| Shopping Traverse City's shopping areas include not only Downtown and Old Town with their architectural links to the 19th century and their unique, varied items but also the malls; Cherryland Center, Grand Traverse Mall, Grand Traverse Crossings and the Horizon Outlet Mall. Shoppers have convenient access to many national and regional retail chains and lines that they sell. They also have a chance to find scores of unique items in independent shops all over the Traverse City area. |
| Downtown and Old Town: Downtown and Old Town shopping is about more than acquiring goods, it's about walking up and down tree-lined streets and stopping to browse, carefully examining every item in shop windows and admiring the Victorian details of the buildings. More than a walk through a nostalgic place, shopping is about finding unusual and beautiful things that recall the Traverse City area. There are more than 100 specialty stores of all varieties selling clothing, furniture, art, music, sporting goods, foods, cameras, books, bicycles, eye wear, jewelry, stationary, tobacco, kitchen accessories, toys, kites, antiques and on and on. Landmarks of a former time are also a part of downtown and Old Town shopping day, one being the beautifully restored City Opera House on Front Street. Others include the original fire station, the Ladies Library, downtown and the old tavern and old-fashioned butcher shop across the Boardman River in Old Town. Grand Traverse Mall: The sound of the carousel's calliope pumps brightly calling children to come board the flying animals. It's a beautifully detailed carousel placed at the main entrance and in the middle of the food court, and it seems to be always in use. Also at the mall there is a video game room. Not surprisingly, these gestures of kindness to parents add to the mall's success. The largest mall in the Traverse City area with over 100 stores, the Grand Traverse Mall opened in 1992 and immediately began attracting well-known stores as tenants and quantities of customers from close by and from as far away as three hours. Grand Traverse Crossing: Grand Traverse Crossing offers shoppers access to major national box stores such as Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, Borders Books and Records, Staples, and Home Depot. There are 12 stores in all. The mall area is extensively landscaped with flowers, bushes and trees and pool, fountains, and man-made streams. The Cherryland Center: The Cherryland Center contains a major department store, Younkers; a supermarket, Toms Food Market, as well as a Sears and a Big K-Mart. Some smaller shops are also located there too. It is located on the east side of Traverse City at the intersection of Garfield and Airport Road. Outdoor Adventures Down Outlet: Outdoor Adventures is Northern Michigans only down outlet. Located on M-72, on the east side of Traverse City. Outdoor Adventures offers fine quality down filled products at outlet prices. All of their pillows, comforters and featherbeds are crafted in the USA with the best down and high thread count fabrics. The Horizon Outlet: Name brand companies such as Bass, Corning, Revere, Gap, and Old Navy fill this outlet mall located on US 31 South. There is also a new restaurant and a bustling eight-plex movie cinema there. Grand Traverse Resort Tower Gallery of Shops: In May of 1999, the Tower Gallery at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa added nine new shops to seven existing stores in the 20,000-foot area actually inside of the hotel tower. The new golf store is located in the 1,700 square-foot pro shop portion of the new Clubhouse. Among the stores that moved into the Tower Shops is the nation's only Greg Norman Collection concept store with sportswear and golf accessories, one of Tommy Bahama's three sportswear stores, a woman's casual clothing store, Audrey's Closet and Michigan Seasons, the shop filled with Michigan gifts. Boutiques offer an exclusive mix of merchandise guests and shoppers from the area have enjoyed right along. |