Comments on: are you at the mall?

By: localshops1

localshops1 — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:33:17 +0000

Malls are okay for rainy days, but it gets kind of boring, seeing same shops, no matter which mall, which city. Mall shopping really feels more like an errand.

For fun shopping, indies is the way to go. So much more character, more of a feeling of community. And I don’t want to get all preachy, but shopping at indies is just better for the local economy

By: junior

junior — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 19:22:09 +0000

Oldsmar flea Market

By: bob Ross

bob Ross — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 04:14:53 +0000

Online, Publix and dollar stores.

By: AKB

AKB — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:48:27 +0000

I usually go to Target at Walter’s Crossing. I do go to the Urban Outfitters at Centro and end up hitting Brew Co. or a bar at the same time. I’m done with malls unless I need a fancy dress.

By: Deb

Deb — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:25:45 +0000

I agree with the above comments. I love and shop often at ALL of the malls here except Brandon as it is far from home, but I’ve never considered the other places for shopping. They are for movies, eating and drinking. I do like Urban Outfitters in Centro for gifts as they have some amusing and unique items and books for sale, but I only go during the holidays for gifts for friends and family.

By: Christian

Christian — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:36:33 +0000

I don’t like paying covers at bars and I don’t like paying to park. Call me a cheapskate, but that’s going to affect where I go. I can go to International Mall, park for free, then shop and go to restaurants and bars.

By: Scott Gunsaullus

Scott Gunsaullus — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:48:06 +0000

The Westshore Mall is adjacent to my daily commute on the number 30 bus. I stop in there for a snack and a little people watching, at least once a week.

International Plaza is also on Route 30 but involves a rather inconvenient 10 minute walk through a non-pedestrian parking lot. I go there much less often. The Grape at International is the best place in the Westshore area for an afterwork drink and snack. It’s too bad that it’s in the middle of an asphalt desert.

On the weekends, I’ve been known to ride my bike to the Citrus Park Mall. With it’s bike lanes and dense mid day traffic pattern, Sheldon Road is the best North-South corridor for bicycles in Western Hillsborough county.

By: wifey

wifey — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:13:18 +0000

I shop at consignment shops and thrift stores. I find the “mall” stuff that other people paid top dollar for at a bargain price! Plus in those type of shops you never know what treasure you might come across!

By: dreaming

dreaming — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:40:37 +0000

centro ybor, channelside and baywalk are not ‘malls’. they are destinations for drinking and eating and movies.

there is not now, and never was, a critical mass of retail stores in any of them to be a shopping destination. im not quite sure how the few shops that do exist in these places subsist if the they not subsidized national chains like victoria’s secret, ann taylor etc

By: jason

jason — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:05:23 +0000

Well the big difference is these retail locations were built without ‘anchor’ stores that traditional malls have. This was pointed out when they were built but sicne the economy was going fine at the time people would still go shopping there even with a Sears or Nordstroms to draw people in. It was pointed out in the paper when Centro was being built that this model had not been tested during a negative economy like we see now. This is the result.