Shopping

Shopping opportunities abound in Greater Cincinnati. Five department store chains—Dillard’s, Macy’s, JCPenney, Sears, and Kohl’s—permeate the region, plus there’s a dizzying variety of discount retailers and everything in between. The northern Interstate 275 corridor alone is a fertile crescent for the shop-’til-you-drop crowd. Here, within about a 15-mile area, are Cincinnati’s biggest suburban shopping malls, with more than 5 million square feet of retail space combined and almost 600 stores. Each mall has plenty of satellite retailers as well, making this one of the most densely shopped areas you’ll find anywhere.

Lost in the hubbub of suburban mall development is the fact that downtown Cincinnati is in the midst of a retail renaissance. Witness the first opening of a department store downtown in half a century—Macy’s huge complex at Fountain Square West. Witness the opening of a ritzy Tiffany & Co. Jewelers in the new complex that also features Brooks Brothers. Witness the renovated Saks Fifth Avenue and the Tower Place mall, which boasts the likes of Waldenbooks, Victoria’s Secret, and more. Downtown now has an estimated 1.7 million square feet of retail space with more than 400 shops—an embarrassment of riches.

Outside of downtown, trendy malls and shopping complexes are popping up everywhere, most notably Rookwood Commons, Rookwood Pavilion, and Newport on the Levee.

In this chapter you’ll find information about area malls, outlet stores, farm markets, and flea markets, along with our favorite (among Greater Cincinnati’s many) specialty food stores and wineries, bookstores, and gift shops.

Try not to blame us too much if one of these stores is gone by the time you get there. We’ve tried to mention only establishments with staying power, but even bright stars wink out in the fast-changing retail market.

Shopping - The Arts

Cincinnati has some of the oldest and most respected cultural institutions in the country, of which we boast with a great deal of pride. The symphony and pops are world renowned. The theater community is prominent enough to once have drawn Edward Albee to town to direct. Broadway shows regularly stop here. The ballet, May Festival Chorus, and Cincinnati Boychoir are recognized nationally. And dozens of community theaters and art galleries offer local artists a chance to demonstrate their talents.

For newcomers, trying to take it all in can be a bit overwhelming. We have a suggestion, though. The best way to get a taste of Greater Cincinnati’s arts offerings is during the Fine Arts Funds Sampler weekend in mid-February. It is the biggest and perhaps the most fun arts showcase of the year. More than 70 visual and performing arts events are held for free as part of the kickoff for the annual Fine Arts Fund fund-raising campaign that benefits the city’s major cultural institutions. The events are held at 35 locations throughout the area, so it’s impossible to take them all in, but going through the full listings of the events that run in the daily and arts papers and carefully planning out your weekend is all part of the fun.

The rest of the year, you can become familiar with the arts scene through functions such as Final Friday, a tour and social event that takes place in the abundance of art studios in Over-the-Rhine. It is held the last Friday of the month.

If you have artistic talent, you can further your education through the University of Cincinnati College–Conservatory of Music (CCM) or the School for the Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA). CCM offers more than just music, despite its name. And the SCPA, which stages legendary theatrical productions, offers educational and practical experience for schoolchildren in grades 4 through 12 who are interested in vocal and choral music, graphic and visual arts, dance, and creative writing. Students from SCPA perform regularly with the ballet and pops. SCPA was created in 1973 as an alternative school for the artistically inclined and is called Cincinnati’s most important institution by pops conductor Erich Kunzel. It has grown in both size and stature in those three-plus decades, with student performances making national tours and graduates heading off to Broadway. Some of the school’s most famous graduates include members of the pop group 98 Degrees: Drew Lachey, Nick Lachey, and Justin Jeffre.

The most important name to know in Cincinnati arts is that of the Corbett family. Ralph and Patricia Corbett’s establishment of the Corbett Foundation has resulted in contributions of more than $50 million toward maintaining and improving the arts in Greater Cincinnati.