SHOPPING

Five Points in Riverside is an urban oasis of shopping, dining, and parks located just south of Downtown. It is nestled in a little corner of an older, character-filled section of Jacksonville called Riverside. The vintage flavor of the area attracts many unique restaurants and shops.

A very interesting neighborhood for people watching, Five Points has been a center for counter-culture youth for decades. In recent years, upscale vendors and luxury housing has brought a mix of stores to the area including tattoo parlors, independent music stores, antique boutiques, clothing stores and art galleries.

FYI: The Shoppes of Avondale are just a couple of miles down the road (description below).

One of Jacksonville's trendiest destinations, San Marco Square is an artsy shopping, dining and entertainment district on the Southbank of Downtown. You can stroll through art galleries, boutiques, independent bookstores, and upscale gift shops while trying to decide if you want to dine upscale (i.e., Pom’s Thai Bistro or The Grotto) or more casual (i.e., The Loop).

Further exploration of the San Marco area will uncover numerous fine dining and trendy casual restaurants, nightclubs and day spas. The streets south of the Square are lined with regal old estates and riverfront mansions certainly worth a look. The area gets busy during the lunch hour, when the downtown crowd comes over for a bite to eat, and again when they return for a happy hour or dinner. If all of the on-street parking spaces are taken, there is a large parking lot behind the shops and restaurants lining Atlantic Boulevard. For more information on this area, check out the “Dining” & “Theaters” sections.

In the heart of Jacksonville's historic Avondale neighborhood lies a strip of boutiques, antique stores, bistros, restaurants and gift shops along St. Johns Avenue. While quieter and smaller in scale than other upscale pedestrian shopping districts around Jacksonville, The Shoppes is one of the oldest. The small commercial strip is nestled in the midst of restored homes built in the early 1900s. The neighborhood is filled with families, joggers, dog walkers, and young professionals. Boone Park, a scenic city park with lots of trees, a few hills and a stream, is just a short walk from The Shoppes.

If you work up an appetite shopping, restaurants such as Biscottis, The Brick, Sterling’s and Casbah Café provide fantastic eating options.

FYI: Five Points in Riverside is just a couple miles down the road (description above).

This downtown, riverfront mall is the focus of many city events and social gatherings. The Landing offers a limited amount of retail stores, but does have a variety of low- to high-end dining options. It also houses several clubs and bars. Live music is played in the courtyard area on weekends and boaters are welcome to dock and enjoy the area. Holidays, football game days, conventions, downtown activities, weekend evenings and business lunches are when most people wander over to The Landing. Otherwise, it’s a nice, quiet place to enjoy great views.

This mall is your typical suburban shopping center with department stores, food court and a movie theater. While it has everything you would assume, Regency Square caters to the middle income crowd and has no upscale stores. Although not particularly aesthetic, it does have many stores to choose from.

The only major shopping hub on the Northside of the city, this outdoor shopping center is anchored by large national chains like Old Navy; Bed, Bath & Beyond; Lowes; PetSmart and Wal-Mart. It also has many other smaller retail options, casual restaurants and a 14-screen movie theater.

The most upscale and posh shopping center in town, the St. Johns Town Center offers a variety of medium- and high-end stores. Various shops and department stores line this outdoor mall’s version of “Main Street USA.” Aesthetically pleasing and beautifully kept, the grounds also have many places to grab a tasty snack or to enjoy a delicious meal. Valet parking is available as well.

This two-story mall offers your typical suburban shopping options, a food court and movie theater down the street. The Avenues has everything you would expect in a mall, but also caters to those with a higher income by housing some high-end stores as well. Nicely maintained and kept, the mall is near many restaurants on Southside Boulevard.

This mall is technically in Orange Park, a suburb of Jacksonville, but you wouldn’t know you left the city. Orange Park Mall contains a food court, attached movie theater and department stores including Dick’s Sporting Goods. The Orange Park Mall caters to median incomes. There are many nice stores but none decidedly high-end.

Located in Ponte Vedra Beach, this outdoor shopping area contains a wide variety of unique shops for men, women, children and home, as well as art galleries and upscale restaurants. In addition, local residents often shop in Sawgrass Village’s grocery and drug stores for everyday needs.

If you’re willing to drive south a little way, you can find some relatively good deals at the St. Augustine Premium Outlets. This outdoor strip mall has a wide variety of stores (about 70) catering to median-high incomes. Coach, Off-Saks, Gucci, Calvin Klein and Polo are some of the higher-end shops. Jewelry, gift, children’s clothing and shoe stores are plentiful as well. It’s almost mandatory to stop and peruse your favorite brands if you’re driving to or from St. Augustine.

Publix Supermarkets is arguably the most popular grocery store chain in the city and region. Known for friendliness and cleanliness, it has everything you would expect a major grocery chain to have. Many locations have pharmacies as well. Publix caters to median and upper incomes. Below are the three locations closest to Florida Proton:

A grocery store chain based in Jacksonville, Winn-Dixie Supermarkets have most everything you would expect a major grocery store to have, though some are lacking. Known for their low prices, Winn-Dixie caters to mostly median incomes. We have one conveniently located close by on North Market Street.

This local natural foods store is relatively small, yet varied in its inventory. You’ll find all kinds of organic and natural products including fresh produce, supplements, and made-to-order sandwiches and smoothies. Outdoor seating lets you enjoy beautiful parks nearby and the Five Points shopping area.

Since 1997, Native Sun has been Jacksonville’s largest organic and natural food grocery store. You’ll find all kinds of natural and organic food, a fresh deli and juice bar at Native Sun. As they’ve been selling organic goods and “going green” long before the trend, they’re definitely the experts. Native Sun has two locations on the South side of town:

Turtle Island is a small, independent grocer of organic and natural foods. Located at the beach, this family-operated store specializes in local organic produce and grains. Of course, they also carry a small selection of meats and dairy products.

Walgreens is a national chain of traditional drugstores and pharmacies. You’ll find a little bit of everything: food, cosmetics, magazines, office supplies, toiletries, photo development, toys, and, of course, medicines of all types. Some have 24-hour pharmacies.

CVS Pharmacy is another national drugstore chain that sells various retail, grocery and medicinal items. Some have 24-hour pharmacies.

This homegrown, local pharmacy has been around for a long time. It’s a throwback to the old days of neighborhood pharmacies where customers could get to know the pharmacist and receive personal attention. It doesn’t have the wide variety of retail items a national chain has, but does have essential items, a fully functioning pharmacy and friendly staff. It’s also right across the street from a Walgreens. Take your pick!

This national chain sells in bulk at discounted prices. You can find groceries, electronics, clothing, office supplies, home goods, pharmacy, photo development and many other items at Sam’s. You must have a membership to shop here.

This members-only wholesale store is similar to Sam’s Club in that it offers a pharmacy and bulk goods at discounted prices. It’s unique, however, in that it sells higher-end goods as well, but does not have as many grocery items.