Shopping in USA
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Powell's City of Books
The largest independent bookstore in the US, this place is dangerously addictive. Bank on your quick one-hour 'browse' turning into three. Fantastic travel section.
reviewed
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Yobel Market
Their motto is, 'inspiring awareness and promoting justice.' The stock is all fair trade and sustainable wares made by craftsmen and women from around the world. They have African market baskets, wonderful beaded jewelry, groovy T-shirts and handmade soaps.
reviewed
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Whole Foods Market
Austinites remember Whole Foods back when it was just a low-key hippie grocer, and look at it now, with more than 140 stores nationwide focusing on healthy, natural and organic groceries. There’s a great selection of takeout at this enormous flagship store, perfect for stocking a picnic.
reviewed
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Grand Central Market
The frenzied and sawdust-sprinkled Grand Central Market across the street has some fun nosh spots.
reviewed
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Evolution
A great cabinet of curiosities, this old-fashioned storefront sells natural-history collectibles of the sort usually seen in museums. This is the place to buy – or just gawk at – framed beetles and butterflies, bugs frozen in amber-resin cubes, stuffed parrots, zebra hides and shark teeth, as well as stony wonders, including meteorites, fragments from Mars and 100-million-year-old fossils.
reviewed
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Range Gallery
Local photographer, Kathleen McFadden, owns and operates this sweet storefront gallery in Old Colorado City. There's a quirky Americana sensibility to her work. You'll see shots of old rusted gas pumps, lonely roadside diners and fish-eyed horses, and curved-frame prints of cascading rivers and gnarled trees. Impressive and transporting.
reviewed
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Mary Jane’s Emporium
By ‘Mary Jane, ’ they’re not referring to shoes. This is an essential stop for smokers of legal tobacco products, including finer brands of cigarettes not sold at your basic corner store. Also, a variety of apparatus for the smoking of unsanctioned herbal products and such is sold here. All right, it’s basically a head shop.
reviewed
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Brooklyn Flea Market
Too bad this flea market only takes place on weekends (Saturdays at Fort Greene and Sundays in Boerum Hill) because a lifetime isn't long enough to wade through all the riches here – and you'll definitely want to check out the food stalls, many stocked with delectables from standout local restaurants.
reviewed
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DSW
The basement clearance section is where recovering shoe hounds come once they’ve sworn that they’ve bought their last pair for the season. Diligent research has uncovered 40% to 60% off Marc Jacobs flats, Betsy Johnson wedges and an inexplicable bonanza of limited-edition Pumas.
reviewed
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Title Wave Books
Northern Lights Center (1360 W Northern Lights Blvd); W 5th Ave (415 W 5th Ave) The best bookstore in Anchorage with two branches, both equipped with internet cafés.
reviewed
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Half Price Books, Records & Magazines
A broad selection of excellent new and used books, with multiple locations around town.
reviewed
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Universal City Walk
With flashing video screens, oversized facades and garish color combinations, City Walk hovers beside Universal Studios like a reject from the Blade Runner –meets– Willy Wonka school of architecture. Opened in 1993 as a shopping adjunct to the theme park, this outdoor mall evolved into a local hangout that can feel like a middle-school mecca on weekends. Its 65 shops, restaurants and entertainment venues offer a mix of mid- and lowbrow attractions, with low leading by a nose. Beyond the knickknack stores and chains, the new Dodgers Clubhouse (818-761-5677) stands out with its Dodgers-related clothing and accessories – including bats broken during games. The courtyard …
reviewed
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Ala Moana Center
Holy fashion, this attractive open-air shopping mall could compete on an international runway with some of Asia's most famous malls. And the shoppers are top-shelf fashionistas, stocking up on couture. The usual mall anchors are here, (Sears and Macy's) as are the designer name brands (you name it) and the trendy teen brands (Abercrombie & Fitch).
A favorite for local color is the Crack Seed Center, where you can just scoop from jars full of pickled mangoes, candied ginger, dried cuttlefish and banzai (rice crackers, nuts and dried fish) mix. The ground floor or the shopping center is also the hub for TheBus service.
reviewed
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B&H Photo-Video
Visiting the city’s most popular camera shop can be an experience in itself – it’s massive and crowded, and bustling with black-clad (and quite knowledgeable) Hasidic Jewish salesmen bused in from communities in distant Brooklyn neighborhoods. Select an item and it gets whisked away from you and dropped into a bucket, which then moves up and across the ceiling to the purchase area (which requires a second queue). It’s all very orderly and fascinating, and the selection of cameras, camcorders, computers and many other electronics is outstanding.
