Shopping Santa Fe, New Mexico

Santa Fe is a mecca for shoppers. Whether you are decorating your home in Southwest decor or are looking for that special piece of Indian jewelry, Santa Fe will have what you are looking for. We provide you with suggestions for a great Santa Fe shopping experience. Some of our selections are internationally known and others are will totally surprise you. Let's get ready to shop 'til we drop in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Native American Jewelry and Art

Ortega's on the Plaza

If you want to go to a place that has hand-selected the best jewelry from the best Native American artisans try Ortega's on the Plaza. Located right on the corner of W. San Francisco and Lincoln, Ortega's is a good place to go if you want to ensure that your purchase is authentic and that you have the choice of the most noteworthy and creative artisans. You'll find amazing jewelry, masks, pottery and rugs. Of course you will pay dearly for all this hand-selection of pieces, but if money is not an issue, I'd recommend heading for Ortega's.

Rainbow Man

Rainbow Man, on 107 E. Palace, has a unique collection of Edward S. Curtis photography. These historic prints are worth a stop. The shop has long been a trusted source for Native American and Hispanic art and gifts.

Andrea Fisher Fine Pottery

If you want to see beautifully displayed high end Pueblo pottery, head for the Fisher Gallery just off the Plaza at 100 San Francisco. Andrea Fisher's has fantastic examples of well-known potter's art and the staff are extremely knowledgeable.

Palace of the Governor's Portal

If Ortega's is a bit too pricy for your taste, head for the vendors under the shady portal at the Palace of the Governors on W. Palace Avenue, also on the Plaza. The vendors are screened, their jewelry and crafts are made by the artisans and the prices are considered average. The 900+ vendors represent forty-one tribes, pueblos, chapters and villages in New Mexico, the Navajo Nation, and parts of Arizona.

Art Galleries

Of course the first thing to know about art in Santa Fe is that Canyon Road and the Plaza area are the most frequented. You'll keep busy enjoying a wide variety of art in both areas of Santa Fe.

Ford Smith Gallery

If you want something bright and creative, head for the Ford Smith Gallery at 135 W Palace Ave # 101. Aside from the massive oils, there are reasonably priced Giclee' prints. The artist and his wife are often on-site and their openings draw an interesting crowd.

Delgado Street Galleries

Just off Canyon Road is Delgado Street, home to some very interesting galleries tucked away in vintage adobes. We discovered Delgado Street during a 4th Friday evening art walk. The art was varied and the music and complementary finger foods kept us there until closing time.

Of particular note is the Galerie Esteban. If you enjoy modern/classic Spanish guitar, Esteban is probably known to you. You can purchase his CDs and DVDs at the gallery and peruse a great selection of local art. If you are enthralled with the little adobe gallery, look out back at the patio and garden. You can actually arrange to have your wedding there!

Great Finds for Bargain Hunters in Santa Fe

Tesuque Flea Market

On weekends head out to the Tesuque Pueblo just north of Santa Fe for the weekend flea market. Now this is no ordinary flea market. You will find top notch jewelry artisans, Mexican folk art, African folk art and much more. Many of the vendors are permanent and have built up a following. If you are a beader, there are some fascinating beads you can purchase in bulk. They will bargain at the market. Refreshments are available. .

Jackalope for Fun!

Out Cerrillos Road look for the big Jackalope store. You can find imports from Mexico like brightly painted Oaxacan animals, inexpensive woven rugs, glassware, pottery for your yard and much more. You won't find the rumored Jackalope, however.

Festivals Shoppers Will Love

Santa Fe Indian Market

Each year the Santa Fe Indian Market includes 1,200 artists from about 100 tribes who show their work in over 600 booths. The event attracts an estimated 100,000 visitors to Santa Fe from all over the world. Buyers, collectors and gallery owners come to Indian Market to take advantage of the opportunity to buy directly from the artists. For many visitors, this is a rare opportunity to meet the artists and learn about contemporary Indian arts and cultures. Quality is the hallmark of the Santa Fe Indian Market. You will find jewelry, pottery, art and furniture. Held annually in August.
Santa Fe Spanish Market

Santa Fe's Spanish Market, held annually in July, celebrates the colorful Hispanic culture of Northern New Mexico. The tradiitonal Spanish Market features handcrafted arts by 250 local Hispanic artists, music and regional foods. The same weekend, you can also visit the contemporary Spanish Market. Its a great place to buy tinwork, religious folk art and carvings.

