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The areas with the highest concentrations of shops are Polanco, for upscale boutiques, luxury chains, modern furniture stores, and fine-art galleries; and the Zona Rosa, chock-full of clothing stores, adult shops, leather goods, and antiques.
La Condesa and La Roma, though better known for restaurants and cafés, are sprouting designer boutiques, primarily for a younger crowd and artsy types. Jewelers, shoe shops, vintage clothes, and hip housewares stores are squeezing in as well. Most cluster along avenidas Michoacán, Vicente Suárez, Amsterdam, and Tamaulipas, in Condesa, and Alvaro Obregón and thereabouts, in Roma.
Hundreds of shops with more modest trappings and better prices are spread along the length of Avenida Insurgentes and Avenida Juárez.
This upscale department store is mostly filled with high-end designer collections. While it is a local chain, this location of El Palacio de Hierro stands out from the rest of the stores, thanks to its floor after floor of designer goods for men and women. You'll likely find something here you won't be able to get anywhere else. After making your way up to the top floor, stop at the La Terraza Palacio for a quick bite or a cocktail in the extensive food court.
With a workshop in operation since 1824, Uriarte Talavera has been making the Talavera pottery emblematic of the town of Puebla for two centuries. If you can't make it to Puebla to see the workshop yourself, this store is a nice substitute, where you can still purchase original handmade Talavera.
A two-story home goods store on a quiet street, Bomboti is where you go to find unique decorative pieces. Head to the second floor for larger pieces.
In the early 2010s, the 17th-century palace of the Miravalle family was turned into Centro's coolest hotel, which brought with it a collection of worthwhile shops arranged around its interior patios. The stores range from clothing stores like Casilda Mut, a tea shop, and a number of jewelry stores.
