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Sarasota, Florida Shopping.

Forget bargain shopping. You're on vacation. Head on over to  St. Armands Key for an upscale European style Sarasota, Florida shopping experience that will not soon be forgotten. This place is what memories are made of.

This island Sarasota, Florida center is removed from the bustle of the mainland by two bridges over magnificent Sarasota Bay. Unique in concept, history, and beauty, this Sarasota, Florida shopping area is set amidst a tropical paradise. It is a vacation destination in itself.

The Sarasota, Florida area, St. Armands Circle is an enchanting circle of fine shops and gourmet restaurants. Renowned as a market place with a continental flavor, it is a charming and graceful synthesis of past and present. Lush tropical plantings, courtyards and patios, antique statuary and contemporary architectural design skillfully contribute to an international atmosphere of friendly warmth, enduring elegance, and timeless style at this upscale Sarasota, Florida shopping area.

In the early 1900's, the key was just a mangrove island too far from the small fishing village of Sarasota to attract much attention. Now, there are more than 130 stores in this Sarasota, Florida shopping area attracting customers from all over the United States and many foreign countries.
 
In 1893, Charles St. Amand, A Frenchman and first resident of the island, purchased for $21.71 three tracts of land totaling 131.89 acres. He homesteaded the land, fishing in the waters of the Gulf and Bay and, along with other early pioneers, raised produce which he brought by boat to the market at City Pier in Sarasota. In later land deeds, his name was misspelled "St. Armand" and this spelling has persisted to the present day.

Visionary circus magnate John Ringling purchased the St. Armands Key property in 1917 and planned a development which included residential lots and a shopping center laid out in a circle. As no bridge to the key had yet been built, Ringling engaged an old paddle-wheel steamboat, the "Success," to service as a work boat. His crews labored at dredging canals, building seawalls, and installing sidewalks and streets lined with rose-colored curbs. In 1925, work began on a causeway to join St. Armands Key to the mainland. Circus elephants were used to haul the huge timbers from which the bridge and causeway were built.

John Ringling's influence is still evident today at this Sarasota, Florida shopping area in the planning and design of streets radiating from the the circle at the island's hub and the Italian statuary from his personal collection strategically placed around the key. This Sarasota, Florida shopping circle looks very much as Ringling originally envisioned it, with the palm lined medians, park-like setting, and tropical plantings he intended.

The St. Armands Circle experience is indeed a memorable one. Come explore and enjoy a day of European style shopping with a gourmet lunch in a cosy cafe. Smell the flowers, sit in the sun, browse through the stores - you'll want to return to St. Armands year after year.

Downtown Sarasota, Florida shopping offers a compact shopping district at historic Palm Avenue and Main Street, with sidewalk cafes and stores for about ten blocks from the bayfront to the country courthouse.

For conventional Sarasota, Florida shopping, go to the Sarasota Square Mall for Burdines, Dillard's, JC Penney, Sears and the Gap.

Be sure to check out Sarasota, Florida vacation rentals by owner houses, villas and condos for luxurious, yet affordable accomodations - many times less than the cost of a cramped, stuffy, less-than-clean hotel room. 

Sarasota, Florida Shopping - Shopping Malls & Outlets:
 
Paradise Plaza
3800 S Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, Florida
941.366.4914

Pelican Plaza Shopping Center
8308 S Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, Florida
941.966.7885

St Armands Circle Association
300 Madison Dr
Sarasota, Florida
941.388.1554

Sarasota Outlet Center
I-75, Exit 40 (University Parkway)
Sarasota, Florida
941.359.2050

Sarasota Outlet Center
8441 Cooper Creek Blvd
University Park, Florida
941.359.8303

Southgate Plaza
3501 S Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, Florida
941.955.0900

Sarasota Square Mall
8201 S. Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, Florida
941.922.9600