I have been on a blogging vacay for a few days in order to celebrate the holidays with my family. But when I returned to reading emails and news yesterday evening, a pretty good report came across my inbox so I had to share it with readers!
Forbes magazine, in their first ever Best Shopping Cities in the U.S. report named the top U.S. cities to shop. The report was released last week and you might be shocked at the results. New York City, known as the shopping mecca for the U.S. (and the world) didn’t get top prize. Despite having every store that you can think of alongside the most trendiest residents in North America, NYC wasn’t tops on the list. In a list of 25 cities, NYC landed at the #22 position—ouch! Now THAT had to hurt!
Now, to be fair, I have shopped in NYC and I love the boutiques and atmosphere that surround me when I shop there. On my list of places I have personally lived or been to, NYC is tops on my list, but what do I know? Obviously, Forbes believes NYC is overrated as a shopping source.
Peep the list for yourself and see who snags the top spot for shopping:
- Houston, TX
- Dallas, TX
- Baltimore, MD
- Columbus, OH
- Indianapolis, IN
- Philadelphia, PA
- Phoenix, AZ
- San Antonio, TX
- Jacksonville, FL
- San Diego, CA
- Charlotte, NC
- Austin, TX
- Denver, CO
- Detroit, MI
- Chicago, IL
- Los Angeles, CA
- Milwaukee, WI
- Boston, MA
- Nashville, TN
- San Jose, CA
- El Paso, TX
- New York, NY
- Memphis, TN
- Seattle, WA
- San Francisco, CA
My city of St. Louis isn’t even on the list and I totally agree with that (which is why I shop a lot online). Houston snagged the #1 spot for shopping, bargains, and exclusivity. I lived in Houston some 28 years ago so of course I was too young to assess the shopping there and things have changed greatly since then. Kudos to Texas for having the #1 and #2 spot with Dallas behind Houston. I went to Dallas earlier this year during the NBA All Star Game and was loving the stores and shopping haunts we visited. I could easily see Dallas taking over next year as the #1.
A few other cities I’ve lived in are also on the list: #7 Phoenix is a great area to shop (and I silently want to move back there, quiet is kept!). Jacksonville, FL made #9 and I am thinking the shopping has improved there because in the 90’s, it sucked! Memphis, TN came in at #23 and I can say that Memphis does offer good shopping. It’s nice to see them on the list.
Did your city make Forbes’ list of Best Shopping Cities in the U.S.?
Philadelphia made the list, which is the closes city to me and I can’t say that I agree. I mean I like shopping downtime but it’s not better than NY in my mind (which it hurts me to say) and my favorte malls are in King of Prussia and Cherry Hill, New Jersey…but who knows what it’s completely based on
@MissBusiBee- as I stated in the last comment to Brandi, I think it’s a combo of factors—parking, access, etc. I’s not just about the shopping but the logistics of the trip and how easy it is to find what you are looking for.
totally confused by this list NYC is number 22 O_0. I’m a NYC girl & I think our shopping rocks, with all the awesome boutiques all around you cannot fail, Brooklyn is budding with new designers. I’ve been shopping in Philly & I enjoyed it solely because of the look of the neighborhood, I think maybe look/atmosphere is why a lot of cities beat NY.
@Brandi- I think a lot went into the study. Not just the offerings of the city in terms of shopping but also the logistics. Safety, parking, access to stores, malls vs boutiques, etc. Malls will also ways trump going store to store because you will always find everything in one place. And the malls in Texas are BADD, they have everything from small shoppes to large department stores. They run the gamut.
I’m still offended that the NYC is at the bottom of the list, hahahaha.. it’s so true though we are far from a city of convenience or deals for that matter