven stories with beauty products, a day spa (top floor), clothes, accessories, home design, floral bouquets and a tea shop.
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Honest Ed’s
A visit to a quirky Toronto institution, Honest Ed’s is always a laugh. Plastered across this gaudy, light-bulb-encrusted discount emporium are signs saying ‘Don’t just stand there, buy something!’ and, ‘Come this way you lucky people!’ It’s quite a spectacle, and the queues before opening time are insane. The recently deceased owner Ed Mirvish also earned kudos as Toronto’s most beloved theater impresario.
reviewed
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Bergdorf Goodman
An otherworldly experience, with separate floors for jewels, fragrance, handbags, menswear, shoes and more, gives you room to browse unhurriedly.
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Neiman-Marcus
Hoity-toity and proud of it, Neiman-Marcus delivers old-school wow factor with soft lighting filtered through an oval rotunda and shamelessly obsequious service. There's a reason it's called Needless Markup - unless you're prepared to surrender that trust fund, stay a good 20 ft away from the personal shopper eager to help you into that emerald green, ruched raw-silk Prada number. Check the website for designer trunk shows and fun runway events.
reviewed
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Simons
One of the city’s business success stories, Simons was started by the son of a Scottish immigrant who set up a dry-goods store in Québec City. By 1952 his descendants had turned the business into a successful clothing store. It’s popular all over Québec for its trendy Twik label and for stocking items more cutting-edge than those at competing department stores. There’s been a Simons at this location since 1870.
reviewed
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Nordstrom Rack
A bargain-hunter's dream, this budget Nordstrom's store claims to have 25,000 pairs of discounted shoes, 2000 pairs of designer denim, and 2400 handbags on site. Clothes and accessories from L.A.M.B., Badgley Mischka, Alexander Wang, Nanette Lepore and more are grouped by designer around the store. Discounts range from 30% to 70%, and there's an onsite tailor to make sure what you buy fits just right. Men's and boy's departments too.
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Barneys
Perhaps offering Manhattan’s best designer clothing selection, Barneys justifies its occasionally raised-nose staff with its spot-on collections of the best designer brands of the moment (Marc Jacobs, Prada, Helmut Lang, Paul Smith and Miu Miu shoes). For less expensive deals (geared to a younger market), check out Barneys Co-op on the 7th and 8th floors, or on the Upper West Side, in SoHo or in Chelsea.
reviewed
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Barneys
The high-end New York fashion staple known for its inspired window displays and near-lethal 70% off sales has hit the West Coast, just in time for the recession. Year-round, Barneys showcases emerging designers; well-priced, well-fitted sportswear on its Co-op label; and exclusive eco-conscious lines by Philip Lim, Theory, and its own affordable Green Label, focusing on clean lines with a clean conscience.
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Ogilvy
Once a Victorian-era department store, Ogilvy has transformed itself into a collection of high-profile boutiques. When it was remodeled in the late 1920s the owner had a concert hall built on the 5th floor called ‘The Tudor’ that’s still open for viewing. Ogilvy’s front window displays mechanical toys that are a Montréal fixture at Christmas.
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Macy’s
Five floors of name brands, plus a basement food court with oddly sour smells. The men’s department is across the street so they won’t have to worry their pretty little heads about where to find boxer briefs and Kenneth Cole shirts, while women have to brave the perfume police and fend off slightly insulting free makeover offers just to check out the shoe sale (totally worth it).
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Holt Renfrew
This Montréal institution is a godsend for label-conscious, cashed-up professionals and upscale shoppers. From fragrance to cosmetics, jewelry and men’s and women’s fashion, ‘Holt’s’ is the go-to spot for prestigious brands like Gucci and Prada. Services include personal shoppers and concierges, and an on-site café.
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Filene's Basement
Boston loves Filene’s Basement so much that, when the building was being demolished, rebuilt and converted into condos, it was scheduled to move back into its original space in the basement. Now that’s a city that hangs on to its history. There is another newer store in the Back Bay, but purists still go to Downtown Crossing.
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Hudson Bay Co
La Baie, as it’s called in French, found fame three centuries ago for its striped wool blankets used to measure fur skins. Pass the legions of perfumery stands on the ground floor and take the escalators to the clothing boutiques on the 2nd floor, or make a strategic move for the cut-price garments on the 8th floor.
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Galerías Diana
Shop until you drop at this mammoth mall with American and European brand shops such as Zara, Nine West, Puma and, yes, Starbucks. This mall also has a casino, a video arcade and the Cinepolis VIP movie theater featuring bartender service and comfy leather lounge chairs; most flicks are in English with Spanish subtitles.
reviewed
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Macy’s
A grand Southern department store, this one-stop-shopping spot, hovering at the edge of Lincoln Rd, is an old-school sort of experience where you’ll join retired snowbirds (Northerners who fly south during winter) and hipsters alike, all looking for some sort of dress-lipstick-towel-pillow-sham collection of goods.
reviewed
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Macy's South Beach
A grand Southern department store, this one-stop-shopping spot, hovering at the edge of Lincoln Rd, is an old-school sort of experience where you'll join retired snowbirds (Northerners who fly south during winter) and hipsters alike, all looking for some sort of dress-lipstick-towel-pillow-sham collection of goods.
reviewed
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Henri Bendel
The lovely Lalique windows in Henri Bendel frame its quaint little tearoom perfectly; it makes you feel like you're shopping in someone's home.
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Simons
This Québec City chain is a phenomenon of which everyone, no matter their age or style, seems a fan. The selection runs from $15 T-shirts to $5000 designer coats, with the former (cheap, fashionable creations and basics with which you can’t go wrong) a hit with basically everyone.
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Fashion Island
Fashion Island - sometimes referred to as 'Fascist Island' - is the draw for serious shopping. It's an indoor-outdoor mall with more than 200 midrange to upper-end retail stores, among them Bloomingdale's, Neiman Marcus, Macy's Women and Robinsons-May. And it's got a good food court.
reviewed
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Lai Fong Department Store
For antiques, junk and kitsch, a great place to browse is Lai Fong Department Store, which sells a variety of antiques and knick-knacks, including Chinese silk clothing, Oriental porcelain and old postcards of Hawaii dating back to the first half of the 20th century.
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Bloomingdale's
Massive ‘Bloomie’s’ is something like the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the shopping world: historic, sprawling, overwhelming and packed with bodies, but you’d be sorry to miss it. Navigate the mass (and dodge the dozens of automaton types trying to spray you with the latest scent) to browse and buy clothing and shoes from a who’s who of designers, including an increasing number of ‘new-blood’ collections.
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Macy's
The world’s largest department store has a bit of everything – clothing, furnishings, kitchenware, sheets, cafes, hair salons. It’s less high-end than many Midtown department stores but it’s useful if you’re looking for simpler things, like a good pair of jeans or a work shirt, not necessarily an only-from-Manhattan 21st-century outfit. Plus, riding the creaky old wooden elevators on the Broadway side is a must-do NYC experience.
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