reviewed
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Santa’s Quarters
This place keeps the Christmas spirit alive year-round, with ornaments, lights and every festive trinket imaginable. Now, you have to wonder about people who might be tempted to purchase Christmas ornaments on one of August’s most sultry days. And what about the zero-receipt days this shop surely endures for much of the year. So is it a front for something more sinister? Or is it simply a vanity concern for St Nick? And, if so, why is it New Orleans? Or is the fat man indulging a local filly he’s keeping on the side? Anyway, on with your shopping…
reviewed
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The Grove
This outdoor mall is one of LA’s most popular shopping destinations. Its recipe for success? Fill a faux Italian palazzo with 40 name-brand stores and restaurants, toss in a fountain, the Pacific Theatres and a sprinkling of celebrities, then top it off with a trolley rolling back and forth down the middle. PT Barnum would be proud. Check out the roof of the parking garage for stellar city views. Highlights include little-girl fave American Girl Place and grown-up-gal boutique Theodore. Parking free for the first hour; $3 for two to three hours.
reviewed
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Rockridge
Rockridge is a popular shopping district. The lively, upscale neighborhood is centered on College Ave, which runs from Broadway all the way to the UC Berkeley Campus. College Ave is lined with clothing boutiques, good bookstores, a vintage record shop, several pubs and cafés, and quite a few upscale restaurants - maybe the largest concentration in the Bay Area. You could easily spend a satisfying afternoon or evening browsing, eating and drinking here.
Exiting BART at the Rockridge station puts you in the thick of things.
reviewed
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Sustainable NYC
Across from Tompkins Sq Park, this ecofriendly shop offers all sorts of home and office gear for living green. Organic T-shirts, shoes made out of recycled auto tires, compost bins, biodegradable beauty products, recycled stationery and books on going green are all on hand. The store itself sets a fine example: the interior is built from 300-year-old reclaimed lumber and fixtures are recycled (and for sale). A small cafe onsite sells snacks and fair-trade coffee.
reviewed
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Strange Cargo
One of the coolest stores in Chicago for retro T-shirts and thrift-store-esque hipster wear, Strange Cargo also sells wigs, clunky shoes and leather jackets. Buy a vintage-style T-shirt, then use the iron-on machine to enliven it with a message or decal of your choice. There’s an excellent selection of kitschy ones featuring Mike Ditka, Harry Caray, the Picasso statue, the Hancock Center and other local icons – all supreme souvenirs.
reviewed
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Forum Shops
Franklins fly out of Fendi bags faster here than in the high-roller casinos. Caesars’ fanciful homage to an ancient Roman marketplace houses 160 designer emporia, including one-name catwalk wonders such as Armani and Versace; specialty boutiques like fashionable Intermix and Agent Provocateur for lingerie; Kiehl’s old-world apothecary and modern MAC cosmetics; and Max Brenner’s haute designer chocolates.
reviewed
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Aquarius Records
When pop seems played out, this is the dawning of the age of Aquarius Records, featuring Armenian blues, rare 1970s recordings by SF’s Moog-powered punk rockers The Units, and new releases of blissed-out trance on – get this – cassette. Recent staff favorites include Ethiopian funkmaster Mahmoud Ahmed, groovy Brazilian garage rockers Bango and aluminum records of sci-fi synth by Finnish band Aavikko.
reviewed
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826 Valencia
Given a Mission diet of burritos, margaritas and coffee, creative types seem to thrive - hence the local design boutiques, 'zine bookstores and nonprofit arts venues clustered around Valencia and Mission Sts. When a Pirate Supply Store landed at 826 Valencia, selling eye patches and McSweeney's publications to fund youth writing workshops, the Mission found its dream mission.
reviewed
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North Bennet Street School
The North Bennet Street School has been training craftspeople for over 100 years. Established in 1885, the school offers programs in traditional skills like bookbinding, woodworking and locksmithing. The school’s on-site gallery sells incredible hand-crafted pieces made by students and alumni. Look for unique jewelry, handmade journals and exquisite wood furniture and musical instruments.
reviewed
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Maui Swap Meet
Skip the mall and head to this quintessential island scene where you buy direct from craftspeople and local farmers (admission 50¢). You'll not only find fresh organic Hana fruits, Kula veggies and homemade banana bread, but it's a fun place to souvenir shop for everything from Hawaiian quilts to Maui designed T's. This place glows with aloha and the prices are unbeatable.
reviewed
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FAO Schwartz
The toystore giant, where Tom Hanks played footsy piano in the movie Big, is number one on the NYC wish list of most visiting kids. Why not indulge them? The magical (over-the-top consumerist) wonderland, with dolls up for ‘adoption, ’ life-size stuffed animals, gas-powered kiddie convertibles, air-hockey sets and much more, might even thrill you, too.
reviewed
