Scottsdale Fashion Square

While other cities pursue wealth and status by investing in education, health care, or scientific research and experimental development, Scottsdale focuses its energies on what it is best at: drawing in upscale tourists and shoppers. To this end, Scottsdale has constructed the largest shopping mall in the American Southwest. With more than 2 million square feet of retail space, Scottsdale Fashion Square is the city's biggest moneymaker. Chances are if you find yourself living in Scottsdale (or anywhere in Arizona, for that matter) you'll end up doing most of your shopping here. Read on for more on what to expect from Scottsdale Fashion Square.

You can find the mall on the corner of Camelback Road and Scottsdale Road in the heart of Scottsdale. The actual mall is owned by the Westcor Company, a subsidiary of Macerich, which is based in Santa Monica. This is one company that won't need any of the many bankruptcy attorneys Southern California has to offer in the near future. The mall makes about $740 in sales per square foot. The mall is surrounded by other retail districts such as the Scottsdale Waterfront and Southbridge.

Scottsdale Fashion Square has more than 230 shops and services focusing less on hardware stores where you can buy replacement fabricated strainers for your sink and more on upscale boutiques that carry clothing lines from top designers. High-end stores like Armani Exchange, Banana Republic, Hugo Boss, Brooks Brothers, Bulgari, Burberry, Cartier, Fossil, Godiva, Guess, Gucci, Kenneth Cole, Lacoste, Louis Vuitton, Swarovski, and Tiffany's cater to the jet-set second-homeowners that populate Scottsdale's most exclusive neighborhoods.

The mall also has plenty of stores for the rest of us, though it never quite dips down to the level of allowing a tenant like a pawnshop that deals in scrap gold rings. Stores like Victoria's Secret, the Body Shop, Pottery Barn, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Macy's, Hot Topic, Hollister, the Gap, Foot Locker, the Electronics Boutique, the Disney Store, Dillard's, Barney's and American Eagle are staples of malls all over North America and feature clothing and household items affordable to the middle and upper-middle classes, who make up the majority of Scottsdale's permanent population. These stores are also the ones that draw in other Arizona residents on shopping trips.

It's not just shopping that the mall offers, however. There's also a large food court with the usual offerings like Subway, Panda Express and Sbarro suitable for a quick bite mid-shop and specialty services like internet marketing, Toronto stock exchange news, and spa treatments. You can also have a sit down meal at one of the three specialty restaurants, pick up a Starbucks coffee or have a treat at the Sweet Factory or one of the chocolate stores. There's also a 7 cinema movie theater. For kids, there's a children's play area and a Build-a-Bear workshop.

The Scottsdale Fashion Square features a special cell-phone based service where shoppers can call a concierge to assist them with their shopping and a trolley that makes regular runs between the mall and the major resorts.