Shopping Districts

Jewelry District

The four-block downtown area known as the Jewelry District is one of the largest jewelry districts in the United States, there are hundreds of retailers and wholesalers jammed into the area, and there are international distributors here that provide much of the stock for jewelry stores throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.

The historic Seybold Building (36 NE 1st St., 305/374-7922) is a 10-story jewelry haven with nearly 300 jewelers on-site. Next door the three-story International Jewelry Center (22 NE 1st St., 305/373-9898) is smaller but still grand in scale, with jewelers and precious-metal merchants tucked into the cavernous but luxurious building.

There are still scores of interesting shops beyond the walls of these massive buildings, including Jewelry District legend Morays (50 NE 2nd Ave., 305/374-0739) and the blingy flair on offer at Haimov Jewelers (33 NE 1st St., 305/381-8901).

Lincoln Road

Only in South Beach would one have to traverse a velvet rope and then be deemed worthy of entrance into a clothing shop, but such is the case at En Avance (734 Lincoln Rd., 305/534-0337), a high-end boutique preferred by celebrities and those with the taste (and wallet) for clothes by Rebecca Taylor, Tse, and others.

There are several such exclusive shops along Lincoln Road—like Rosa Cha (830 Lincoln Rd., 305/673-3665), where one can shell out several hundred dollars for a few well-crafted millimeters of bikini—but others, like the cute and trendy apparel at Ete (530 Lincoln Rd., 305/672-3265), offer accessible options as well.

Miracle Mile

The founding concept behind the Miracle Mile was to allow Coral Gables shoppers to be able to get their hands on anything they could possibly need within just a few blocks. While the current incarnation of the Mile caters to a more selective audience, the pedestrian-friendly neighborhood has scores of unique shops where you can get everything from a tuxedo at Ace Tuxedos (252 Miracle Mile, 305/446-5402) to a trim at the Paris-Claire Salon (345 Miracle Mile, 305/448-5514).

Other shops sell everything from jewelry (Klein Jewelers, 212 Andalusia Ave., 305/444-0042) and clothing (Hip-E, 359 Miracle Mile, 305/445-3693) to home decor (Grand Oriental Rug Gallery, 383 Aragon Ave., 305/442-4502) and more.

Malls

CocoWalk

There are only a few dozen shops in CocoWalk (3015 Grand Ave., Coconut Grove), but the open-air mall has somehow managed to make itself a minor tourist destination. While one may puzzle over just how unusual it is to find a Gap, Victoria’s Secret, or Cheesecake Factory, shoppers seem to enjoy the midrange shops, and to be fair, there are a few interesting local boutiques, like Azul (305/443-7268), which sells designer fashions, as well as dining opportunities.

Bal Harbour Shops

For a truly exclusive mall-going experience, Bal Harbour Shops (9700 Collins Ave., Bal Harbour) is the place to go. From the moment you pay to park—yes, paid parking at a mall—and then step into the lushly landscaped open-air property, it’s clear why this mall is considered one of the most luxurious contained shopping experiences in the South. Anchored by Saks and Neiman Marcus, and hosting outposts for Tiffany, Jimmy Choo, Armani, Bulgari, Chanel, Vera Wang, Prada, Versace, and even more top-name designers, Bal Harbour is definitely not for the bargain hunter.

© Jason Ferguson from Moon Florida, 1st Edition