Leif Zurmuhlen

Berkshire Outlet Village
Lee, Mass. (off Exit 2 of I-90). Outlet shopping just across the state line, without the hefty New York state sales tax. Among the stores, you’ll find J. Crew, the Gap and Jones New York.

CJ Outfitter,
the Wearhouse 30-40 Front St., Ballston Spa. 885-6634. It’s catalog-collection heaven—at discount prices. This is where well-known national retailers send their end-of-seasons, samples, seconds and overstocks. Clothes from J. Crew, the Gap and Eddie Bauer are staples on the racks at these stores.

Clifton Country Mall
Route 146 (Northway Exit 9), Clifton Park, 371-0087. The Marshall’s Megastore is the big draw at this suburban mall that’s poised for a comeback with the recent addition of Boscov’s.

Colonie Center
Central Avenue (Route 5) and Wolf Road (Northway Exit 2E), Colonie, 459-9020. The smaller and, some would say, more manageable of the area’s two major malls boasts the biggest Macy’s this side of New York City, a Christmas Tree Shops, Boscov’s, Sears, the Gap and other typical retail chains among its 120-plus stores.

Crossgates Commons
Washington Avenue Extension, Albany. Nirvana for the big-box-shopping crazed—you need your car to drive from store to store at this place. Among the stores you’ll find are Old Navy, Home Depot, Bob’s Store, Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart.

Crossgates Mall
120 Washington Ave. Extension (Crossgates Mall Road exit off the Northway), Guilderland, 869-9565. It’s big, big, big—the biggest mall in the region, in fact. Now features more stores than we want to count (around 230), restaurants and services, plus a 12-screen and an 18-screen Hoyts movie complex. Filene’s, Macy’s, Lord & Taylor, JCPenney and Cohoes Fashions are among the department stores anchoring the behemoth—and keep your eyes open for the brand-spankin’ new Pottery Barn and H&M.

Delaware Avenue Delmar.
A suburban stretch offering up strip-mall fare at Delaware Plaza, where you’ll find a Fashion Bug, Kay-Bee Toy and Hobby, Payless Shoes and the Friar Tuck Book Shop, not to mention the superb Delaware Plaza Wines & Liquors. For great clothing deals, check out Past Perfect (right next to Friendly’s) and at the Four Corners (where Kenwood Avenue crosses Delaware), look for a collection of boutiques selling children’s clothes, books, gifts, jewelry, gourmet foods and more. And there’s always the Saratoga Shoe Depot for good prices on a pair of cool kicks.

Jay Street Schenectady.
A little retail paradise in the middle of the Electric City: a handful of gift shops here flank a common area that’s been closed to traffic. The Open Door Bookstore holds court at one end, and don’t forget to hop across the street to check out Proctor’s Arcade, where there are a few sweet gift shops and a sheet-music store.

Lark Street/Lower Central Avenue
Albany. Still a modest oasis of specialty shops, restaurants and bars. A handful of new stores and restaurants have spiced up the area lately, amid the secondhand, antique, record, book and gift shops. Don’t miss Romeo’s Gifts, Elissa Halloran Designs for unique jewelry and the Lark Street Flower Market. For the latest in fashion and accessories, check out Shining Star, and the goth-inspired fashions at Web of Threads. Also, pop into Flamingo’s, a store packed to the gills with retro kitsch treasures. Among the storefronts on Central Avenue, you’ll find Daybreak, an oasis of vintage wear; Music Shack, with its great selection of alternative and urban music; and Peace Offerings, the gift store of the Social Justice Center, which sells unusual and exotic items from the world over. A few blocks up you’ll find Earthworld—for all your comic needs—and Central Avenue fixture, the Honest Weight Food Co-op, a must for the organic-food connoisseur.

Latham Circle Mall
Routes 9 and 7, Latham, 785-6633. Features standard mall fare in close to 100 shops, plus a multiscreen cineplex. The malls anchor stores are JCPenney and a mondo Burlington Coat Factory Outlet.

