The 900 Shops

I was so excited to check this place out based on the reviews and how gorgeous the photos are!
I was in Chicago a couple of weeks ago and stopped here on a Tuesday evening. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The shops are very limited, and this place is like 6 floors with maybe 5 shops on each floor. Bloomingdales runs through every floor and may be the only thing worth seeing while at The 900 Shops.
The location itself is beautiful, and the design is beautiful to look at.
I will not be back here…

The 900 Shops or as I normally refer to it as 900 North Michigan is an impressive mall upon first entry because you can see 5 floors of mall right off the bat.
I’d classify this mall as a higher end mall but not a completely high end mall. If I had to compare it to another mall elsewhere I’d say it’s more like a Village of Merrick Park in Coral Gables. 900 most definitely has high end stores like Gucci, Mont Blanc, Kate Spade but also has some regular priced stores like J Crew, Sur La Table and Adidas.
The anchor however is overwhelmingly Bloomingdale’s as their signs can be seen at the front of every single level of this mall.
The wonderful thing about this mall is they have free wifi and have had it for years.

Very limited shops here. It is smaller than most malls. However, the only shops here worth going into were the mini Bloomingdales, jcrew, and banana republic.

900 N is a high end mall. Therefore it weeds out the majority of tourists. This means it is a lot quieter, a lot more room to walk and think, and just overall a better experience than the water tower place.
Aka the Bloomingdale’s building, there are only two reasons I visit 900 N. For bloomingdale’s and for Baisi Thai. I absolutely love shopping for my colognes /​perfumes in bloomingdale’s because they sometimes have a better selection than Nordstrom, and definitely have less customers. Even though I love Nordstrom just as much, there are days when I just want a relaxing shopping day so 900 N is the way to go.
The Banana Republic here is also quite good. Even though small, its nice to have a truly affordable price point amidst all the luxury retailers.

Warning!!! This is a high end mall. Unless you’ve recently inherited some spending money or have a yuppie salary of $ 100,000 each I would avoid this place. It’s not impossibly expensive, but it does make a middle class person (even higher middle class) feel a little inadequate.
Cost aside, it is a lovely mall, and the store to floor ratio makes it easy to scan all the stores on each level from the top of an escalator without having to walk around to see each store.
I recommend heading down Michigan to the Water Tower building if you want a standard mall experience.

I wanted to find the very finest shopping experience in Chicago. After all, I was told this is one of the top shopping areas in the U.S. The other two being Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, and Manhattan in NY. After taking a tour of the city, for the Downtown area, I narrowed it down to four main areas:
1. Water Place Tower– 7 floors of a shopping mall, part of the Magnificent mile of open street shopping stores along N. Michigan Avenue. Biggest stores you ever seen this side of the Mississippi River. However, I wanted unique stores that carried items you wouldn’t find anywhere else. I saw all the stores we already have in CA. Forever 21, Sephora, H & M, Target, Disney Store, etc.
2.N. State Street — for some reason there is a second set of stores along this street that match many of the shops along N. Michigan Ave., but many times the prices are 25% less on this side of the Downtown area. The tour guide I spoke to mentioned this tidbit.
3. If your in the mood for boutique shops– the very best they have to offer Downtown is along Oak St. near Rush st.- however the shopping here is too expensive for my taste. I found some one of kind pieces, but even at sales price it was triple what I’d be willing to pay. Just wasn’t feeling like I was welcomed much either. They sized me up pretty fast and directed me to sales racks. Not that I mind, but still I had to laugh that even on my best days, I don’t look like a rich girl.
4. Okay, out of all the shopping I found this place was the favorite. It was 6 floors high, air-​conditioned (summer time), and less crazy busy than the other places mentioned. I could take my time, browse without bumping into someone else, or feel like I didn’t belong because I wasn’t a bizillionaire. I found the coolest toy store. And some very fun clothing stores, one of which I wish I had more time: Luxury Garage. Not sure how it got the garage part of the name because everything is brand new. It had great deals on designer clothes.
So there you have it. Don’t waste your time walking all over town. You probably have the rest of the stores at your local mall. And no need to feel snubbed, just relax and enjoy the afternoon here with a cup of tea afterward at one the great restaurants on the sixth floor with a beautiful view out the window (don’t go to the King’s café on first floor, they don’t have their act together– see my review for details.)
And don’t forget to check out Bloomingdale’s! It might be a bit pricey, but such a fascinating store to at least browse through.
I’d like to see more unique boutique clothing shops in this building. Please, please find a way to bring in Mangano Fashion. There’s only one store in the U.S. and it’s in Boston. I need one closer to home in the West. Crossing my fingers your building manager at 900 shops will see this review and find a way. Thank you!

A quiet and staid atmosphere and quite a few empty shop fronts. When I dress casually shop staff seem suspicious that I am a shop lifter.

I love this shops. they have classic style deco, food, fun, etc. Location is really convenient for me as it is right on Michigan ave and walton. It linked it to Bloomingdale. they have max mara, new Piano retail shop, galt baby, Kings café in the lobby, sur la table for shopping and cooking class. They have 70 retail shops and 7 restaurants inside. Unique stores. During the holiday is one of the best season. They have santa clause for over a month… It is free to take a photo with him.

I just love these shops! It is very busy, but there is something for everyone. It is a great place to people watch, as there are all walks of life in here. There are a lot of meat stores– why is that? I don’t know…
There is a huge Christmas tree during the holidays which is just amazing, and they decorate to the full extent. I love that!

