Shopping choices plentiful

Amanda N. Wegner

Need an Ionic Breeze machine? The Capital Region 's got it. Looking for the perfect gift, perhaps a hand-blown glass ornament or organic baby outfit? The Capital Region has that, too. From big-box stores to locally owned shops, the area offers a spectrum of shopping to satisfy every budget and please every person on your list.

Change is in the air

The Capital Region 's retail options are anything but stagnant. The Madison area continues to add new stores, and large retailers coming in 2007 are a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Monona, a SuperTarget in Fitchburg, and a Costco in Middleton. There 's also speculation about a Lowe 's near Sun Prairie and a new Farm & Fleet in Verona.

But big boxes aren 't the only ones growing. On Park Street, Chirpia, which specializes in artisan crafts from the Americas, opened in fall 2006. MoCo Market, short for Modern Convenience, which opened early in 2007, is the hip new place on Williamson Street, offering everything from basic groceries to home gadgets to that latest music. Inside the revamped Hilldale, Fair Indigo 's tagline is "Style with a conscience " as it specializes in Fair Trade clothing, coffee and gifts. Out at Greenway Station in Middleton, Endurance House caters to athletes who choose to go the distance in events like the Ironman Triathlon.

While new retail options keep cropping up, some old have received facelifts in the last year. The most notable is that of Hilldale Shopping Center, www.hilldale.com, which now boasts a number of new restaurants, parking ramps, a Sundance Cinema and more. Not far from Hilldale, the former Midvale Plaza shopping center is becoming Sequoya Commons and getting a grand overhaul, complete with retail options and condominiums.

Madison 's two Target stores, perhaps to keep pace with the construction of the new store on Highway PD in Fitchburg, received updates and expansions.

The Monroe Street shopping corridor welcomed a Trader Joe 's food store. There also are art galleries, clothing boutiques, funky gift shops, do-it-yourself art shops and Knickbocker Place, which features Alex, Madison 's only Polish-American deli. Most of the stores and eateries on Monroe are in the 1500-1900 or 2500-2700 blocks.

Shopping standards

Madison has several major centers for those who prefer one-stop shopping. Greenway Station, an open-air shopping center off the Beltline in Middleton, has seen its fair share of change, but houses several area exclusives, including White House Black Market, Sharper Image and Orvis. Also in this center 's mix are a number of locally owned stores.

For those who work up an appetite while shopping, Greenway also offers a number of eateries, including Claddagh Irish Pub, Cheeseburger in Paradise and more. For more information and a complete list of stores and restaurants, visit www.greenwayshopping.com.

The area 's other large shopping centers are East and West Towne Malls. West Towne, off Gammon Road at the Beltline, has over 110 stores and 17 eateries. East Towne, just off East Washington Avenue near the Interstate, boasts 100-plus stores and eateries. Each mall is accompanied by or near a cadre of big-name retailers, such as Kohl 's Department Store, Best Buy and Old Navy, to name a few. For more information on West Towne, visit www.shopwesttowne-mall.com; for East Towne, visit www.shopeasttowne-mall.com.

Other malls in Madison include South Towne, off the Beltline at South Towne Drive, and Westgate Mall on the corner of Whitney Way and Odana Road.

Shop local

Buying local is easy in the Capital Region, especially in Madison 's downtown area. Comprised of King and State streets, the Capitol Square and surrounding blocks, this area offers a refreshing and eclectic mix of shops. While parking can be a premium at times, the situation continues to improve year after year.

On Madison 's east side, the Atwood-Schenk neighborhood is gaining ground as a hot retail spot with galleries and specialty stores, including -- for those who want some bling -- an outfit that makes dental grills. Willy Street and a few blocks along East Johnson Street are some other prime neighborhood retail areas.

Neighboring communities offer a plethora of local shopping options. Stoughton, which is 15 minutes south of Madison on U.S. 51, has a thriving and vibrant downtown that specializes in do-it-yourself offerings. Try a cooking class at All Through the House, make a quilt at the Quilt Forge or try beading at Midnight Moon.

Just northeast of Madison on U.S. 151 is a transformed and growing Sun Prairie, which recently completed a transformation of parts of its downtown. Verona, Cottage Grove and Middleton all offer interesting retail stores as well, ranging from children 's boutiques to upscale galleries.

For a map of the retail locations in Madison, check out the Madison Area Shopping Centers map on Page 38. For shopping options in area communities, call the community 's local Chamber of Commerce or visit the community 's Web site.