Shopping at Bayshore Town Center

The holidays usher in a flurry of activity across the county. We shop, decorate, bake, party, and most of all, we spend excessive amounts of money!

According to the 22nd Annual Survey on Holiday Spending by the American Research Group, Inc., this year shoppers around the country are expected to spend about an average of $850 on gifts. While that sounds like A LOT of money, spending has actually gone down by over one hundred dollars from last year’s holiday season, as said by the survey. I think I added to the decline on Saturday seeing as I didn’t even spend a dime!

It’s a tradition for Justin and me to go Christmas shopping together. So, once a year I log off my computer and spend an entire day mall-hopping instead of shopping online, although the majority of the day is usually spent fighting off the frenzied mall rats instead of tackling our "people to buy for" lists.

While online holiday shopping continues to increase in popularity (as suggested by this MSNBC poll), people still flood malls during the holiday season, even after the chaos that is “Black Friday.”

But, Bayshore Town Center didn’t feel nearly as hectic and crowded as an afternoon shopping at Mayfair, which may have been due to the weather – on Saturday, temperatures only reached the mid teens – and because Bayshore now is an open-air shopping center and the conditions aren’t favorable for window shopping.

 

When BSTC opened last November after renovations, critics said that the open-air shopping center was a fine idea for warm-weather months, but that people would be less enthusiastic about shopping there once the cold weather hit. To me it seems silly to have an “outdoor” mall in a city with a six-month winter. Is it just me or is your opinion of BSTC affected by the cold?

Luckily, some architectural genius made it possible for us to still navigate some of the mall from indoors. But before we even began shopping, we faced the mall's biggest test.

Finding parking.

Parking is always a concern at Christmas; there just never seems to be enough space. To make combing the lots easier, BSTC has digital displays that show where parking is available. With parking garages, parking lots, curbside parking and more parking lots surrounding and suffusing the place, finding a parking spot was a breeze.

Donning our hats, mittens and bulky winter coats, we began to navigate the series of channels of real town streets to find all the goodies on our lists. It's a quaint idea to have all of the streets linked at the center in an area called “Town Square” where a 50-foot Christmas tree stands for the holidays.

Despite the cold, the shopping mecca was alive and bustling with activity. To make the environment even more festive the mall has horse-drawn carriages that gallop their way past pedestrians who are busy weaving in and out of stores, stopping for lunch – like we did at California Pizza Kitchen, which was a zoo – or grabbing cups of coffee, of which the options are plentiful – Alterra, Starbucks and Caribou Coffee are all in intimate quarters.

The new additions to the center are quite charming and consist of a little faux village made up of home-like spaces filled with bountiful retail and dining options. Additionally, lining the village is an abundance of street parking with meters (some of the proceeds going to Children’s Hospital), accessible sidewalks, public spaces, and a welcoming atmosphere – all of which makes BSTC different from a traditional mall.

We decided to get away from the biting wind and merged with shoppers heading for the warm, almost smoldering, indoor portion of the center. Inside, I recognized – as most Bayshore Mall veterans will – bits of the old place. From the middle to the north side by Sears, it appears that not much has changed. But south towards Boston Store, the mall feels much different.

The old part of the mall, that for some reason still exists, is kind of out of place. It’s so drastically different from the renovations that it’s almost unappealing to shop there.

Regardless, Bayshore seems to be doing great business. With restaurants like Bar Louie, Bravo! and Devon Seafood Grill, and shops appealing to a variety of people such as H&M, Johnston Murphy and Ma Jolie, it was a great holiday shopping source and is probably even better as a summer spot.

While Wisconsinites are hearty folks, and cold weather isn’t enough to stop the majority of us from doing most things around here, seeing Justin truck around the frigid Town Center with packages on Saturday was enough to keep me home next time to do my Christmas shopping online. But I’ll certainly head back to Bayshore Town Center once it thaws in spring.

After nearly six hours of ducking in and out of stores, I left empty handed and sniffling. Justin, on the other hand, nearly scratched every name off his shopping list as he tossed his purchases into the trunk of my car. With only a little over a week left until Christmas Day, I have a lot of catching up to do! Oh well.

