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Lincoln Road /shopping 
AGORA
Align your chakras in this mystical import outlet. Flurries of colorful items are organized in no particular order – but it’s not like you’ll find...more

 

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ANTHROPOLOGIE
You’ll have a hard time not falling in love with the classy vintage aura that embodies the airy, spacious store; the whimsical, beachy...more

 

BASE
Whether it’s the distinct Ibiza dance music or alluring aromas that entice you into Base, you’ll always be glad you...more

 

BCBG MAX AZRIA
This BCBG is the largest in the state, and you’ll have no qualms with its extensive, trendy medley of women’s styles, full runway collection and bi-yearly sale on selected items up to 50% off...more

 

BEBE
Possibly one of the busiest clothing stores on Lincoln Road, Bebe is a familiar name to many and a reliable...more

 

CACHE
Cache’s  motto: “confident, sexy, social and stylish.” It’s a sensible shopping haven for trendy older women who aren’t audacious enough to wear low-cut, body-hugging, 20-something garb...more

 

CHROMA
This little gem, owned by Bonnie Engelstein, is hidden in one of the many alcoves of Lincoln Road, and can easily be missed if you don’t know exactly...more

 

EN AVANCE
You might say this store epitomizes life on South Beach: First, you must pass the “velvet rope” and be buzzed in. Then once inside you are free to browse the very...more

 

ETE
Miami has a reputation for its high fashion and haughty attitudes, but tucked away on Lincoln Road, Ete forces shoppers to leave all those preconceived notions...more

 

FRAGRANCE SHOP
Walk into your own antique apothecary chock-full of over 800 hundred bottles of scented pure oils. The Fragrance Shop prides itself on carrying quality oils – sans water or alcohol fillers used by commercial brands. Create your ...more

 

GALLERIA
This store has all the top designers one wouldn’t dream of being in South Beach without: Gianfranco Ferre, Roberto Cavalli, Hugo Boss and D&G, all in ...more

 

GHIRARDELLI
Forget the overwhelming aroma of sweets in the air – the size of the store alone is enough to impress even the premier chocolate connoisseur. After a greeting and free sample from store employees at the entrance, you can hop on a ...more

 

HOWARD AUSTIN FELD GALLERY
In a long, minimalist room on Lincoln Road, the walls are lined with artwork – but not the kind you’ll hang beside your family portrait. Howard Austin Feld is known worldwide for his digital nude photos, which are reprinted with different inks....more

 

NEO ACCESSARIO
Where can you shop with Jennifer Lopez, P. Diddy, and Gloria Estefan for the hottest new accessories from designers like Miu Miu, Christian Dior....more

 

NEO SCARPA
If you are looking for fabulous shoes this is only place you need to go on the beach. They carry both men’s and women’s styles in almost every design and color you ...more

 

RICKY'S
The best way to describe it: “A drug store on ecstasy,” says a store employee. Lively neon wigs cover the right wall; colorful flip flops cover the left. The front of the store features signs, makeup, buttons, magnets, sunglasses, jewelry ...more

 

ROSA CHA
This tiny beach boutique epitomizes South Beach daytime garb: swimwear at its best. The Brazilian fashion shop features wall-to-wall high-end beachwear; bathing suits, sarongs, sandals, bags and jewelry. Brazilian and American cut....more

 

SOURCE PARIS
These two sister stores (one for men and one for women) are located but a few doors from each other on Lincoln Road, however each store has a vibe all its own....more

 

STEVEN SHOES
If it wasn’t a shoe store, it could easily be a trendy bar with its illuminated chandeliers and chic ambiance. High fashion footwear plus quality and comfort is what Steve Madden had in mind when he created the Steven line....
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WHITE HOUSE/BLACK MARKET
Looking for classic well-made clothes that are modern, but never too trendy? At White House/Black Market you will find all those things. You won't come across any....more
BRIEF HISTORY OF A COOL STREET/joseph brown 

In 1947, Life Magazine's twelve page feature article on Miami Beach summed it up like this: "Each winter it becomes the mecca for stage stars, songwriters, playboys, labor leaders, big-money executives and big-money gamblers." Between 1925 and the early 60's Miami Beach was the winter playground for the world's elite. And in the center of it all was a street known as the "Fifth Avenue of the South," Lincoln Road.

