The Seattle Traveler

Top Ten Seattle Area Shopping Malls

by Mary Jo on October 18th, 2006

Sometimes you just have to shop:

You’ve forgotten something that you need for the conference you’re attending.

You realize that you’ve packed all the wrong things.

You forgot that it rains in Seattle and you didn’t pack anything warm.

You didn’t bring a swimsuit to Seattle in August, and the hotel has a great pool area.

It’s pouring down rain and you need to stay out of it for an hour or two.

For all those reasons, as well as to satisfy those travelers with the shopping gene on their DNA helix, here are the Top Ten shopping malls in the greater Seattle-Tacoma metro area. 

In alphabetical order:

1. Alderwood Mall – North of Seattle, and one of the area’s newer malls, it has stores, movies and shopping.
2. Bellevue Square – Frequently referred to as the upscale mall of the area, you’ll find lots of specialty and exclusive stores with no other location in the Seattle/Tacoma area.
3. Kitsap Mall – Located across the water in Silverdale, this mall is a single level enclosed mall, with a variety of national chain stores and specialty shops.
4. Northgate Mall – The oldest mall in the area, recently with a facelift.
5. Pacific Place – Downtown and adjacent to Westlake Center, this mall has lots of upscale and specialty stores, although it is not as large as Bellevue Square. 
6. Sea-Tac Mall – Although this mall is in the process of changing its name to The Commons at Federal Way, most locals still refer to it as Sea-Tac Mall.  Stores are a little sparse right now as it is undergoing a facelift and revitalization project.
7. Tacoma Mall – Tacoma’s mall finally spiffed up, features major retail anchor stores, and most well known chain stores.
8. University Village – An open-air mall located in the University of Washington area, featuring an eclectic mix of chain stores and local retailers.
9. Westfield Southcenter Mall – Located at the southern junction of I-5 and I-405, the mall is undergoing a major expansion.  All major retail chains will be found here, along with a variety of specialty stores.
10. Westlake Center – Downtown and adjacent to Pacific Place, it focuses on specialty stores with a regional emphasis.

Of course, there are all sorts of wonderful specialty stores, boutiques, and hidden gems to cover in future posts.  If you have a favorite, shoot me an email or leave a comment in this post. 

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POSTED IN: Shopping, Top Ten, Uncategorized