Cincinnati Shopping

Yuppietown shopping in a large shopping complex with a wide range of upscale & not-so-upscale shops & salons such Ann Taylor, Anthropologie, Birkenstock, Claire's Boutique (fun for tweens & teens), Coldwater Creek (one of my long-time faves), Eddie Bauer, Mitchell's Salon & Day Spa, New York & Co, Pump Salon (fabulous but expensive hair styling), Sur la Table (a great cooking specialty shop), and many others.

You'll also find a wide variety of restaurants like P.F. Chang's (my favorite), J. Alexander's (nice steak place), First Watch (breakfast) & even a great ice cream shop, Maggie Moo's!

For healthy grocery shopping try Wild Oats a health food & organic store. All kinds of diets will be satisfied here from vegetarian to vegan to macrobiotic to organic (they even sell organic meats)!

What to buy: Anything & everything you desire just about!

What to pay: Wide range of prices.

Located next door to Freida's Bakery is the cutest little store selling really cute girly stuff called The Pink Box! What caught our eye was the pink theme (Meagan is a huge fan of the color) and the raw silk ruched tank top fluttering in the wind outside as an enticement to passersby (worked on us!).

They specialize in local artisan work and the owner makes things herself. Beautiful stuff. Reminds me of my favorite little shop in Paris, Passion d'Avril. AND last year they were voted as having Best Earrings in Cincinnati Magazine!!

Great place to buy gifts. Oh, and they gift wrap just like in Paris in these pretty signature pink bags & boxes.

What to buy: Bought Megs a large fuschia leather handbag with a big rosette on the front and a rosette necklace thingy, bought myself a pashmina, some velvet headbands and a silver Celtic bracelet.

What to pay: Prices range from $14-$200+

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Where punks come to shop!

Scentiments was once across the street from Bogart's (a great cool small rock venue) on Old Vine St in Corryville but they've since moved to the newest cool area of Cincinnati - Northside!

Cool punk accessories can be found here complete with Clarks boots (they no longer stock Doc Maartens because the proprietor feels they no longer craft a fine product), music tees (some of my favorite Cure t-shirts have been bought here), rock posters & bumper stickers (ah me! my fave Pixies sticker was bought here as well. along with Jane's Addiction, the Dead Kennedys, The Smiths, etc, etc.)

And where else would you go to buy your orange Manic Panic hair dye?

What to buy: Vintage clothing
Rock Posters
Rock t-shirts
Rock bumper stickers
Funky high heels
Clarks boots

What to pay: Wide range o' prices

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At loooong last, Cincinnati has a Lush store! Previously, I had to fill my Lush jones with prods from Chicago or Paris or have a friend pick me up some from London (where they originate). If you've never heard of them they specialize in "fresh, handmade cosmetics" which are eco-friendly and all products have been tested on humans instead of animals (cruelty-free bath & beauty products, baby!).

You could say they're much like the Body Shop (also London), with their products such as soaps, shampoo, conditioner, facial/skincare products & shower gel but I love the scents of Lush much, MUCH more! I believe they also pioneered the bath bombs (those are quite literrally "da bomb!" - you drop them into the water, they fizz and release a wonderful scent while you bathe).

One of my absolute favorites is their solid shampoo called Godiva, which possesses the most intoxicating jasmine/hibiscus/ylang ylang/gardenia scent - ahhh. The look is a round, yellow bar of soap but works up a lovely lather in one's hair!

What to buy: Godiva solid shampoo (1st photo - bottom left)

Buttercream Bath Bar:
Lemslip - has a fabulous lemon scent that both my kids adore (1st photo - middle left)

Shower Jellies:
The Joy of Jelly - a purple/pink swirly concoction, has the scent of Sex Bomb (jasmine, ylang ylang, tiger lily & rose petal) but perfectly mirrors my fave new perfume Tender Touch by Burberry (green tangerine, violet leaves, rose oil, lychee, peach, musk, iris, sandalwood, and ambrette seed)(1st photo - middle right)

Bubble Bar:
Bathos - hold it under the water for the amount of bubbles you want; save the rest for later; jasmine & violet (1st photo - bottom right)

Bath bombs:
Butterfly Ball - smells like Sex Bomb to me with its wild jasmine & larkspur scent; also perfect with Tender Touch by Burberry! (1st photo - middle)
Waving not Drowning - lavendar & fennel, very relaxing
Tisty Tosty - heart-shaped with rosebuds & rose scent
Sex Bomb - jasmine, ylang ylang & clary sage - mmm
Golden Slumbers - lavendar & neroli - perfect for lulling one to sleep

Please see my Paris Lush tip for photos of the others listed here.
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/tp/1ba11b/

What to pay: $4.85-7.15 for bath bombs, $8.95-9.25 for solid shampoo (cheaper than in Paris!), $15-15.90 for 7 oz of buttercream bars, $11.60-13.00 for 7 oz of shower jellies, %5.65-10.95 for bubble bars.

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At first glance Cincinnati Mills looks a lot like the other half dozen or so malls around Cincinnati. However, upon a closer look one notices that this one has a different twist. Like the others, Cincinnati Mills is big and bright, with sparkling fountains and scores of shops. Unlike the others, it is not anchored on each end with a major department store.

