Minneapolis Shopping Tips by goodfish Top 5 Page for this destination

Combined Suggestions: Uptown: a little bit of everything

Young, hip, energetic and lifestyle-diverse, Uptown's heart is at the intersection of Lake Street and Hennepin Ave, and the surrounding blocks/streets in either direction encompass fun restaurants, coffeehouses and shops. A lot of the stores - both chains and indies - will appeal to Gen X, Y and younger but there are enough bookshops, galleries, kitchenware and other specialty offerings to make a fun little walkabout for everyone.

Nice day? Haul yourself and your bags up to Stella's Fish Cafe or Skybar's sunny rooftop patios for after-shopping cocktails and/or dinner. The biking/blading/walking paths of Lake Calhoun and Lake of the Isles are also just a few blocks away.

Besides the shops I've pictured, here are a few others:

Colombia Sportswear
North Face Sportswear
Urban Outfitters: clothing and home: http://www.urbanoutfitters.com
Francesca's: women's apparel: http://www.francescas.com
H&M: all family clothing: http://www.hm.com/us/
Atmosfere men's clothing: http://atmosferempls.com
Ragstock: new and recycled funky clothing: http://ragstock.com
Tibet Store: http://www.tibetstorempls.com
Go Home furnishings, jewelry and gifts: http://noyougohome.com
Design Within Reach: home furnishings: http://www.dwr.com
Penzey's Spices: http://www.penzeys.com
Golden Leaf Ltd. cigars/pipes: http://www.goldenleafsmokeshop.com
Magers and Quinn Booksellers: http://www.magersandquinn.com
Paper Source specialty paper/art supplies/gifts: http://www.paper-source.com
The Kitchen Window: http://www.kitchenwindow.com
Bay Street Shoes: http://www.baystreetshoes.com

The website below has a nice interactive map for looking over what's in the area: reference the Uptown/LynLake inset.

Address: Intersection of Hennepin Ave and Lake Street

Theme: Other

Website: http://www.minnehahamedia.com/gw/uptown/interactive.html

Midtown Global Market: World-ly goods

I’d written this one up under Things to Do and Restaurants but have to give it a shoutout for some fun ethnic gifts and trinkets as well. Scattered between the indoor food and grocery markets are stalls offering hand-made soaps, Hmong-stitched clothing, leather purses, Navajo and Zuni jewelry, African craftware, Tibetan hangings, saris, Caribbean spices, piñatas, toys, perfumes and all sorts of other good stuff. Prices are generally very affordable, and all that color makes for a fun browse with a cup of frozen custard or Italian ice in hand!

Merchants can rotate in and out occasionally so check the website for the most current list of vendors.

Address: 920 E Lake St

Directions: South of downtown, between Chicago Avenue and 10th Avenue S. Look for the distinctive 16-story tower.

Phone: 612-872-4041

Theme: Other

Website: http://www.midtownglobalmarket.org/

Mall of America: It's just a MALL, for cryin' out loud. Mall of America Review

Yes, it's here.
Yes, it's the biggest in the U.S.
Yes, we get a little sick of being famous for a big giant mall.
Yes, there are WAY better things to do.

Best reason to go here? To stretch your legs when it's too cold to be outside. And watch the people. Or take the kiddies to ride the rides. By all means, give the mall a look-see but please give our museums, theaters, zoos, parks and other great activities a go as well?

Address: 60 East Broadway, Bloomington

Phone: (952) 883-8800

Theme: Other

Website: http://www.mallofamerica.com

IKEA: Home Furnishings for the Masses

This is the place to go for functional home furnishings at a price that'll make you forget about a bad economy. The Swedish retailer understands tight spaces, storage and budgets and offers furniture, kitchen and bath systems, frames, baskets, bedding, lamps, kitchen and dinnerware and lots of other stuff that'll make your nest comfortable, organized and fun.

A couple of things to know;
Most of the furniture needs to be assembled but it's not difficult, You can have boxed components delivered (for a fee) or take them home yourself. When you decide on the item you want, you'll use the pads and pencils the store provides to jot down the number from the floor sample and then locate it in the warehouse section. A store assistant (and they have many) will help you- just ask. Smaller items (lamps/bedding/pans/glassware/dinnerware, etc) are stocked by their displays so just grab, pay and go.

IKEA is green! They provide carts/totes for your treasures in while you shop but they have gone bagless at checkout. No bags. They do provide some paper to wrap fragiles in but you either bring your own bag or buy an inexpensive, reusable plastic tote (stocked near the checkout lanes - 2 sizes, the big one is huge) to get your haul to the car.

They have a cafeteria-style restaurant and the cheapest breakfast in town. 99-cents for a plate of eggs, potatoes and bacon (9:30 - 11:00 AM). Also free coffee from 9:30 to 10:00, when the store opens for biz. Their other food choices are big-time reasonable as well.

The store is HUGE (2 floors) but family-friendly. Lots of restrooms and some play spaces for the tots.

They have a small food store located just beyond the main checkout aisles. GO HERE before checking out. Food items (Swedish cookies/preserves/canned seafood/crackers/candy/etc) can be purchased here if not buying anything from the main store. If you ARE buying items from the main store, take your grocery items back through the main checkout lines and pay for all your stuff at one time 'cause they won't handle non-food purchases at the grocery.

Ikea is walking distance from Mall of America. This makes starting your shopping day HERE (remember those 99-cent eggs?) pretty darn easy.

What to buy: I buy a lot of kitchen stuff here, and my favorite Anna's Ginger Thins - very yummy cookies (and only 140 calories for 6 of 'em!!) for 99-cents a box. The bedding and other fabrics tend to be a little too bright and goofy for me but whatever.

Address: 8000 IKEA Way, Bloomington, MN 55425

Directions: Very near Mall of America, and not far from Mpls/St Paul international airport.

Phone: (952)858-8088

Theme: Home Furnishing

Website: http://www.ikea.com