Soak up the South Florida sunshine, not to mention some local color, by hitting the streets for some great goods to take home with you. Make shopping a full sensory experience by strolling around the backstreets for hidden gems, walking around boutique filled boardwalks and filling your suitcase with treasures found while walking around. Your closet, or your friends and family, will thank you for taking the time to explore Miami’s most popular shopping streets.
OPEN AIR ON MIAMI BEACH
Designer shopping on the streets of South Beach, whose Lincoln Road, Española Way, Washington Avenue, Collins Avenue and Ocean Drive stores are synonymous with must-have merchandise and unique shopping experiences. One-of-a-kind jewelry, housewares, books, gifts and tchotchkes of every imaginable kind are all here.
In the market for a fine painting or sculpture? Galleries across South Beach feature works by cutting-edge artists both local and international. On Lincoln Road, ArtCenter/South Florida provides subsidized studio spaces for emerging artists take this work home with you to fill your walls or just get inspired midway through your shopping trip.
If fashion is your passion, look no further than Nicole Miller, Kenneth Cole, Tommy Hilfiger and the myriad other ultra-hip, independent boutiques on the avenues and side streets of South Beach. In a place where chocolate, cheese and pet collars all carry designer labels, you’re bound to walk away with something special.
BRIDAL SHOPS, BAKERIES, AND MORE ON CORAL GABLES PROMENADES
The same can be said of Mediterranean-style Coral Gables a historically charming neighborhood known for independent shops, restaurants and a walk-able downtown area. In “the Gables,” unique shops and sidewalk cafes can turn a quick stop into a whole day of shopping adventures. Anchored by its signature promenade, Miracle Mile, the streets of downtown Coral Gables are lined with bridal shops, clothing and jewelry boutiques, shoe stores, art galleries and even a few bakeries. Après-shopping activities may include a performance at Actors’ Playhouse, a film at the Coral Gables Art Cinema, or a wine tasting.
STREET-SMART SHOPPING IN DOWNTOWN MIAMI
Street-smart shopping is a hallmark of Downtown Miami, home to one of the nation’s largest jewelry districts and hundreds of retailers, including Macy’s and Alberto Cortés Cosmetics & Perfumes. Check out La Época, a department store transplanted from Cuba. Countless mom-and-pop shops sell electronics, sporting goods, cameras and cosmetics.
SHOPPING VILLAGES
At the county’s northern end, in Miami Lakes, Main Street re-creates a small-town feeling with specialty shops and homegrown restaurants such as Shula’s Steak 2, honoring legendary Miami Dolphins football coach Don Shula. Continue northeast and you’ll discover theVillage at Gulfstream Park, an outdoor streetscape of shopping, dining and entertainment, directly adjacent to the famed racetrack.
DESIGN AT EVERY CORNER IN THE DESIGN DISTRICT
Just north of Downtown Miami, the Design District tempts serious collectors with contemporary and traditional furniture showrooms, antique dealers, art galleries and innovative retail spaces. This haute design area is an entire neighborhood populated by high end stores specializing in a wide array of goods to take home with you from fashionable accessories, home goods, and jewelry to brandname appliances and large scale art pieces.