As the snow began to fall again, we headed home with the heat blasting.

Comments

[Mary]

During this time of year, I just love all of the Christmas decorations. It is fun to see all of your pictures from each entry and especially looking at your current pics from Christmas. Enjoy the season! I wish you many holiday cheers!

[Mandy]

I was down in Milwaukee at Bayshore last weekend. I love that little set up. For whatever reason it makes me feel like I'm in a big city. Plus, our meter was full, so we got front row parking for FREE!

Merry Christmas!

[Amanda]

I went there while it was raining one time and I was miserable. I guess I'm a wimp, but I refuse to go there during the winter now.

[alba]

I’ve been to the new Bayshore quite a few times this year and it’s MUCH better than the old, dying mall that used to be there.

Parking can be tricky but the easiest thing to do is shoot for the parking ramps (the one behind Sears is hardly used besides the first floor).

I've found Bar Louie to be a surprising treat. It has less of a bar feel than the one on Water Street and great food and drink specials (their happy hour is $2 taps - and they have some awesome beers).

[Amanda]

I agree that it's WAY better than the old mall, but I still don't understand why anyone thought it was a good idea to build an "open-air mall" in Wisconsin. Sure, that's a great idea for LA, but a city with 9 chilly months out of the year, um, not so much.

I guess what really draws people there are the shops, but you can find most of the same stores at Mayfair...

[Karen]

Mandy- I hate plugging meters! But I think it's a really great idea to donate the change to charity. It makes me more inclined to drop some extra change in there.
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Alba- I didn’t even know there was a parking ramp behind Sears. Thanks for the tip!

Also, I agree that the new Bayshore doesn’t even compare to the old. When it gets warm outside, I’m sure I’ll head there more often (even though I tend to shop online). It’s a really nice set-up and is quite the contrast to the typical malls in our area like Brookfield Square and South Ridge (where a renovation is overdue). I'm just waiting for the old portion of the mall to get fixed up (like around Sears) and for kiosks to open in the bare hallways.
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Amanda- trekking around BSTC while it was snowing wasn’t ideal, but I must say I really enjoyed the atmosphere and its shopping sources – there are a lot of stores that are different from those at the other malls in the area. I also probably won’t go back when it’s this cold, unless I’m just running in to get something, but it really is a great center and a place I’ll explore again.

[SuzieQ]

The weather doesn't affect my opinon of the mall. I think it's one of the best things to happen to that part of town. It's charming and a great draw!

[Melanie]

I like the selection of stores that are now available. Though I have yet to go there this winter...I am thinking I might pass.

[alanna water]

I love shopping more than anything. But in the winter, who the hell would be that crazy to make a store outside and you would have to try on clothes in 40 below. Just another Robert Munch story!!

[wfbdoglover]

Alright, just to clear up the parking donation - They HAVE to donate to charity because it is private property.

I don't mean to be negative here, but I live right by the mall and it drives me nuts!

All the shops and everything are nice, but one night my girlfriends and I went out to one of the restaurants after water aerobics (a friend was moving away) and we didn't want to park in the garage because it was January and cold and we had been in the water. So right in the middle of dinner, we had to get up and plug the meters.

I also do not like supporting chain restaurants. I've gone to dinner with my parents, right by the tree you mentioned and we parked at Kohls and walked to the restaurant. Again - winter!

So far, I've only found one bike rack and that is by Kohls facing Boston Store.

I'm truly not a shopper. To be honest, I do break out in a sweat and start to hyperventlate in small enclosures and crowds of people - but if I am going to have to drag my coat around AND packages AND walk outside - then I'm going to do it locally.

The traffic flow is not convenient either so Panara and Trader Joes - you have to be going in a certain direction to get their conveniently and I don't want to park in a parking structure with a shopping cart.

Sorry to post something negative, but being so close ANd the fact that my bank is there - I'm there quite frequently and try to be in and out as fast as I can.