Shopping Yerevan-Style

Dalma Garden Mall

If I were not in Yerevan, I would have  zero interest in going to a shopping mall, having converted years ago to catalog and then on-line shopping. But I am in Yerevan -- home of thousands of tiny retail outlets -- and when I heard about the brand new Dalma Garden Mall I knew it would only be a matter of time.

So today Denise and I headed there in full mall assault mode. That means comfortable shoes, easy to change clothing, big bags, credit cards, and AMD cash. Obviously we had every intention of "recreational acquisitioning," or buying something for the fun of it. And being Americans, we were there within seconds of 10:00 a.m., which we assumed was opening time. There were a dozen cars in the parking lot and the place looked empty as we walked toward the entrance. "I wonder what time the stores open?" I mused, fearful that in our enthusiasm we had ignored where we were and who we were.

Food Court

At 10:00 a.m.this brand new mall was beautifully vacant. No crowds to contend with, no lines at the check-outs. Soaring ceilings, escalators to the upper floor, a food court with a fountain and outdoor seating. The big French Carrefour is not yet open but the British Marks & Spencer welcomes shoppers and its clerks even try to be helpful! The American GAP describes its different jeans styles in Armenian. One of my favorite stores, Zara, has stores for men, women, and children. Per Wikipedia, Zara (which I fell in love with in Oporto, Portugal) is a Spanish retailer based in Galicia.  But more interesting today, Zara is the flagship chain store of the Inditex group; the fashion group also owns brands such as Massimo Dutti, Pull and Bear, Oysho, Stradivarius and Bershka -- all of which are in the Dalma Garden Mall. Maybe it should be called the Inditex Mall or the Zara Mall. But just for the record, my favorite store of all was Massimo Dutti--if only I were a size 2.

Actually most stores seemed to be stocked primarily with S and XS. Where you could find a M or L, they bore no resemblance to what they would be in the US. I overheard one English-speaker say "Is this a Child's Large?"  My greatest disappointment was finally finding a leather jacket in soft rust leather that could have brought an end to my 30 year hobby/search for the perfect leather jacket--only to realize that a large is not a large is not a large.

On offer at a lingerie shop

We covered the territory, tried on lots of things, looked for gifts. There are plenty of shoe and lingerie shops--sort of in proportion to their presence elsewhere in town. We enjoyed pork gyros in the food court for lunch. I tried very hard to buy a coat and shoes but was unsuccessful; same with camouflage jeans. But I did score two sweaters, one at a special 10% discount for weekend shoppers. Denise did better. The rust shoes I tried on fit her better and she found some sweaters and lounging pants. I gave some serious thought to a leather purse in Charles & Keith, which according to the chatty clerk is a second level store for Vuitton based on Singapore. If only the Information Desk person spoke English as well as he did.



When we left about 2:00 the parking lot was full, the check-out lines were long and more people were coming in. And I was already thinking I should have bought the orange leather purse I loved in an accessories-only store. I hate it when that happens.