One of Charlotte's biggest weaknesses is the relative lack of retail shopping in the center city. Though this will change somewhat in the near future, you will generally have to venture into the suburbs to do your shopping. As with most American cities, most retail is in malls and shopping centers, though some areas especially the inner suburbs have stores along the streets.
Metropolitan Midtown
(http://www.metmidtown.com/) just outside the central business district, is the redevelopment of the former charlottetown mall. concord mills (http://www.concordmills.com) is not technically in charlotte, but is the largest shopping destination in the region. carolina place mall (http://www.carolinaplace.com) is a large mall near the southern city line, convenient to the southern suburbs and stateline. eastland mall (http://www.eastlandmall.com) is an older charlotte mall that is slated for a revitalization while northlake mall (http://www.shopnorthlake.com) is a new mall in north charlotte, convenient to the university area and lake norman area. southpark mall (http://www.southpark.com) is arguably charlotte's largest and most upscale mall, 6 mi south of center city. belgate (http://www.crescent-resou...) features the first ikea store in the carolinas.
Dilworth and Plaza-Midwood
If you are looking to shop outside the commercial retail sector, try exploring some of the districts just outside the I-277 loop. In particular, the Dilworth and Plaza-Midwood areas are good places to visit unique, funky stores. East Blvd. upscale and Thomas St. downscale are both good places to find unusual items.
There are several market-style locations scattered across the city. There is a "green market" (http://www.centercitygree...) during the warmer months on E 7th St near Tryon, the EclecFest market (http://prelude.realeyesbo...) every second Saturday behind the Neighborhood Theater on N. Davidson St., and many flea markets in and around the city.