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Shopping

Austin is very proud of its local stores. Great places to shop are South Congress (SoCo), The Drag, (Guadalupe, from 17th to 38th, along the West side of the UT campus) and South First. North Loop also has a few fun and funky shops, but you'll probably have to ask a local (or several) how to get there.

There are three main malls in Austin: Barton Creek Mall south of town, Lakeline Mall northwest of town, and Highland Mall north of downtown. There is a plethora of large retail box stores to the north and south of town (Target, Best Buy, etc.), but of particular note are the Apple Store located in Barton Creek Mall and the Crate and Barrel at Gateway Center.

Groceries
Austin is home of the original and the world headquarters of Whole Foods. Their flagship store is located downtown at W. 6th St. and Lamar, in the same building as their brand-new corporate headquarters. They have several other stores around town as well. The flagship store is a destination in and of itself. Austin is also home to the original Central Market, near Lamar and 45th St., and a second location at Lamar and Westgate, down South.

Both Whole Foods and Central Market have a large selection of fresh fruits and vegetables, wines, beer, cheese, free-range meats, and seafood. The Whole Foods flagship store downtown also has a varied selection of gelato. Austin also features a large variety of ethnic grocery stores, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, and, of course, Mexican.
 • My Thanh 7601 N Lamar Blvd; Vietnamese and Chinese groceries
 • Hong Kong 8557 Research Blvd; Chinese groceries
 • Asahi Imports 6105 Burnet Road; Japanese grocery store
 • Fiesta Mart 3909 N. Interstate 35; Mexican groceries, strong selection of other international fare.

HEB, one of the largest private (not publicly traded) corporations in America, has many supermarkets around town. They have great selection. Most markets have specialty, organic, and ethnic foods. Many are open 24 hours. Their newest large-scale supermarkets include everything from furniture to electronics to books to eggs.

Music
 • Waterloo Records, Sixth & Lamar. Known around town for having local artists play in-store. Wide selection of music, everything from Blues to Electronica to Country. Has a wall dedicated to local musicians, great if you need a real country fix, not that sugary syrup they play on the radio. Waterloo Video is just around the corner.
 • Cheapo Discs.

Books
 • Bookpeople, Sixth & Lamar. Across the street from Waterloo Records, this locally owned bookstore has two stories of books with lots of quiet corners to sit down for a read. Great selection of books on Texas history and architecture.
 • Half-Price Books Five locations around town. This Texas-based chain's stores offer exceptional value for your dollar, and have an extremely diverse selection. A peek in these stores will show you what Austinites are really reading.

Toys
 • Terratoys, 2438 W. Anderson Lane (newly re-located). Wide variety of toys and excellent selection of children's books.
 • Hogwild, 100-A East North Loop. Vintage toys.
 • Toy Joy, 2900 Guadalupe. A great time, especially for adults.

Antiques
 • Aqua 1415 S. Congress.

Clothing
 • Blue Velvet, 3203 Red River.
 • Buffalo Exchange, 2904 Guadalupe.
 • Flashback, 2047 South Lamar.
 • Limbo, 5015 Duval St.
 • Blackmail. All black clothing and various accessories.