Where is the Good Shopping?

I remember when I first moved to Cincinnati over 20 years ago, I had two little girls that needed outfitting for their new school, and a new home to decorate.  I wanted to know where to find the good shopping! Part of the fun of moving to a new area is going out and finding the stores. We settled in Loveland, so my car quickly found the path to Eastgate Mall.  Christmas and special occasion shopping meant trips to Kenwood Towne Center.  Wow! Have things changed in 20 + years! New strip centers, open air malls, and destination shopping hubs have popped up around here like crazy!   The “old” malls have all undergone facelifts, and continue to find ways to make their shopping site your favorite way to “boost the economy”. As you can imagine, where there is a mall, there are acres & acres of strip centers, restaurants, and open air shopping within the immediate vicinity.

It’s good to know where the old favorites are, like Target and Macys. It’s great fun to find new stores and restaurants, independent shops, you won’t find anywhere else. In the “Areas of Cincinnati” segment of our site, I try to talk about shops and restaurants, special to that particular area, along with popular shopping.

If you are new to the area, maybe this compilation will help. I’ve put together a general list of some of the best spots to shop, special to Cincinnati, and area malls, with big box retailers nearby.  I have links to their websites, so you can get driving directions and check out what each mall has to offer, and link to the individual store sites. But this is just the beginning! As you travel to the individual shopping destinations, you’ll certainly pass those acres and acres of adjoining retail, and find a few places to spend your new home decorating allowance quite quickly.

• Rookwood Commons and Rookwood Pavilion – Central Cincinnati. 75 of the Best Specialty Stores & Restaurants.  Shop Ann Taylor, NY & Company, Eddie Bauer, White House/Black Market, Anthropologie.  Enjoy P.F. Changs, J. Alexander & Buca d. Beppo
• Kenwood Towne Centre –  Central Cincinnati.  2-Story Shopping, Anchored by Macys, Dillards, and coming soon….Nordstrom!  Cheesecake Factory & Maggianos!
• Eastgate Mall-  East Cincinnati. JC Penny, Dillards, Sears & Kohls….and an indoor Merry-Go-Round for the kids!
• Tri County Mall-  Northern Suburbs. 2 Level Mall – Large Food Court. Macys, Dillards, Sears, Ethan Allen and Krazy City! An Indoor Theme Park with Over 50,000 square feet of rides and games. Great for kid’s parties.
• Anderson Towne Center – East Cincinnati – Anchored by a small Macys, K-Mart and the Largest Kroger Ever Built. Destination Grocery Shopping!
• Bridgewater Falls – Fairfield Township Northwest Cincinnati. Bed, Bath & Beyond, Dick’s Sporting Goods, JC Penny, Old Navy
• Tower Place Mall- & Downtown Shopping.  Macys, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Tiffany’s Jewelry. Morton’s of Chicago
• Findley Market- Just north of downtown in Over the Rhine – Ohio’s Oldest Continuously Operated Open Air Market. Farmer’s Market. Outdoor Vendors. Indoor Merchants. Meat, Fish, Cheese and More!
• Newport on the Levee- Newport Kentucky, Just Across the Ohio River from Downtown. Good Restaurants: Mitchell’s Fish Market, Deweys Pizza, Bar Louie. Jefferson Hall for Live Music. Newport Aquarium. Funny Bone Comedy Club
• Northgate Mall- Colerain North, Northwest Cincinnati.  Over 100 Stores and Specialty Shops. Dillards, Macys, Sears and JC Penny
• Cincinnati Mills- North, Northwest Cincinnati- Forever 21, Guess Factory Store, Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th for Discount Designer Shopping.
• Jungle Jim’s International Market & Foodie Paradise-Fairfield/North Cincinnati Foodie Alert! This Place is Worth the Drive! Amish Foods. International Choices. Seafood. Sushi. Meat Shop with Fresh Cuts for the Courageous Foodie: Elk, Wild Boar and Antelope.  Kids Will Like the Singing Characters. Watch For the Singing Birds in the Pet Shop and the Singing “Elvis”.  I Don’t Normally Encourage you to Check Out the Restrooms Anywhere……Trust Me on This One!