Most Upscale Shopping Districts in The United States. (living, cost, places)
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Every city has upscale shopping malls, not every one has a true shopping district.
Exactly. Thank you.
Even if you go somewhere like Detroit, they have a suburban shopping mall (and yes, it has neighboring highrises and apartments, no different than a Buckhead-type area) with Neiman Marcus, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Armani, Saks, Burberry, etc.
^^That's one mall, which is simply not comparable to Buckhead. I literally *dislike* Atlanta and I don't even like Buckhead for a whole host of reasons, but I am traveled enough to know that Buckhead is NOT like your average upscale mall. It could be its own city; it's just that much more dynamic, large, and shall I say compact in terms of geographical area? There are 2 heavy rail lines with 2 stops in Buckhead.
Also, in Dallas, as I know from experience, Highland Park Village is not a mall, but rather a historic neighborhood commercial village that is quite beautiful, long time owned by a family there, and it has really really high end shopping that BLOWS anything that suburban Detroit, Boston, Philly, Jersey, etc have out of the water. It's too small in square footage to compete with other major districts being discussed, including Buckhead.
Finally, with nearly 3 million SF of upscale shopping before you get to the everyday shopping, all in a square mile, Buckhead is easily one of the biggest shopping destinations in this country, and that's quite well know. It carries a lot of brand power by itself. JW Marriott and Ritz Carlton are practically attached to the malls, and Streets of Buckhead was going to include a Baccarat hotel, but instead "merely" has a St. Regis across the street. "Standard" suburban shopping districts don't have that. That's actually more typical of urban districts, but Atlanta has thrown literally all of its shopping eggs in one basket.
Other things going on in Streets of Buckhead are Shakeshack and Georgetown Cupcake. Anyone from NYC or DC should now realize we aren't talking standard fare with names like those going in.
I don't know how you rank "districts" aside from looking at subjective brand power, accessibility, other complimentary uses in that district (usually hotels, office, entertainment...not all of which is usually associated with suburban malls), rents can be an indicator, selection, department stores offered, sales PSF (which are tied to rents actually), etc etc.
With that in mind, Buckhead as a district would rank quite highly, and I would say without a doubt beats any other non-CBD/suburban thing going on in all categories except for sales and rents (exceeded by Costa Mesa, Golden Triangle/Beverly Hills, and Miami Beach).
Well then someone should've named this thread upscale shopping malls or centers.
Dallas has good shopping but they're all suburban shopping malls.
A shopping district is not a mall, it is an urban street lined with retail.
Every city has upscale shopping malls, not every one has a true shopping district.
I would agree. There is something special about shopping Michigan Avenue vs the galleria type malls that are popular.
Now days every city seems to have the same retailers. It's no longer a big deal to see Macys, Nordstroms, and other national retailers in a mall near midrises.
It's not everyday you can combine the urban experience into a strong retail district. How many cities offer a live work and play type neighborhood that is anchored by Bloomingdales and Neiman Marcus. Or a middle income neighborhood anchored by Target or Burlington? I think that is what this thread is about.
^^That's one mall, which is simply not comparable to Buckhead. I literally *dislike* Atlanta and I don't even like Buckhead for a whole host of reasons, but I am traveled enough to know that Buckhead is NOT like your average upscale mall. It could be its own city; it's just that much more dynamic, large, and shall I say compact in terms of geographical area? There are 2 heavy rail lines with 2 stops in Buckhead.
Who cares? Buckhead consists of malls. It isn't a downtown district. And that Detroit example is two nearby malls, not one, same as Buckhead.
Maybe it's "better" than other malls and suburban areas (though I disagree, Paramus, Costa Mesa and Tysons have bigger and more desirable malls), but it's still a suburban mall area. You can't compare it to a downtown district. Obviously Atlanta already has a downtown, and that would be comparable to other downtowns, without resorting to comparing a suburb to a downtown.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jsimms3
^^
Also, in Dallas, as I know from experience, Highland Park Village is not a mall, but rather a historic neighborhood commercial village that is quite beautiful, long time owned by a family there, and it has really really high end shopping that BLOWS anything that suburban Detroit, Boston, Philly, Jersey, etc have out of the water.
This is all untrue. I have been to Highland Park Village, and it's a suburban strip mall. Now granted, it's a very beautiful suburban strip mall, but it is NOT a downtown, walkable shopping area.
And it's no different than other really nice suburban strip malls. Ever been to the Americana, on Long Island? That makes Highland Park Village look like a truck stop. The Americana has some of the biggest flagship luxury stores in the U.S., and is often the #3 location in terms of North American revenues for the "big boys" (Gucci, Armani and the like) after Manhattan and Beverly Hills.
Yet, still, the Americana is a suburban mall. A very, very nice suburban mall, with world class art/sculpture and landscaping, and a "village" environment, but it's still a mall.
