Urban shopping
Kensington District
Centred on 10 street nw and kensington road nw is home to art galleries, fashion retailers, and antiques. it is somewhat more upscale than say stephen or atlantic, but not in a snobby way.
17 Avenue SW
Is calgary's most well known urban business street and is home to chains like the source and le chateau, and more independent-focused businesses like megatunes. if you literally drop from all the shopping, the heart of the strip is this little park called tompkins park, filled with nice shading from summer heat and cozy benches.
Stephen Avenue
Is in the heart of the central business area of the downtown and as a number is 8 av sw. it is home mostly to restaurants and some bars, but you will still find shops like hmv fronting it. the avenue is also home to most of the downtown malls which are all coming together in one giant renovation into the core which should be completed in the near-future.
Inglewood
Centred of atlantic avenue 9 ave se east of the elbow river, this quirky neighborhood is almost devoid of chain businesses save maybe a starbucks, leaving a sea of unique businesses. the highlights are the coffee shops, art galleries, trendy clothiers, and upscale furniture shops. this is arguably calgary's best urban shopping area.
Suburban shopping
Deerfoot Meadows
(http://deerfootmeadows.ca) is reached by taking deerfoot trail southbound to the southland drive exit or northbound to the heritage drive exit. big box stores you'll find include ikea, best buy, michael's, real canadian superstore and future shop.
CrossIron Mills
This large shopping centre is in the neighbouring hamlet of Balzac. Similar in format to other "Mills" malls, it has many well-known stores and outlets. When it opened in 2009 it was the first new enclosed mall to be built in the Calgary area in a generation. Plan on driving, however, there is a limited mall-owned free shuttle for mall workers at the end of the line C-train station in the north-east, if you're lucky you might be able to get on it. Store highlights include the province's only branch of Bass Pro Shops worth checking out for the spectacular wildlife and hunting displays inside, Pro Hockey Life, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Indigo Books, a multiplex movie theatre, and even one of the only Canadian locations of Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs.
Chinook Centre
(http://www.chinookcentre.com/) is on macleod trail at 58th avenue south close to the chinook c-train station. this is calgary's largest mall and is one of the best shopping experiences in the city for variety and amount of retail shops. an extension opened in 2010.
Deerfoot Outlet Mall
(http://deerfootmall.ca) is located at deerfoot trail and 64 ave ne. anchor tenants include sears, wal-mart, winners, sport chek and kacz kids.
Market Mall
(http://www.marketmall.ca/...) is in the northwest near the university of calgary.
Southcentre Mall
(http://southcentre.shoppi...) is located at macleod trail and anderson road, and is a five minute walk from the anderson c-train lrt station.
Eau Claire Market
A unique market-style mall with interesting shops, restaurants and cinemas. The market is in a state of renewal and lacks many of the attractions it once had.