The
Oaks Mall, the largest retail outlet in the area, located
at Newberry Road and Interstate 75 serves as a hub
for traditional shopping not only for Gainesville and
Alachua County but for all of North Central Florida
as well. Anchored by Macy's, Sears, JC Penney, Dillards,
and Belk, the Oaks Mall features about 160 specialty
stores and restaurants, including a food court.
Within walking distance of
the Oaks Mall, are the Oaks Mall Plaza and several
other retail centers, all benefiting from their proximity.
But also within a few miles there are a number of other
attractive retail centers.
The largest of these centers
is Butler
Plaza, known as the Miracle Mile on Archer
Road between Interstate 75 and SW 34th Street. Clark
Butler, and his daughter Deborah, have created a retail
complex of more than one million square feet and more
than 75 stores. Divided into three sections, east,
central and west, Butler Plaza shopping includes Target,
Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Office Depot, dozens of other stores
and more restaurants in a one-mile stretch than anywhere
else in Gainesville. Plans are in the developmental
stages for Butler Plaza North, which would add more
than 70,000-square-feet of mixed-use development.
Some of the smaller centers
include Thornebrook Village, the Millhopper Shopping
Center, Newberry Crossing, Newberry Square, the Tower
Center, all in the northwest area, the Gainesville
Shopping Center just north of downtown, Westgate and
the Creekside Mall, both of which are just west of
UF, and Union
Street Station, which, along with the
Sun Center, provides much of the retail vitality in
the downtown area.
Of course there are a number of retail shops near University Avenue and NW 13th Street, most of them catering to the needs of University of Florida students. For Gator merchandise, you can visit the shops along University Ave. for hats, shirts, car tags and other Gator memorabilia. Also a few miles north on 13th Street there is another Wal-Mart, a Sam’s Club and a number of other retail outlets.
Together there are more than
50 shopping centers in the Gainesville area offering
the full gamut of retail possibilities.
The
Oaks Mall, the largest retail outlet in the area, located
at Newberry Road and Interstate 75 serves as a hub
for traditional shopping not only for Gainesville and
Alachua County but for all of North Central Florida
as well. Anchored by Macy's, Sears, JC Penney, Dillards,
and Belk, the Oaks Mall features about 160 specialty
stores and restaurants, including a food court.