Shopping
We can remember when Branson had little more than stores for the locals that provided the basics, plus a couple of cafes and a few bait shops that catered to anglers. Gradually, visiting country-music shows developed to provide evening entertainment for the visiting anglers and their nonfishing spouses, and then began to attract others who were more interested in the music than in the fishing and lake activities. Then came more shops and outlet malls, so many that now shopping has become a major reason why tourists come to our town. (See the History chapter.)
The outlet malls have changed Branson, and they may change your idea of shopping. Savings of 40 to 60 percent might change any shopper! Many manufacturers have shops in the outlet malls, and you’ll have to check each mall for your particular quarry or just browse and see what interests you. We’ve divided the Branson area into several different types of shopping, and we hope the list serves as a general guide.
Branson and its environs are home to scores of talented artists and craftspeople. Some of your best buys in crafts can be had at the many area crafts shows (see the Annual Events chapter). If you’re in the market for handcrafted treasures, check the shops at Silver Dollar City, Branson Mill Craft Village, and the Grand Village, which we’ve listed in this chapter. We don’t want to imply that our list is a comprehensive directory of all the shopping places in Branson. Far from it! It seems like every time we go out we discover another neat store tucked away somewhere. However, our list should get you started. We’ve included phone numbers for the stores. If a store doesn’t have a number, that’s because it’s in a mall with a central phone number or because it is written up more fully in another section of Shopping or another chapter.
Unless we mention it, all stores willingly accept your plastic as well as cash, and many accept checks, but ask before writing one. Lots of the little retail shops, especially those in the theaters, may be closed during the slower months of January and February, but the bigger shopping centers and major stores are open year-round.
1. Carolina Mills Factory Outlet
City: Branson, MO
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (417) 334-2291
Description: If you think only of sheets and towels when you think of this outlet, think again. Yes, you can get lace, upholstery fabric, pillowcases, and sheets and towels, but this 5,000-square-foot, barnlike store also has a host of other items: gift closeouts from major stores and men’s and women’s ready-to-wear clothing, with an emphasis on Western wear. (It’s a great favorite for square dance clubs to buy costumes!) Lots of entertainers from The Strip check in every so often to see what’s new, and area Elvis impersonators buy scarves by the gross to throw to audiences after a sweaty encore of “Love Me Tender.” There is also a large selection of ladies’ denims. A great favorite is the $5 room, where every item is $5 or less or two for $5.
City: Branson, MO
Category: Shopping
Address: 1000 Pat Nash Dr.
City: Branson, MO
Category: Shopping
Address: 4562 Gretna Rd.
City: Branson, MO
Category: Shopping
Address: 300 Tanger Blvd.
5. Branson Heights Shopping Center
City: Branson, MO
Category: Shopping
Description: This was Branson’s first shopping center, built way out in the country when there was nothing but barren roadside to the west and woods between it and downtown Branson. It has the usual mix of professional offices and shops. It has the Koin-O-Matic Laundromat in case you need some clean duds during your Branson visit. Gary’s Coiffure’s, (417) 334-2184, takes walk-ins, and you may see some of the stars from The Strip getting a trim there. Worth checking out is Quilts & Quilts Country Store, (417) 334-3243, one of the largest quilt shops in the tri-state area. The center is also home to the Branson Heights Flea Market (see the Antiques, Crafts, and Flea Markets section later in this chapter).
City: Branson, MO
Category: Shopping
City: Branson, MO
Category: Shopping
City: Branson, MO
Category: Shopping
Address: 2800 West Highway 76
9. Branson Hills Plaza
City: Branson, MO
Category: Shopping
Description: Coming into Branson from the north, you’ll notice an impressive amount of retaining wall rockwork at the Bee Creek Road/Branson Hills Parkway exit. The top of that hill is the home of Branson’s newest shopping venue and hosts Home Depot, Target, and T.J. Maxx. New in 2009 is the nationally known craft mecca, Michaels, as well as a Wal-Mart Supercenter, Best Buy, Books-A-Million, Kohls, Bed, Bath, & Beyond, and a host of smaller shopping opportunities. Eating options currently include Chili’s Restaurant and a Wendy’s, but many more offerings are scheduled for the near future.
City: Branson, MO
Category: Shopping
Address: 3300 Gretna Rd.
City: Branson, MO
Category: Shopping
Address: 1447 MO 248 at Epps Road
12. The Falls Shopping Center
City: Branson, MO
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (417) 343-3400
Address: 3265 Falls Parkway
Description: Less than a mile south of the MO 165 junction at The Strip, this shopping center has more than a dozen shops, restaurants, and businesses. One of the eateries is Shogun’s Japanese Steak House (see the Restaurants chapter). Dressin’ Gaudy, (417) 336-3465, is a favorite place of college students who want to make a splash in fashion without the cost. They have the sequined, flashy fashions, but they also have stylish imports, hip fashions, and swanky costume jewelry at rock-bottom prices. Have an extra hour? Schedule a massage, tanning session, or manicure at Saigon Nails & Tanning, (417) 336-6595. The Falls Shopping Center is a great place to spend some time just looking before you catch the next show.
City: Branson, MO
Category: Shopping
Address: 3562 Shepherd of the Hills Expressway
14. The Apple Tree Mall
City: Branson, MO
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (417) 335-2133
Description: An old supermarket building has been converted into one of the largest crafts malls in the area, though some booths feature antiques and flea-market type items. The mall has more than 400 different booths, and you can find everything from local honey and homemade jams and jellies to handpainted crosscut saws and mailboxes, dried flowers and woodland wonders, fossils, and rock paintings, as well as handmade quilts, afghans, and doilies. It’s a great place to wander about and explore and big enough to almost get lost.
15. Branson Heights Flea Market
City: Branson, MO
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (417) 335-3165
Description: Jack Wallace has converted the old grocery store of the shopping center into one of the biggest flea markets in the Branson area. You can find it all: books, records, tools, dolls, collectibles, crafts, antiques—just a bit of about everything. One of our prize purchases was a first edition of Ernest Hemingway’s In Our Time for a dollar.