Shopping in Toronto, Canada

Eaton Centre

Stretching two full city blocks, The Toronto Eaton Centre is a historical landmark, and today one of Canada’s best-known retail shopping destinations, attracting millions of visitors annually. The multi-storey glass-ceiling structure originated from one man’s dream to revolutionize the Canadian retail industry.


Timothy Eaton was born and raised in Northern Ireland, but immigrated to Canada in 1854. He later ended up in Toronto, where he opened his first store in 1869. His four-storey flagship department store, at the corner of Queen and Yonge Streets, would be built in 1883.

In the 1960s, Eaton’s partnered with Fairview and TD Bank, to create what would become known as the Eaton Centre. Eaton’s department store moved to the corner of Yonge and Dundas, right next to their competitor, Simpsons, which was located at the corner of Yonge and Queen. Today, these stores have both been replaced by Sears (Eaton’s) and The Bay (Simpsons). Although the completed centre did not turn out to be a perfect rectangle, as planned, it has undoubtedly become a unique and interesting downtown landscape. Zigzagging around historical sites, such as Old City Hall, and Holy Trinity Church, the Eaton Centre has indeed woven itself into the urban fabric.

The Toronto Eaton Centre opened in two stages. On February 10, 1977 the northern section was built and on August 8, 1979, the southern section was completed. Two more phases would be added and opened in June 1990 and Summer/Fall 1999.

Modeled after Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, the centre’s architect, Eb Zeilder, created the retail portion of the complex to feature a four-level shopping centre with a glass-domed ceiling running the length of the centre. Hanging from the ceiling, one finds a mobile of a flock of Canadian geese, Flight Stop, designed by artist Michael Snow.

Connected to the apexes of the centre are three office towers, which loom at an estimated 300 feet each, and accommodate over 60 organizations each. The Toronto Eaton Centre is also home to more than 285 retailers. Although the Eaton’s chain filed for bankruptcy in 1999 and all assets were acquired by Sears Canada Inc, the centre has retained its name. It enjoys the reputation as one of Toronto’s most popular tourist attractions, with about 25% of the Eaton Centre’s visitors being tourists.



In recent years, urban developers have redesigned the mall's Yonge Street façade (1999) and heavy redevelopment, commonly referred to as the “Dundas Expansion,” occurred throughout 2004, attracting new anchors, such as H&M’s Toronto flagship store.

As in the case of decades forth, many fond memories will continue to be associated with the name Eaton. Today, the Toronto Eaton Centre remains the focal point of downtown Toronto. It is a city landmark unlike any other, where people from all walks of life can gather under one roof with no prejudices. Rudolph Adlaf, Cadillac Fairview’s Senior Vice President for Architecture and Design, once said “The Eaton Centre is classic in its simplicity.” And a classic it will remain.

Rome, Italy

Shopping in Rome

This short compendium of Roman shopping is for all shopping lovers. A compendium for all tastes, from high fashion chic to the cheap items on the market stalls, and with a mention of the new frontier of shopping, halfway between chic and cheap: outlets. Remember that if you want to go shopping in Rome, you will need a bit of time time, so book a few nights extra in the hotel in Rome that you are staying in.

Roman labels: from Sorelle Fontana to Gai Mattiolo
Many famous names in Made in Italy fashion from Rome and elsewhere started their careers in this city, often opening an atelier that soon began to attract the curiosity of aristocrats, politicians and film stars who then made them famous.

Sorelle Fontana – a historical label that dressed the Roman upper middle classes in the post-war period until the Dolce Vita era and then went on to the United States and Hollywood, designing and making film costumes for international stars.
Capucci - Capucci opened his first atelier in Paris and then finally opened one in Rome in Via Gregoriana. One of the few “independent” designers: Capucci detached himself from the traditional fashion circuits and personally organized the presentations of his collections almost as if they were art exhibitions. In 1995 he exhibited his designs at the Biennale in Venice.

