Shop till you drop
by Nick Hall

NORTH VALLEY – Shoppers in the North Valley this holiday season have an expanded field before them in Happy Valley Towne Center and The Shops at Norterra.

The two shopping centers, just east of Interstate 17 along Happy Valley Road, boast plenty of parking, stores and restaurants. Other than the rare rainy day, the only drawback to these outdoor centers is rush‑hour traffic congestion at the roundabouts on either side of I‑17.

There are currently no plans to install signalized traffic controls at the I‑17 interchange, according to Jennifer Burbach, marketing director for The Shops at Norterra. 

“Right now the city is comfortable with the roundabouts,” Burbach said. “That could change after our shops open and traffic increases, but right now the city is comfortable with the traffic controls in place.”

Currently, Best Buy, Coldwater Creek and Arizona’s first Dick’s Sporting Goods are open for business in the 350,000‑square‑foot shopping center. Harkins Theaters will be opening a 14‑screen theater in the spring. The center’s Grand Opening is scheduled for April. 17.

The Shops at Norterra will be highly landscaped, featuring shade structures and benches, to create a comfortable shopping experience.

Happy Valley Towne Center, located across the road from The Shops at Norterra, opened in 2005 and is now fully operational. The 800,000‑square‑foot outdoor center features major stores such as Wal‑Mart, Lowe’s, Circuit City, Petco and the Valley’s first Sports Chalet.

In addition, smaller specialty stores include EB Games, Verizon Wireless, Sprint PCS and Barnes & Noble. Eateries within the plaza include sit‑down restaurants Red Robin and T.G.I. Friday’s. It also has fast‑food fare in the form of Carl’s Jr., and Quiznos, among others.

Tramonto Marketplace, anchored by Home Depot and a recently opened Kohl’s department store, is another burgeoning shopping center in the I‑17 corridor. The 400,000‑square‑foot marketplace, also an outdoor center, is located at Carefree Highway and I‑17.

Just north of Tramonto are the Outlets at Anthem, Wal‑Mart and other smaller retailers.

The Desert Foothills area boasts an abundance of small, independently owned shops in Carefree, Cave Creek and far North Scottsdale that offer more personalized gift options, as opposed to many items found in major chain stores, including fine art, antiques, unique artifacts and works done by local artisans.

Large crowds and heavy traffic experienced at big shopping centers are alien to these unique shops.

There is no shortage of eateries in the Foothills area and the numerous restaurants serve a variety of fare. Since the overwhelming majority of restaurants are also independently owned, they offer a more unique menu and experience than many chain restaurants. 

The Carefree‑Cave Creek Chamber of Commerce web site (carefreecavecreek.org) lists many area restaurants and specialty shops.  

To be sure, shoppers no longer need to leave the far North Valley to ‘shop till you drop.’

To reach the reporter: nick@thedesertadvocate.com