Area options draw shoppers in search of good deals

Springfield and Branson remain major sources for shoppers, whether they want to spend an hour or an entire weekend hunting for the best deals.

Major players

Fairly new to the area’s shopping scene is Branson Landing, the $420 million shopping district with nearly 100 stores and restaurants located along Lake Taneycomo. Between its May 26 opening and the end of 2006, the district saw 3.7 million visitors, according to Marketing Manager Tammy Scholten.

Branson Landing offers national chains, such as Belk Department Store, White House|Black Market and Brookstone, but it also has its share of smaller shops – among them, the Five & Dime General Store, Father Time Clock & Collectibles and Integrity Designs & Embroidery.

Branson also draws shoppers to its multitude of outlet stores at three malls: Tanger Factory Outlet Center, The Shoppes at Branson Meadows and Factory Merchants Branson. More than 200 shops offer designer clothing and specialty products at discounted prices.

Kim Heminger, marketing coordinator for the Branson/Lakes Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, said outlet stores are a major source for shopping in the area.

“I’ve been to the stores and I’ve heard people in front of me (say they) take a day trip up here just to hit the outlet malls,” Heminger said.

Shoppers in Springfield have just as many options, according to Susan Wade, public relations manager for the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“It is a regional shopping hub for southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas, and has been for a long time,” she said. “The market is growing – retail is doing well.”

Wade points to Bass Pro’s Springfield store – its headquarters – as not only the most popular place to shop locally, but also the most popular attraction for visitors to the area. Nearly 65 percent of all visitors to Springfield shop there, according to a CVB survey.

The same survey shows 31 percent of all Springfield visitors also go to Battlefield Mall, the area’s largest mall with more than 150 stores. Mall Marketing Manager Christine Moses was unavailable to comment for this story.

Novelty shops

The Springfield area also boasts smaller, novelty shops.

“They’re kind of destinations in themselves,” Wade said.

Countryside Cottage, 1312 E. Republic Road, is one such destination, offering a diverse line of items including jewelry, dinnerware, home décor, gourmet foods, candles and handbags. Owner Ann McCoy says she gets a lot of shoppers who live in the area but have guests in town who want to spend the day window-shopping.

In the same vein is P. Graham Dunn Gallery in Branson, a small store that sells inspirational home décor and gifts. The store opened in October at 3500 N. Gretna Road and already has benefited from a stream of shoppers into Branson, according to manager Angela Uptegrove.

The Dunn Gallery sits adjacent to Branson Mill, a 60,000-square-foot retail center and craft village, with anchor tenants Mountain Man Nut and Fruit Co., The Leather Trading Co. and Bandana’s Bar-B-Q Restaurant.

Both McCoy and Uptegrove say the Ozarks has established a reputation as a shopping destination and competes with St. Louis and Kansas City.

“We have almost everything they have to offer, and it’s more accessible,” McCoy said.

Attracting shoppers

With so many shopping choices, stores are faced with the challenge of setting themselves apart from the rest.

Branson Landing’s Scholten says adding other elements to a shopping experience often attracts visitors, because it can give more of a vacation feel to a trip.

Branson Landing has a number of events planned for 2007, including a Best of Motown concert on July 14 and an Aug. 4 concert by Star Search winner and Springfield native Jake Simpson. The waterfront shopping district also has street performers, daily shows set to music at its multimillion-dollar water fountain and the Gage Marina and Shoppes, a $6 million attraction set to open this spring with a sight-seeing dinner boat, the restored Lake Queen.

“You can play, stay, dine, shop – whatever you want to do out here,” Scholten said. “We’re kind of our own little city.”

Uptegrove with P. Graham Dunn relies on familiarizing people with the store to draw customers. The gallery recently opened a booth at Silver Dollar City that offers engraving services and sells a few items from the store.