Fernanda Gattinoni – She opened her Rome atelier in 1945 near Via Veneto. Her clothes were worn by famous people such as Anna Magnani, Evita Peron, Ingrid Bergman and Audrey Hepburn.

Lancetti – Roman by adoption, he opened his first atelier in Via Margutta, the famous street of artists. This was almost an omen of his fame as a designer-painter that he later obtained.

Valentino - Valentino opened his first atelier in Rome in Via Condotti, and hit success after a fashion show at Pitti Immagine in Florence. He is one of the cinema world’s famous designers: stars such as Liz Taylor, Joan Collins, Julia Roberts and Claudia Cardinale wear his creations at gala evenings such as the Night of the Oscars.

Laura Biagiotti – Renamed the “Queen of Cashmere", Laura Biagiotti is famous for her fine cashmere knitwear and for her frequent use of the color white in her creations.

Fendi - This maison was set up in 1925 in Rome as a fur coat and leather goods shop. Later, the five Fendi sisters created the label that is famous worldwide.

Brioni – Male tailored elegance. Famous worldwide for the high quality of their clothes and for being 007’s tailor, embodied by the actor Pierce Brosnan.
Battistoni – A historical, male tailors’ atelier in Rome, which was a favorite of the Duke of Windsor.
Gai Mattiolo – Born in 1968 in Roma, he began his career as a fashion designer very early and is now one of the most popular “young” names in fashion.


Famous names outside the city: the outlets
Let’s ignore the single-label outlets that spring up here and there in the province and let’s concentrate on the new McArthurGlen Designer Outlet in Castel Romano: a kind of consumer orgy concentrated in 20,000 square meters. This huge shopping city, 25 km south of Rome, was opened on October 9th 2003.
We will bet that after a day spent here, even the most hardened consumer will feel the need to have a rest from shopping for at least a month!
The Castel Romano outlet center has 95 shops including the famous labels (Etro, D&G, F.lli Rossetti, Moreschi, Mariella Burani, Calvin Klein, La Perla), younger brands (North Sails, Mandarina Duck, Liu-jo, Guess, Diesel, Levi's, Stefanel, Tommy Hilfiger) and manufacturers of various accessories (Lagostina, Bassetti, Samsonite).
Go there, choose, buy and take it for granted that you will have a strange feeling in your stomach for a few days. Don’t worry: whenever you go to places like this, post-consumer guilt is normal!

Markets and flea markets: visiting the stalls looking for a bargain
For the more alternative consumers who snob the artificial lights of shopping malls and those who are attracted by the idea of owning something that is out of the ordinary, we recommend a visit to the Roman flea markets. Get rid of the concept “in a hurry” from your minds for a while and take all the time you want: rummaging among the stalls requires considerable concentration. Your efforts will most definitely be worth it though: from the bottom of the stall, the bargain of a lifetime or a valuable item could crop up, or even just the issue of Tex Willer that you were really fond of but that you lost during your last house move.
Porta Portese that veiled air of illegality that it inherited from its origins still persists: during the Second World War, this was the city’s black market. Today you can find old furniture, clothes, records, books, plants, CDs and a lot more too (Via Portuense and Via Ippolito Nievo, every Sunday).
The Mercato delle Stampe will literally drive fans crazy; magazines, prints and old books (Largo della Fontanella di Borghese, every morning except Sunday).
Finally, if you are looking for vintage clothes or just second-hand clothes, you have to go to the market at Via Sannio (Via Sannio, every morning from Monday to Saturday).

Shopping In Reno Nevada

This great shopping place is light, airy and conveniently located near major casinos and the Reno/Sparks Convention Center. The mall is anchored by Macys and JC Penney, with more than 100 shops and a large selection of eateries. Plenty of parking is available, and the local bus system has a station on the south side of the mall. Whether you want to find a cool haven from the summer heat or need a special gift, this is Reno's best shopping. Hours and credit card acceptance vary per store.