While shopping is not the main reason
people travel to Arizona, the state does not want for
interesting stores. In Phoenix,
you will want to check out Ten Thousand Villages. This
unique store provides income to people of the Third World
by selling their handicrafts in North American stores.
Although they have a number of locations throughout North
America, the Phoenix store is located in the Village at
Arrowhead.
World Market is another interesting Phoenix store, with locations in Camelback and Happy Valley. The store has a good variety of furniture and home dcor products. The buyers for World Market travel the world searching for unique products.
If you cant afford to travel the world, many Arizona stores are in interesting locations. For example, Borgata on Scottsdale Road in Scottsdale was designed to look like the Italian Village of San Gimignano. You can stroll through cobblestone streets as you shop for high fashion clothing and jewelry. Other excellent Arizona stores are located in Old Scottsdale where you can shop for Native American crafts and Western apparel. Every Thursday, hundreds of art galleries on Main Street in Old Scottsdale stay open until 9:00 PM for a popular local tradition known as Artwalk.
There are also a number of Tucson stores that you might find interesting. For example, Old Town Artisans is located in the El Presidio District in Tucson. Eight unique shops and galleries are located in a 150 year old adobe building. This is the place to find trendy clothing and jewelry, contemporary and Native American crafts and art by local and regional artists.
Another interesting collection of Tucson stores can be found at Casas Adobe Plaza. For example, Victoria's Music Boxes has a unique collection of music boxes, snow globes and figurines. Old Brazil has a beautiful selection of Brazilian Furniture, jewelry and textiles.
If you are more interested in birds than fashion, the Tucson Audubon Nature Shop is located at 300 East University Boulevard. They have an excellent selection of books on birding, as well as a wide variety of binoculars for bird watchers.
For more traditional Arizona shopping pay a visit to the Outlets at Anthem. These Arizona outlets are located at 4250 Anthem Way in Phoenix. You can find discounts on thousands of name-brand items. The air-conditioned environment, as well as the conveniently located food stands throughout the outlets makes for a comfortable Arizona shopping experience, especially when outdoor temperatures climb above 100 degrees.
A completely different type of Arizona outlet store is located in Florence, which is 65 miles north of Tucson. At the Arizona Prison and Arts Trades Outlet, you can purchase a range of crafts produced by people who are incarcerated in Arizona. In addition to arts and crafts, you can submit a photograph, which an inmate will use to create a painted portrait.