Manchester Center,
Vt. Routes 7A and 11/30, Manchester Center, Vt. A veritable outlet town nestled amid the Green Mountains. Plenty of upscale, outlet-priced retail therapy to be had at every turn.

Northway Mall
Central Avenue Colonie (across from Colonie Center). This area has been given a face-lift. The old mall has been torn down and replaced with a brand-new strip mall featuring Target, Marshall’s, Jo-Ann Etc. among others.

Rotterdam Square
Campbell Road (off I-890), Rotterdam, 374-3713. Featuring most of the usual retail chains, with Sears as an anchor store. The mall also boasts a six-screen cineplex.

Route 9,
Latham From Hoffman’s Playland to a factory-outlet complex just north of the Latham Circle, this strip offers just about everything you could want from suburbia. Along this road is where you’ll find a TJ Maxx store (at the junction of Routes 9 and 155), another Marshall’s, a Lenox China outlet, a Dansk outlet and Latham Farms—a strip mall that’s home to a big ol’ Wal-Mart, CompUSA and more.

Downtown Saratoga Springs
Saratoga may not have old-time prices, but it still has that old-time downtown feeling, with one of the area’s classiest collections of boutiques and shops. Don’t miss the off-price Saratoga Shoe Depot and the hot footwear selection Saratoga Soles. Check out All Outdoors Inc. for outdoor equipment and accessories, Magic Moon for all things metaphysical and Soavé Faire Fine Arts for discount art supplies. There are even a couple of stores downtown that’ll satisfy your cravings for the true shopping mall experience: Borders Books and Music, the Gap, Banana Republic, Starbucks and Eddie Bauer have all graced Broadway with their chain-store presences.

Sutton’s Marketplace
Route 9, Queensbury, 798-1188. An eclectic spot where you’ll find everything from sophisticated women’s designer clothes, a café, a gift shop, furniture emporium and a “toy cottage.”

Stuyvesant Plaza
Western Avenue and Fuller Road, Guilderland, 482-8986. A more upscale strip mall featuring some distinctive (and pricier) clothing stores, such as Circles, Charmant, Lifestyles and Casual Set; the Book House, the area’s largest locally owned bookstore; camera and photography equipment store Stuyvesant Photo; Hippo’s, a haven for home electronics connoisseurs; jewelry and gift stores; children’s clothing stores; and much more.

Downtown Troy
In the past, nobody would mistake the downtown section of the collar city for a bustling retail center. But these days it seems to be making a comeback. Some of our favorite shopping destinations: Hummingbird Designs, hadcrafted jewelry; the Music Shack, offering recorded auditory delight; Mary Elizabeth, fancy toiletries and candles; Counties of Ireland, all manner of Irish gifts and clothing; Iris Gifts, featuring the work of local artists; Dragonfly, antiques and collectibles; and Aurora’s Willow Creek, specializing in Victorian and Czechoslovakian jewelry. And while you’re in Troy, don’t forget to check out River Street, which several nifty antiques stores.

Upper Union Street Schenectady.
Aside from Jay Street, this is the other area of significant retail concentration in the Electric City. Clothing, jewelry, gifts, cards and fast food are all available.

Wilton Mall Route
50 (Northway exit 15), Wilton. 583-2138. Old Navy, Dick’s Clothing and Sporting Goods, Abercrombie & Fitch and Aeropostale are newish features of this complex, which also boasts old faithfuls JCPenney and Sears. Better yet, H&M is coming to Wilton in September. And when you’re done shopping, you can catch a flick at the eight-screen movie theater that’s in this mall, too.

Wolf Road Colonie
A gauntlet for the shopping crazed. If you can get by Colonie Center on the corner of Central Avenue and Wolf Road, watch out . . . what lies in store (pun intended) is a shopaholic’s paradise. To name a few: Barnes & Noble, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Pier I Imports, Talbot’s Outlet and Borders Books and Music.