Detroit City Guide - Shopping

Perhaps the most representative gift a visitor could bring home from Detroit would be a car. On the more practical end, the mall-oriented nature of the city offers good shopping for visitors. Downtown offers a number of shops to get something in the way of a memento, while the suburbs bring together a large number of big-name retail American shops, although visiting them may require a 20-minute drive. Michigan charges a 6% sales tax that cannot be refunded. Shops are usually open 1000-2100 Monday-Saturday and 1200-1800 Sunday. Some smaller shops may not be open on Sundays.

Downtown, those on their way to visit Windsor in Ontario, Canada, can buy duty-free liquor, tobacco, fragrances, crystal and jewellery at the Ammex Duty-Free Shop, just before the Detroit–Windsor Tunnel. The Detroit Athletic Company, 1744 Michigan Avenue (website: www.detroitathletic.com), located near the historic Tiger Stadium, sells Detroit-themed sports memorabilia and sportswear. Other Detroit memorabilia, like hubcap clocks, T-shirts and books, can be found at Pure Detroit, 156 Congress Street West (website: www.puredetroit.com). Downtown mall shopping can be found at the Renaissance Center, East Jefferson Avenue at Beaubien Street. Suburban malls and department stores worth visiting include Grosse Pointe Village, intersection of Kercheval and Cadieux, in Grosse Pointe (website: www.thevillagegp.com); Macy's (formerly Marshall Fields), 21500 Northwestern Highway, in Northland (website: www.macys.com); the Fairlane Town Center, 18900 Michigan Avenue, in Dearborn (website: www.shopfairlane.com). There is also a great deal of factory outlet shopping, including Birch Run, 12240 South Beyer Road, north of Flint, and Great Lakes Crossing, 4000 Baldwin Road, in Auburn Hills.