Shopping in Salt Lake City

Shopping opportunities here are plentiful, in fact, the very first department store in the US opened for business right here in 1868. Today Salt Lake City has literally hundreds of retail options from specialist antique, book and handicraft stores to shopping villages and factory outlet malls.

Key areas

Mormon Handicraft, West South Temple, sells beautiful quilts and other speciality items unique to the state. Bentley Square, Crossroads Plaza, also sells quilts, dolls, home decoration items, jewellery and other gifts by Utah artisans. Utah Woolen Mills Clothiers, 59 West South Temple, is the city’s oldest and finest independent clothing establishment, while Ken Sanders Rare Books and Sam Weler’s Zion Bookstore are arguably the leading purveyors of another Salt Lake favourite, antiquarian books.

Markets

The Downtown Farmers' Market (mornings, June-October), Historic Pioneer Park, 300 South 300 West, features fresh produce from over 70 Utah farmers.

Shopping centres

Opposite Temple Square is Crossroads Plaza, with an arcade, theatres and restaurants, as well as shops and department stores. In the adjacent block is the ZCMI Center, which stands for Zion Cooperative Mercantile Institution, originally founded by Brigham Young, making it possibly the country's oldest department store.

The Gateway, an open-air, upmarket shopping arcade, situated west of Temple Square, is Salt Lake City's smartest venue (and Utah's largest open air shopping district). One of the city's favourite shopping centres is Trolley Square, 600 South 700 East, a few blocks from Downtown. Fashion Place, 6191 South State Street, is Salt Lake City's more upmarket mall.

Opening hours

Most stores are open daily and general shopping hours are Monday to Saturday 0900-2100 and Sunday 1100-1700.

Tax information

Sales tax is 6.6%, which foreign visitors are able to reclaim upon departure. Global Refund (tel: 1 800 566 9828; www.globalrefund.com) provides further information. Additional taxes may be charged in individual counties.

Visa and passport information is updated regularly and is correct at the time of publishing. You should verify critical travel information independently with the relevant embassy before you travel.