Shopping in Miami

Miami owns some of the best shopping in the country. Designers large and small have either made their home in Miami or have a shop here to take advantage of a town that thrives on designers, from mainstream to independent. In fact, there are so many places to shop; the sheer variety can be overwhelming for visitors. Depending on your personal taste, you can bargain shop for days on end or drop an entire paycheck in 15 minutes in one of the higher-end boutiques.

Shopping in this sizzling city certainly is not for the faint of heart; it is more of an amazing adventure than a regular retail experience.

To start, there are two amazing outlet malls, where the prices are in the basement, but the quality of the items is through the roof! The Dolphin Mall is one of the two and has more than 12 major anchor stores accompanied by 200 smaller shops, restaurants and entertainment venues. The anchor stores consist of Old Navy, Ross Dress for Less, Marshall’s, Sports Authority, Linens ‘N Things, Borders Books and Bass Pro Shops. The Dolphin Mall is laid out in zones to make it easier for shoppers to pinpoint the area that contains exactly what they are looking for from the moment they enter the facility.

Visitors can spend an entire day at the Dolphin Mall, wandering in and out of the various boutiques and sampling fare at the different eateries. In fact, there is an 850-seat food court area that features a diverse array of offerings, including Cuban culinary specialties, in addition to the usual mall fare of pizza, pasta and burgers. When it comes to restaurants, the Dolphin Mall contains a TGI Fridays, Mojito’s, Starbucks, KOBE Japanese Steak & Seafood and 100% Natural Mexican Food & Bar. 

Once you’ve had your fill of shopping and eating, you might opt for some recreational fun. Take a turn on the Climbing Wall, play a few (high-priced) games at Dave & Buster’s or show your friends up on the lanes at Strike Miami. If you are looking for something more low-key, then the Cobb Theatres Dolphin 19 Cinema is perfect.

If an outdoor shopping experience is what you are craving, then The Falls is where you want to be. What do both residents and visitors alike love about this facility? It may have something to do with the combination of shopping, entertainment and restaurants in one spacious, open-air setting. Anchor shops for The Falls include Bloomingdales, Macy’s, with supplemental shops from Brooks Brothers, Ann Taylor, and Talbots to Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, and Gap.

However, the mother of all Florida shopping experiences begins at Sawgrass Mills mall.

awgrass Mills is the largest mall in the entire state of Florida. This is the place to go for no-holds barred, all-out shopping spree through the more than 350 shops and boutiques. Anchor stores are Beall’s Outlet, JC Penney Outlet, Neiman Marcus Last Call, VF Outlet and Saks Fifth Avenue Off Fifth. Other large retailers in Sawgrass Mills are SuperTarget, T.J. Maxx, BrandsMart USA, Burlington Coat Factory, Marshall’s and a host of other outlet and discount stores, designed to allow patrons to purchase high-end merchandise at discount prices; this is bargain shopping at its best.

Many visitors come to Miami to check out the specialty shopping; however, they might not want the mall experience, instead opting for the beachfront specialty boutiques. Lincoln Road on South Beach is the best area of Miami to go for this type of shopping. A pedestrian-only area spanning ten of South Beach’s 23 blocks, Lincoln Road boasts numerous boutiques and restaurants, including: Anthropologie, Bebe, TiramesU Restaurant, Steve Madden, Van Dyke Café, Sobe shoes, Vogue Italia, Lucky Brand Jeans, Miss Sixty, Yuca Restaurant, X-Boy Fashion, BCBG Maxazria, Macy’s, W Couture, Claudio Milano, I Strada, Ann Taylor Loft, Banana Republic¸ Spoiled Couture and much, much more.

If upscale shopping is what you desire, then a trip to Bal Harbour Shops is in order. A short drive from the heart of Miami, this outdoor shopping center is located in the community of Bal Harbour and is full of only the top, luxury retailers. Stores in the grouping of Bal Harbour shops include: Jimmy Choo, Oscar De La Renta, Tiffany, Cartier, Bulgari, Emilio Pucci, Dior, Sergio Rossi, Giuseppe Zanotti, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. There are also small bistros and eateries within this shopping center to provide a temporary oasis for weary shoppers.

The Miami shopping experience is as unique as the rest of the city itself. Visitors can delight themselves in finding an array of shops that fit the needs of any budget or style. The fact that this range of shopping choices exist in one metro area is a testament to the diversity and cross-cultural appeal that make Miami such an amazing global city. 

Copyright 2010 MiamiSmarts

1. An Introduction to Miami
2. Getting Around Miami
3. Secrets of South Beach
4. Dolphins in Heat in Miami
5. The Miami Music Scene
6. Things to See in Miami
7. The Miami Cultural Scene
8. Shopping in Miami