Shopping in the Valley, Los Angeles
For many LA shopping experts, “Shopping in Los Angeles” might as well mean “Shopping in the Valley.” The Valley is, after all, the unofficial home of the LA mall. And let’s face it: few other shopping areas boast megalopolises that can top the new 120,000-square-foot Neiman Marcus store at Westfield Topanga.
As part of a $500 million renovation of the mall, Neiman Marcus defines the best of luxury shopping in LA and is just one addition to the Westfield’s new collection of high-end shops (Cartier, Kate Spade, Salvatore Ferragamo, Tiffany & Co. and Typhoon, to name a few). Drooling yet? We completely understand.
But shopping in the San Fernando Valley doesn’t stop there. Westfield is also investing $700 million to create The Village, a 31-acre site of outdoor shopping, dining, living, working, entertainment and community. The Village will connect Westfield Topanga to the north and Westfield Promenade to the south. With more than 500,000 square feet of new retail shops, 75,000 square feet of new restaurants and cafés, boutique office space, two office towers and a 300-room hotel, The Village is on track to become the largest mall in Southern California.
Across the Valley in Glendale, the $400 million shopping center Americana at Brand recently opened with 75 shops and fashionable boutiques including specialty restaurants and cafes, a state-of-the-art theater, and a variety of nationally known and one-of-a-kind retailers. Nearby, the Glendale Galleria offers even more options with such stores as Abercrombie & Fitch, Banana Republic and The Gap.
Burbank Town Center in neighboring Burbank has three interior levels of shopping including Macy’s, Mervyn’s, Sears, Sport Chalet and Bed Bath & Beyond. Located around the exterior of the Center are other large brand stores such as IKEA, Barnes & Noble, Loehmann’s and more.
Then there’s always the local favorite, the Sherman Oaks Galleria. During the 1980s, this was the retail center of pop culture. It has recently been transformed into a unique and exciting destination for dining, entertainment, trendy shopping and lifestyle services. Just a few blocks away, Westfield Fashion Square in Sherman Oaks offers 120 specialty shops and boutiques such as Bloomingdales, The Body Shop and J.Crew.
In Universal City, Universal CityWalk Hollywood offers its visitors a unique shopping experience with chic restaurants and stores that all have CityWalk’s signature appeal. Billabong, Kelly Slater’s Quiksilver Boardrider’s Club, Fossil and others anchor the shopping scene in a fun, outdoor atmosphere consisting of games and thrills such as iFly Hollywood, a new indoor skydiving experience.
But just in case you’re thinking the Valley is just about malls, the shops in North Hollywood — NoHo for short — and all along Ventura Boulevard add variety to the Valley’s shopping scene. A quick stroll through these areas, which are dotted with art galleries, home-spun bookstores and boutique shops, is enough to convince you: the Valley isn’t just about shopping, it’s about originality.
Variety, luxury, style…that’s shopping in the Valley.
