Sawgrass Mills, the largest outlet mall in the nation, attracts more than 30 million people annually. David Lydia, assistant director of marketing at Simon Property Group, which owns Sawgrass, tells New Times many of those visitors fly from South and Central America specifically to shop for deals and return home with suitcases filled with luxury merchandise.
Given its scale, this outlet mall, like other malls in South Florida's outsized shopping scene, feels like its own compact city. Feeling overwhelmed? Don't. Here are eight things you need to know before conquering this monster of a mall.
It's the largest outlet mall in the United States.
With more than 2.3 million square feet of retail space and more than 350 stores and outlets, Sawgrass Mills is the largest outlet mall in the country. Its general manager, David Gott, tells New Times Sawgrass sees upwards of 30 million visitors annually. That makes it one of Florida's most frequented tourist hotspots — Disney World sees 58 million annual visitors. Wear comfortable shoes.
With literal miles of luxury brands lined up for consumption, you'd be forgiven for thinking it necessary to wear the latest boots or heels. Any experienced Sawgrass Mills patron will tell you that's a rookie mistake. "If you started at the Primark and walked the direct path to Marshalls, which is the main drag of the mall, you'll cover almost a mile," Gott says. Step-counters will be happy to know that walking past every store clocks in at about two miles total.
You'll come across scores of patrons lugging suitcases.
Once you step into Sawgrass, odds are you'll notice dozens of suitcase-strolling patrons perusing the mall's stores. While some are cruise or airline passengers looking to kill time between excursions, the vast majority are South American tourists scouring for savings on luxury brands to take back home. According to data collected by Simon Property Group, most of the mall's South American fanbase seems to be centered in Brazil. The mall is split into three sections.
"It's almost like when you go to Universal, and they have the Islands of Adventure," Gott tells New Times about the mall's separate sections.The Mills, opened in 1990, is the mall's mainstream retail environment, with accessible luxury stores like Karl Lagerfeld Paris, Bloomingdale's, and Saks 5th Avenue.
In 2000, Sawgrass debuted the Oasis, adding the Regal Cinemas 23 IMAX and mall food culture staples such as the Cheesecake Factory and California Pizza Kitchen.
The mall completed its third section, the Colonnade Outlets, in 2006 and added 73 retailers, representing some of the finest luxury brands in the world. "The Colonnade hasn't been duplicated anywhere," Gott tells New Times. "We have wonderful outlets across the country, including one an hour outside of New York City that does really well and one near San Francisco, but none of them have all the options Sawgrass Mills does."
It's home to one of only two Christian Louboutin outlets in the country.
While you might not want to test drive your new red bottoms through the lengthy and labyrinthine Sawgrass Mills, the mall is home to one of the only Louboutin locations where you can find the famous footwear at discounted prices in the U.S. Gott adds the mall also offers more than 50 other luxury outlets you can't find anywhere else in Florida.The mall sells winter gear to cater to its visitors from the Southern Hemisphere.
You might be surprised to find long knee-high fur-lined boots, heavy coats, and all manner of winter gear being sold here in the middle of the South Florida summer. But there's no shortage of shoppers stocking up on puffer coats and sweaters before walking out into the sweltering Miami heat. Taking a note from middle school science, Sawgrass Mills retailers found they could sell winter clothing during the Northern Hemisphere's summer because it's winter in the Southern Hemisphere. Thanks, axial tilt.You'll run into scores of Panthers fans.
Something else you might not expect to run into in South Florida: professional hockey fans. You'll find a greater concentration of them at Sawgrass Mills, as the mall is directly across the street from Amerant Bank Arena, where the Florida Panthers play. Be advised: Restaurants like Yard House, Shake Shack, and Johnny Rockets fill up quickly on game days.
It's still evolving.
"What's unique about this center is it's always evolving, it's always in some form of development, construction, or changes," says Gott. In other areas, a store's closure can be a death blow for a mall. "Here, it's an opportunity," Gott says.The mall's most notable recent vacancy is Forever 21, which closed all its stores this month. Gott won't reveal which store will replace its vast footprint at Sawgrass Mills, but he tells New Times Forever 21's target audience will be "very excited."
Sawgrass Mills. Open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. 12801 W. Sunrise Blvd., Sunrise; 954-846-2350; simon.com/mall/sawgrass-mills.