The primary Anchors for Cincinnati Mills just happen to be two of my favorite stores. On the west end is Outdoor World, by Bass Pro Shop. They major in fishing and hunting supplies and I don't hunt and seldom fish. However Outdoor World also has a very good camping department, and being an avid camper I have shopped there often. Also, they carry a good line of sturdy, durable casual clothing and much of my travel wardrobe comes from there.

On the east end of Cincinnati Mills is Biggs - a BIG discount and grocery store on the order of a Super Wal-Mart. You can get most anything there, and at a better price than most other places.

In between are dozens and dozens of smaller shops. There are a few of the trendy name-brand outlets you might see in other malls, however this mall also has more independent one-of-a-kind shops than you'll normally find in a mall. Maybe the rent is cheaper here.

Cincinnati Mills also has a children's amusement area, complete with roller coaster and other rides. You can also play indoor miniature golf, take ballroom dancing lessons, watch a movie, or do other interesting things here.

Sometimes when the weather is too cold, too hot, or too wet, I do my daily walking indoors, and for that this is the best mall in Cincinnati. It is huge, on two levels, and usually not crowded.

If you're in Northern Kentucky and don't want to cross the river, Crestview Hills offers the best mall-style shopping in the area. Anchored by Dillard’s department store, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Borders Books, this "lifestyle center" includes more than 60 popular shops and restaurants.

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At long last, Cincinnati has a Trader Joe's! I'd heard great things about this national chain from friends living in or around Boston and I was very eager to shop there (in fact I was quite jealous!). Now it is one of my favorite places to shop for food & drink items because they have many French things there: baguettes, pains au chocolat, French lemonade, Orangina, haricots vert plus wonderfully fresh produce. Also, certain items are very inexpensive here and the quality of the food is amazing. Below is my shopping list of things I buy pretty much every time I visit.

I always shop with my friend, Sandye. We decide it's time for a Trader Joe's run, make our lists and go. It's always an adventure.

One of my best buys was a pretty tin of chocolate truffles they sell during the Christmas holiday. I believe the price was around $6 for 56 pieces - an incredible steal!

Probably the item they're MOST famous for is their "Two Buck Chuck", a series of wines from the Californian vineyard, Charles Shaw. The reason for it's moniker is because in most other states one may purchase their Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc & Chabli for a mere $2. However, due to the weird alcohol laws in Cincinnati one pays a bit more - $3.39, which is still an excellent value.

Hours of Operation: 9am-9pm daily

What to buy: Charles Shaw wines (2-buck chuck) - $3.39
Pains au Chocolat - $2.99
French baguette - $1.89
Sea Salt - $1.29
Water Crackers - $1.19
Haricots Vert - $1.99
crabcakes - $2.99
Lemon dill sauce (for the crabcakes)
Frozen raspberries - $1.89
Fresh raspberries (HUGE!) - $2.99
Frozen asparagus spears - $1.99
Niçoise olives - $2.99
Capers - $2.49
French lemonade
Orangina - $1.79/1-ltr.
Tortilla chips - $1.69
Black bean & corn salsa (Mr. Connolly's favorite!) - $1.99
Fire-Roasted Chili salsa - $1.99
Chicken enchiladas w/green chile sauce (frozen) - $4.29
Artichoke & Cheese Ravioli (frozen) - $2.99
Artichoke Marinara - $2.99
Belgian Truffle Brownies mix (new fave) - $2.39
Roasted red pepper soup
Basmati rice (brown or white) - $1.99
Red potatoes (petite) - $$1.89
Jasmine Green Tea - $1.99
Bay Blend Coffee - $4.49
Waffles (multigrain or blueberry) - $1.89/box
Mac & Cheese (microwavable - for kidlets) - $2.29
French milled soaps
Flowers

Photos: Spring 2005

What to pay: Some items can be very expensive but the items listed above are very inexpensive which is why I buy them here.

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Met Adrian Belew, King Crimson guitarist - considered to be one of the best guitarists alive, here a few Christmases ago! Y'know, Adrian Belew who produced a bunch of David Bowie and Talking Heads records!! He & his band, The Bears, were there to promote their newest CD, Car Caught Fire. I have that CD autographed by all the band members (including Cincinnati local, Rob Fetters, of Psychodots) & I refuse to let anyone touch it! I guess you could call me a fan(atic) of music??

I'm not into corporate music structures which is why I love Everybody's Records, they're small, independent & locally owned. Besides, they have the best selection around (best sellers, eclectic pieces of music, rarities) PLUS you get to occasionally see live music or you can join in one of their auctions for charity (which is what happened that few Christmases ago).

If you're lucky, maybe one day you'll run into the FUNKMASTER (Bootsy Collins, baby, that's right! ~ KEEP THE FUNK ALIVE!!) who lives in this immediate area! Awesome!

Hours of Operation:
Monday - Saturday 11:00am to 9:00pm
Sunday 12:00pm to 6:00pm

E-mail:
everybodysrecords@hotmail.com

What to buy: Buy whatever catches your fancy - they have every type of music imaginable:
jazz, funk, blues, rock, alternative, classical, bluegrass, country, world music, rap, hip hop, house/techno!

What to pay: However much you're willing to spend on music but at least $10.