SHOPPING

A-to-Z Guide to Greater Cincinnati:
"Best Place to Live in North America"

Findlay Market is an
Old World shopping experience

Tristate offers best of both worlds

BY ANN HAAS
The Cincinnati Enquirer

In Greater Cincinnati, shoppers can trek from Saks Fifth Avenue, downtown, to The Gap Outlet in Northern Kentucky, and from Smith & Hawken in Norwood to an HQ about anywhere.

They can choose a mall with upscale shops (Kenwood Towne Centre) or a mall with an indoor beach playground (Forest Fair in Fairfield).

They can one-stop shop for home needs at these popular shows:

  • Design 96: Kitchen, Bath and Furnishings Show, Sept. 19-22, Albert B. Sabin Convention Center, downtown.

  • Cincinnati Home & Garden Show, Feb. 22-March 2, 1997, Albert B. Sabin Convention Center, downtown.

  • Cincinnati Flower Show, April 23-27, 1997, Ault Park, in Hyde Park.

New-home shoppers can check out the annual Homearama or Northern Kentucky Homefest (both held earlier this summer). New inner-city homes will be on display Oct. 5-13 in the Betts-Longworth Historic District. Northern Kentucky home builders will showcase moderately priced homes at a Parade of Homes Sept. 7-15 at Thornwilde at Hebron.

But what makes Cincinnati shopping special are the stores and sales that can't be found anywhere else. Here's a sampling:

  • Shoppers have been squeezing the produce and smelling the cod at Findlay Market in Over-the-Rhine since 1852. Findlay is an Old World shopping experience, as much as it is a place for buying meats, cheeses, seafood and produce. Hours: 7 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday; 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday and Friday and 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday. 352-6391.

  • The Cincinnati Art Museum has a Big Sale every other year. No, you won't find priceless artworks at bargain prices, but you will find new or "lovingly used" items that have been donated to the museum. Next Big Sale: Sept. 13-14, 1997. 721-5204.

  • Hamilton County Public Library's annual book sale is a colossal five-day event on Fountain Square. At least 100,000 books donated to the library are sold for 25 cents to $3. Next sale: June 2-6, 1997. 369-6960.

  • Serious antique hunters never miss a Burlington Antique Show, held the third Sunday of the month, April through October, at the Boone County Fairgrounds on Ky. 338. Hours: 8 a.m.-3 p.m. (Those-in-the-know get there at 5 a.m.) Admission: $2; $5 between 5-8 a.m. 922-5265.

  • A stop at Flowers of the Meadow in Madeira is like visiting a favorite aunt's lilac- scented cottage. Everything is pretty and in impeccable taste: dried flower arrangements, baby clothes, bath scents, furniture, stationery, garden statuary. Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday. 7744 Laurel Ave., Madeira. 561-0882.

  • It's a quicker pace at The Party Source, the fun-and-good-times liquor-beer-food-
    party supply center, which opened in 1993 at 95 Riviera Drive in Bellevue, just across the Big Mac bridge from downtown. The store quickly has become a magnet for entertaining types. Hours: 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Wednesday and 8 a.m.-11 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. 291-4007.

  • "Bridalville," centered on Benson Avenue in Reading, is a collection of 25 bridalwear shops clustered in a square-mile area of historic buildings. Bridalville's heart is Bridal & Formal Inc., 300 W. Benson, one of the top bridal salons in the country in volume and sales. Discounts start at 20 percent off retail. Hours: noon-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, noon-5 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. 821-6622.

Did you know?

  • A teen favorite, the Gap Outlet at 3434 Mineola Pike in Boone County, is one of 14 Gap discount stores in the country. Hours: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. 525-4713.

  • A moms and grandmoms favorite, the Polly Flinders Factory Outlet at 234 E. Eighth St., downtown, sells surplus fabric and trims along with the company's signature, hand-smocked dresses for young girls. It's one of 20 Polly Flinders outlets (The closest one to Cincinnati is in the Atlanta area.) Hours: 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday. 621-3222.

  • Only decorative artwork by Ohio artisans is carried at A Show of Hands, near the main entrance of Kenwood Towne Centre. The shop's inventory comes from Ohio Designer Craftsmen. Hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon-6 p.m. Sunday. 791-7110.

  • You can try out the best of Cincinnati -- or send the flavor of Cincinnati to a friend -- with a Queen City gift basket. Include Skyline Chili, Frisch's Tartar Sauce, Graeter's Candy, or a copy of Jim Borgman's Cincinnati by the Pulitzer Prize-winning Enquirer cartoonist.

    Gift basket companies include Cincinnati To You, 922-9295, 1-800-862-4629, and The Best of Cincinnati, 1-800-394-3607.