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Boasting the nation’s largest shopping universe -– Mall of America, with its own socko theme park -– Minneapolis also tantalizes with shopping downtown and in neighborhoods packed with boutiques and one-of-a-kinds. Adding to allure, Minnesota levies no sales tax on clothing. Shop-until-droppers, for the price of a light rail ticket, can combine merchandising worlds: Cruise the Mall of America, then catch the train into downtown for more marathon browsing and buying. Historically, Minneapolis shopping on old Main Street dates to 1848, followed by downtown’s first store debuting in 1869 on Hennepin Avenue. The Bridge Square commercial district evolved at Hennepin and Nicollet avenues, the latter eventually becoming the premier shopping promenade with department stores like Donaldson’s (1884) and Dayton’s (1902).

As Minneapolis grew, mall shopping evolved, and Southdale Center -- the world’s first enclosed mall now anchored by Marshall Field’s, Mervyn’s and Marshalls, with stores from Air Traffic Games to Frederick’s of Hollywood and Godiva Chocolatier -– opened in 1956, paving the way to more malls. Fearful of losing out, downtown retailers in 1962 launched the first above-the-street covered skyways linking downtown blocks. Nicollet Avenue became an open-air, tree-shaded pedestrian mall in 1967, with Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. Later on, Dayton’s -- last of the city’s old guard department stores -- became Marshall Field’s.

In the suburbs came a huge revolution in retailing: Bloomington’s $650 million (when debuting in 1992) Mall of America, with 500-plus stores, and continuing to wow with Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Sears, the nation’s largest indoor family amusement park including a 1.2 million gallon walk-through aquarium, three dozen specialty foods stores, 30 fast-food eateries, and 20 sit-down restaurants, plus 14 movie screens. Downtown’s City Center, with a $15-million facelift in lighting and accessibility now complete and with Marshalls and 20 stores and eateries including Baja Sol Tortilla Grill, occupies an entire block, linking Gaviidae Common, Fifty South Sixth, Wells Fargo Center, and the Plymouth Building and Marriott Hotel City. Other Greater Minneapolis malls include Calhoun Square, Burnsville Center, Albertville Premium Outlets, Galleria Shopping Plaza, Knollwood Mall, Ridgedale Center, Brookdale Center, Tanger Factory Outlet Center, and Miracle Mile Shopping Center.

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What the .Community is Saying...

“Unique and an Adventure”
	“Since this is a consignment store, you never know what you'll find - it's an adventure every time. Hagen's has a sense for high…” Review Details. Said about: Hagen's Furniture & Antiques, by Private Member, Burnsville
“Jack and the Disney Store”
	“I love taking Jack, who is two and a half, shopping at the Disney Store. The entire store is filled with his favorite character…” Review Details. Said about: Disney Store, by Member, Anthony Pierpont, St. Paul
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