Here are a few places for a nice afternoon of retail therapy.
Atlantic Times Square
This Monterey Park fixture offers a variety of Asian food and shopping around an AMC theater. Unusually high concentration of Japanese shops in the SGV.
Claremont Village
Possibly the most charming downtown in SoCal, Claremont boasts quaint shops with 1950s brick storefronts, as well as a refurbed orange packing house filled with upscale restaurants and fun boutiques.
San Gabriel Square
This sprawling 12-acre, 220,000-square-foot multi-level mega-mall will make you feel you’ve been transported suddenly to China, with shops and restaurants galore.
Rose Bowl Flea Market
On the second Sunday of each month, the Rose Bowl hosts one of the most well attended, vendor-profitable flea markets in the entire country.
Malls with a Difference
The Westfield Group has breathed new life into two shopping centers in the San Gabriel Valley. In addition to the usual retail chains, each has a grown a special character.
West Covina Mall
Plaza West Covina is a great place to take kids. It boasts a trampoline park, an actual arcade (with an olde-timey shooting gallery), and sometimes even a circus!
Santa Anita Mall
Westfield Santa Anita in Arcadia is upscale (fitting, given its elegant neighborhood). But what really sets the Arcadia mall apart is its variety of Chinese restaurants - casual takeout, sitdown, and iconic chains like Din Tai Fung. Some say that Westfield Santa Anita is the perfect place for the uninitiated to start learning about Chinese cuisine - how many mainstream malls can claim that?
Specialty Stores
Laidlaw's Harley Davidson
Massive store selling Harleys, Harley gear, Harley clothing, and Harley memorabilia.
1919 Puente Ave, Baldwin Park, CA 91706
Vroman's Bookstore
Vroman’s, founded in 1894, is arguably the finest bookstore in Los Angeles County.
695 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91101
In-N-Out Store
Need shoes decorated like the iconic In-N-Out soda cup? A wardrobe of burger joint t-shirts? They have you covered.
13800 Francisquito Ave, Baldwin Park, CA 91706
Pasadena Style
The queen of SGV cities boasts multiple shopping destinations.
Old Pasadena
The area around Pasadena’s business district is remarkable for its early 20th-century architecture, as well as for its many restaurants and upscale shops. Want something a little funkier? Try the indie record shops and vintage stores along Colorado Boulevard.
Between Pasadena Ave & Route 66, from Dayton St to Holly St
Pasadena Playhouse District
This eclectic neighborhood is the entertainment hub of Pasadena, with a noticeable concentration of public art, street art, and niche independent shops.
Colorado Blvd, around El Molina Ave
The Paseo
This sprawling indoor-outdoor mall offers upscale shopping.
300 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91101
South Lake
Chic stores line Pasadena’s Lake Avenue.
Lake Ave Pasadena, from Colorado to California Blvds