When money is burning a hole...

ATLANTIC STATION

Atlantic Station, the city's newest urban shopping district, is a "mini-city" of retail, housing and office space built on the old Atlantic Steel site. The shopping area is set up in the style of an outdoor mall and includes restaurants and a movie theater. It's linked to Midtown via the 17th Street bridge above the Downtown Connector. Dillard's is the anchor store, but IKEA is the star.

IKEA
441 16th Street
404-745-4532
www.ikea.com/
The big blue and yellow store visible from 17th Street is not to be missed. It's filled with Scandinavian-designed home furnishings at extremely reasonable prices.

American Eagle Outfitters
230 18th Street
Suite 11100
404-541-9305
www.ae.com/
Trendy, youthful clothing for males and females.

Ann Taylor Loft
230 18th Street
Suite 11100
404-541-9305
www.anntaylorloft.com/
Women's apparel and footwear in sophisticated styles.

BUCKHEAD

With its twin crown jewels – Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza malls – and scores of surrounding boutiques and specialty stores, the Buckhead business district is one of the most famous shopping destinations in the Southeast. If you’ve got money to spend, you’ll surely find a satisfying way to do so here. Even if you don’t have a lot of spare change, you’ll enjoy exploring – and maybe picking up a trinket or two.

B.D. Jeffries
Powers Ferry Square
3736-B Roswell Road
404-231-3004
www.bdjeffries.com
This gigantic store is serious about its alligator and crocodile accessories, but it also carries many non-reptilian home décor and personal items, from barware to jewelry.

Distant Replays
310 East Paces Ferry Road
404-262-7741
www.distantreplays.com
Honor your favorite sports legends or era with this collection of "retro sports apparel." Throwback jerseys, jackets, caps and other true sportswear.

Razzle Dazzle
310 East Paces Ferry Road
404-233-6940
Fashion-forward styles for women – jewelry, accessories and clothing including Free People, Michael Stars T-shirts and Juicy Couture.

Red Baron's Antiques
6450 Roswell Road
404-252-3770
www.redbaronsantiques.com
You never know what you might find at this auction house for architectural and decorative arts – fountains, chandeliers, fine furniture. The store closes the week following its three auctions a year.

Bennett Street
Buckhead
This strip off the 2100 block of Peachtree Road offers scads of art galleries and antique dealers.

VIRGINIA-HIGHLAND

With its wide range of restaurants and laid-back pubs mixed in with a bounty of mostly independently owned stores, this could be Atlanta’s best place for window shopping. The neighborhood is named for its main intersection at Virginia and Highland avenues. Driving is the best way to reach it, but parking can be a problem – be prepared to walk a few blocks to the strip.

Festivity
1039 N. Highland Ave.
404-874-1950
This colorful shop specializes in cheerful accents for the home and the body – casual jewelry, handbags, serving ware for entertaining.

Back to Square One
1054 N. Highland Ave. N.E.
404-815-9970
Rustic charm is the theme in this collection of primitive antiques, whimsical folk art and garden accessories.

Metropolitan Deluxe
1034 N. Highland Ave
404-892-9337
www.metropolitandeluxe.com
Slightly sassy gifts on the street level and stylish furniture below appeal casual lookers as well as serious purchasers.

Mitzi & Romano
1038 N. Highland Ave.
404-876-7228
Casual, professional and formal clothing for women, plus great jewelry and handbags.

20th Century Antiques
1044 N. Highland Ave N.E.
404-874-7042
Miss that vinyl-and-glass dinette from your youth, Boomer? You’ll find it here, along with many other retro-cool designs from the ‘50s and ‘60s, art deco pieces and the occasional rubber chicken.

LITTLE FIVE POINTS

Atlanta may not be well-known for its Bohemian scene, but artsy and eccentric souls do eventually find their way to the hippy hangout that is Little Five Points. This neighborhood at the intersection of Moreland, Euclid and McClendon avenues is populated by the tattooed, the pierced and the colorfully hair-dyed set. Stores specialize in funky, which makes for some mighty entertaining browsing – if you can take your eyes off your fellow shoppers.

A Capella Books
484C Moreland Avenue N.E.
404-681-5128
The collection of used, new and out-of-print books in this independent bookstore – a rarity in itself – is as eclectic as the neighborhood.

Junkman's Daughter
464 Moreland Avenue N.E.
404-577-3188
How to describe this department store-size collection of clothing and kitsch -- funky? Retro? Cool? A little creepy? The answer is "all of the above." It’s like a Woolworths for the weird.

Sushi Clothing Company
424 Moreland Ave. (Little Five Points)
404-522-1010
Bill Hallman’s L5P offering is trendy, sexy – and mostly for the ladies. Casual clothing, party dresses, shoes.

Wish
447 Moreland Ave. N.E.
404-880-0402
Way-hip boutique sells the hottest styles in clothes and shoes for men and women -- Diesel, Adidas, Puma, Gsus.

PERIMETER

Most of the stores in the general vicinity of Perimeter Mall are national chains, but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth visiting. Several shopping centers surround Perimeter Mall, making a perimeter around Perimeter, if you will.

Restoration Hardware
Perimeter Center
120 Perimeter Center West, Suite 200
770-804-9040
www.restorationhardware.com
Sort of a cross between a Pier 1 and a Home Depot, with the upscale-o-meter cranked a few notches. Look for everything from cabinet hardware to furniture to gifts.

Talbots
Park Place
4505 Ashford-Dunwoody Road N.E.
770-551-0331
www.talbots.com
Classic clothing and accessories for women, men and kids.

Thomasville of Atlanta
Perimeter Expo
1151 Hammond Drive, Suite 240
770-391-9468
www.thomasville.com
Fine furniture and showrooms from the North Carolina-based manufacturer.

OTHER

Miami Circle – This store-laden street off Piedmont Ave. near the entrance ramp for I-85 is a bit hard to find, but well worth the trouble if you have a yen for upscale decorative arts and antiques.

Chamblee Antique Row – Head north of Buckhead on Peachtree Road into the town of Chamblee, and you’ll see signs for this stretch of antiques dealers. The Chamblee Antique Dealers Association (www.antiquerow.com, 404 606-3367) claims it collectively offers more than 500,000 square feet of shopping space from more than 700 dealers.

Chattahoochee Avenue – Exploring this warehouse shopping district off Howell Mill is always an adventure. Stores range from bridal wear to men’s suits to luggage to decorative arts.