Very high-​end mall with a lot of chain boutiques. Bonus point for being connected to our hotel (Four Seasons) and for having a lot of chairs and benches for me to rest and surf the web while my gf shops. :)

I really enjoy the shopping experience here because the location is just screams Mag Mile. Parking on Walton usually costs me just $ 6.00 if I buy something from one of the stores and then get the ticket validated. I almost always stop at the café on the first floor, then make my way upstairs on the escalators to shop. The mall is full of high-​end stores with no shortage of tourists. Bloomingdale’s department store takes up a huge chunk of the real estate, which can be a fun way to spend an afternoon. Near the top on the 6^th floor, I like to eat at Baisi Thai for lunch time specials. For special occasions If I have time, I stop at Mario Tricoci salon to get a facial. The 900 shops get very packed during the holidays, so be prepared for crowds. Overall, the ambiance makes it worth the trip.

***The 900 Shops is located near the north end of Magnificent Mile; it is an upscale mall that felt a little dead during the day compared to the other stores along Michigan Avenue; there are definitely some nice shops here (including several very expensive and upscale options), but there is not really a lot of variety here***
I am not sure what the parking situation is, but I imagine parking is expensive here since this is a rather congested area of Chicago.

I am a fan of this upscale shopping mall, specifically the outpost of Coach here. I was out and about last Saturday (aka the eye of the shopping storm as it was nice weather, tourist season, and the day before Mother’s Day). A $ 25 off coupon from Coach was burning a hole in my wallet, and I had my eye out for some smaller leather goods– clutch or wallet– and possibly a pair of shoes. After a very frantic experience at the freestanding Coach store, being jostled from one end of the store to the other and not even registering what I was looking at, I was about to give up on my shopping excursion. Fortunately for me (not so much for my pocketbook) I stopped into the 900 Shops. What a difference a couple of blocks makes. Even though I was dressed casually in a Vintage Highway t-​shirt dress and Sperrys I was treated to the utmost in kind, professional service, not to mention I was the only customer in the store. I ended up with a sand-​colored crossbody bag that can also be worn as a foldover clutch. Though this is a smaller store (fewer clothing items and no shoes) I will take this any day over the tourist madness that is the freestanding Coach store on Michigan Avenue. I even managed to stop into the Club Monaco here since it was on the same level and I had not been in for quite a while. One stop shopping at its finest!

A high-​end stylish mall with high-​end shops to match and Equinox gym at the bottom. I liked the coffee shop on the lobby welcoming floor.

Don’t even think about it, Young Unilocaler.
Dahlings, go ahead and giddy up.
«The 900» might as well have one of those red, circular Unilocal signs on the front revolving doors indicating, «People on Unilocal need not apply — they can’t afford us.» There’s a reason The 900 only has 37 reviews.
If you’re a Unilocaler who happens to have coin or a piece of plastic which will come back to bite you 18 months later, then go ahead and patronize The 900. However, you’d better be a woman because the shops at The 900 cater heavily to women. They cater heavily to affluent women.
If you’re a dude, you’d better like J Crew and Bloomingdale’s because those are the only crumbs thrown to you. And if you’re a dude, you should probably be a gay dude because I think that’s the majority of the demo for these two retail outlets. I’m the rare straight somewhat stylin’ dude who likes J Crew (sometimes). I’m just not a big fan of Bloomingdale’s. It’s Nordy’s over Bloomie’s any day of the week for me.
Hey, they have a guy in a tux playing a piano up on the second floor by J Crew. Imagine The 900. Imagine all the people… who can’t afford to shop here. Woo-​hoo-​hoo-​ooh-​ooh-​ooh.
Overall, it’s a nice mall and is always pretty dead. It just doesn’t have much for me.
If you ever want to review it, Young Unilocaler, go in and buy a cookie at Potbelly. There’s your tailor made first-​hand experience.

It’s a luxury/​high-​end mall on Michigan Avenue… It is what it is. Huge Bloomingdales.
Only complaint: why are the escalators staggered such that you have to walk «back to the front» of the mall at each floor? Hmm.

Ah, lifestyles of the rich and famous. This is the place to spot them. 900 is spot-​on because that’s at least how much everything costs.
I feel like the malls on Magnificent Mile are spread out by class and this one certainly is for the high class. The rich décor and the shops both define luxury and it drives away the average tourist – it’s true, you’ll see very little.
This is where premier brands build their very own empire and distinguishes itself from the rest; it has luxury written on the outside and inside and feels like another Trump Tower. The Bloomingdales here is actually one of the nicer and organized ones I’ve been to because the mall is almost dead – that is how quiet this place is, it’s scary. Nicely spread out mall and if your’e going to drop some major ones, skip Nordie’s and the brick and mortar shops on Michigan Ave. because you might get more attentive service here.

You can’t go wrong with Bloomingdales! But if you’re a guy and you’re in this mall, prepare to hold your girl’s purse the whole time, as this place is not a good place for dudes.
I’d say one of the better stores to go to here is Lulu Lemon. As a man I just can’t bring myself to wear clothing with such a ridiculous name, but my friends swear by the stuff. Oh and don’t forget there’s a gym at the bottom — Equinox. If you need a quick healthy snack they have a snack bar next to it.

Definitely one of the nicest «malls» on Michigan — once inside, the tourist hordes disappear and you’re free to browse some seriously upscale stores.
The anchor here is Bloomingdale’s and there are 5 floors of luxury shops to peruse. Many have mentioned Mark Shale, but it looks like they are closing — the whole store is 50%+ off right now.
I will confess that my favorite store here is Teuscher Chocolates because I am an «upscale fat-​ass».

Clearly, I’m not the baller that I thought I was because the Magnificent Mile and it’s prices put me in check.
It’s how much to park here? $ 13.00?! And that’s with my validation from Bloomingdale’s.
It’s really pretty. I’ll give it that. Bloomgdale’s was one of the nicer stores I’ve visited.
I blame Oprah.