At one time Lincoln Road was Miami Beach's top commercial area, with shops, nightclubs, bars, and department stores lining both sides of the street from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to Biscayne Bay. Saks Fifth Avenue, Harry Winston Jewelers, and Bonwit-Teller all were there for wealthy resort hotel guests to visit. 

The Road had no less than five movie theaters within its ten block span, including the world famous Carib Theater, with its live parrots in the lobby and mechanical roof that retracted to allow patrons to view feature films under a moonlit Miami Beach sky. 

Wealthy vacationers from the north would often arrive in Miami Beach for the winter season sporting empty steamer trunks to be used to transport their purchases back home again in April. Most of those purchases were made in the stores on Lincoln Road.

South Florida Art Center

However, in the late 1950's things began to change. New economic pressures would change the future of Lincoln Road for many years to come. Large new hotels like the Fontainebleau and Americana were designed as self-contained resorts complete with shopping areas and night clubs on premises where guests could spend their tourist dollars. Lounges like the Fontainebleau's LaRonde Room or Eden Roc's Mona Lisa Room attracted world class entertainers like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. 

On the popular American Plan breakfast, dinner, and sometimes even cocktails and entertainment were included in the price of the room, so guests began to dine in the hotel's own fine restaurants rather than in local restaurants on Lincoln Road. At one time, the Americana Hotel alone employed over sixty chefs to service its winter guests. All this put great economic pressure on Lincoln Road's shops and restaurants, and the area soon began to feel the strain.

E PLURIBUS/ lapidus

In an attempt to reverse the economic hardship being suffered by local stores and restaurants, the city commissioned famed Miami Beach architect Morris Lapidus, designer of the Fontainebleau Hotel, to transform Lincoln Road into a pedestrian shopping mall in 1960. The Road was closed to auto traffic and Lapidus created a beautiful shopping mall area filled with lush tropical plants, pink sidewalks, fountains, and unique sculptures. 

These changes met with some success, but the turnaround was short-lived. In the years that followed, Lincoln Road's stores closed their doors one by one. Even the crown jewel, Saks Fifth Avenue eventually called it quits.

New social pressures were also waiting just around the corner. Miami Beach's population, especially in South Beach, was shifting toward elderly retirees. At one point 80 percent of South Beach's population was over 65 years of age. These retirees, living in South Beach's old hotels and apartment buildings on low fixed incomes became a powerful political force and soon began resisting new taxes and bond issues, thus denying the city much needed revenue for infrastructure improvements.

Castro's Mariel Boatlift brought in new residents at the lower end of the socio-economic scale. Of the 250,000 Marielitos allowed to come to the United States during the boatlift, it is estimated that 10 percent of this number were criminals straight out of Cuban jails. The crime rate in South Beach soared. 

To compound the problem, Miami in the 1980's also had a slight "Colombian Marching Powder" problem to contend with. Check any Miami Vice re-run for details.

At its low point, most of Lincoln Road's shops stood vacant. The Road's golden days were seemingly gone forever.

But, in the late 80's when South Beach began its resurgence, development progressed in much the same way that the island's original development occurred in the early part of this century, namely, from the south, northward. Tony Goldman's Park Central Hotel, the News Cafe and the Cardozo Hotel/Restaurant all sprang to life in just a few short years. South Beach's redevelopment was like a tidal wave breaking right up Ocean Drive.

And as Ocean Drive turned around, so did Lincoln Road. Less touristy and more of a hip community, the Road is now blossoming into South Beach's creative district with artists and media production companies gravitating to the area at a steady pace.

So, will Lincoln Road recapture its glory days of the past, when movie stars and high rollers dressed in tropical white outfits strolled its sidewalks? Well, it turns out that shopping at Saks has given way to pumping iron with the hard bodies at Idol's Gym, but other than that, things are basically the same as they were in the 1930's; beautiful weather, beautiful surroundings, and beautiful people. Recapture the glory days? Absolutely. Except, forget the part about "strolling in a white outfit." These days it's roller-blades and skin-tights. Just ask one of the hard-bodies skating by. They should know.