^^That's one mall, which is simply not comparable to Buckhead. I literally *dislike* Atlanta and I don't even like Buckhead for a whole host of reasons, but I am traveled enough to know that Buckhead is NOT like your average upscale mall. It could be its own city; it's just that much more dynamic, large, and shall I say compact in terms of geographical area? There are 2 heavy rail lines with 2 stops in Buckhead.
Also, in Dallas, as I know from experience, Highland Park Village is not a mall, but rather a historic neighborhood commercial village that is quite beautiful, long time owned by a family there, and it has really really high end shopping that BLOWS anything that suburban Detroit, Boston, Philly, Jersey, etc have out of the water. It's too small in square footage to compete with other major districts being discussed, including Buckhead.
That is not true. Like other posters have said every major city has its upscale malls and shopping centers. Highland Park Village by no means blows King of Prussia Mall, Copley Place, or Mall at Short Hills out of the water when it comes to upscale retail.
I am not disagreeing that Buckhead, Highland Park, etc are upscale, but they are not the same as a downtown shopping district that you would find in Manhattan, Chicago, Boston, etc.
Ok, I'll drop my defense of Atlanta (which is super rare on this site), but I live in SF. No need to preach what an urban upscale shopping district is. Lol
However, as now confirmed, the OP never specified urban vs suburban and there are no set rules for defining what is most upscale since many parameters are subjective.
Maybe another thread should be created comparing established older strips like Highland Park and Americana at Manhasset to other streetcar district shopping areas such as Highland Park, IL, or Troy, MI, Coral Gables, or various areas here in the Bay Area (I can list out several). "Most upscale" would be a disservice to comparing, though, and while on that topic, Americana at Manhasset has higher sales PSF than Highland Park Village in Dallas, however, in my personal opinion the selection at Highland Park Village is more exclusive.
Then maybe another thread should be created comparing areas such as Buckhead to Southfield, Bellevue, Tysons Corner, Costa Mesa, Cherry Creek, Uptown/River Oaks, etc etc. I wouldn't put King of Prussia in that category since it is literally just a mall (well two connected).
If we're only talking about truly urban shopping districts here (which was not the OP's question), then in my opinion LA wouldn't compete. Golden Triangle is not that urban. It's like a cross between Buckhead and Union Square. There is still parking in front of much of the retail, garages, a nearby mall, suburban office, etc etc. In fact, especially when you look at the area all the way over to Robertson, Melrose over to Beverly Center, the area is more similar to Buckhead than to any urban shopping district.
And why only mention NYC, SF, Chicago, Boston, Philly, and Seattle? Charleston, SC has great urban shopping (there even used to be a Saks downtown). Why compare subjectively "most upscale"? Why not go for the whole experience? User friendliness? Convenience and access? History? Size? etc etc
^^That's one mall, which is simply not comparable to Buckhead. I literally *dislike* Atlanta and I don't even like Buckhead for a whole host of reasons, but I am traveled enough to know that Buckhead is NOT like your average upscale mall. It could be its own city; it's just that much more dynamic, large, and shall I say compact in terms of geographical area? There are 2 heavy rail lines with 2 stops in Buckhead.
Also, in Dallas, as I know from experience, Highland Park Village is not a mall, but rather a historic neighborhood commercial village that is quite beautiful, long time owned by a family there, and it has really really high end shopping that BLOWS anything that suburban Detroit, Boston, Philly, Jersey, etc have out of the water. It's too small in square footage to compete with other major districts being discussed, including Buckhead.
Finally, with nearly 3 million SF of upscale shopping before you get to the everyday shopping, all in a square mile, Buckhead is easily one of the biggest shopping destinations in this country, and that's quite well know. It carries a lot of brand power by itself. JW Marriott and Ritz Carlton are practically attached to the malls, and Streets of Buckhead was going to include a Baccarat hotel, but instead "merely" has a St. Regis across the street. "Standard" suburban shopping districts don't have that. That's actually more typical of urban districts, but Atlanta has thrown literally all of its shopping eggs in one basket.
Other things going on in Streets of Buckhead are Shakeshack and Georgetown Cupcake. Anyone from NYC or DC should now realize we aren't talking standard fare with names like those going in.
I don't know how you rank "districts" aside from looking at subjective brand power, accessibility, other complimentary uses in that district (usually hotels, office, entertainment...not all of which is usually associated with suburban malls), rents can be an indicator, selection, department stores offered, sales PSF (which are tied to rents actually), etc etc.
With that in mind, Buckhead as a district would rank quite highly, and I would say without a doubt beats any other non-CBD/suburban thing going on in all categories except for sales and rents (exceeded by Costa Mesa, Golden Triangle/Beverly Hills, and Miami Beach).
That may be a bit much to say it BLOWS anything out of the water. There are a couple of higher end shopping areas in the suburbs of Boston. You look at the Natick Collection (in Natick, MA) and you see a mall that has stores like Nieman and Marcus, Burberry, Salvatore Ferragamo, Stuart Weitzman, Bottega Veneta, Gucci, Louis Vitton, Michael Kors, Tiffany and Tesla Motors for example.
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