Mary T.
Yelp
When I lived in Rochester, the closest outlet mall was in Medford, which was west of Rochester and would take roughly 45 minutes. I passed by it recently. I am glad it is still alive and kicking.
In the Twin Cities back then, the lone outlet mall was in Albertville, which is northwest of Minneapolis. I'd pass by it often en route to Fargo, Grand Forks, and ultimately, Winnipeg.
Recently, I learned that there's a new outlet in the Twin Cities. Well, it's new to me! It's located in Eagan, just south of Mall of America. On New Year's Day, I decided to drop by.
It looks new. I was looking for the closest parking spot to the Gap Factory Store. To my surprise, I found covered parking. It's Minnesota and it snows. It was perfect. I parked and walked across the street to start shopping.
Like most premium outlets, this one has partly covered areas. You are still somewhat outdoors, braving the elements if you are not physically in a store.
The variety of stores was nice. Let's start with food. From jerky to Auntie Anne's, you can get your snacking game on. There are also vending machines by the washrooms where you can get cookies, candy bars, and more. There's also Market Hall, which is the food court with six different fast food eateries.
I spent probably a good four hours here. I walked the whole place. If I walk an entire outlet mall, it's a sign that I like being there. Normally, I will pick and choose the stores that I want to go into, and I will call it good. It wasn't the case here.
I first hit the Gap store. The deals were amazing. I then visited Converse and got a great pair of suede sneakers for under $20. I saved quite a bit at both stores.
I realized at 3 pm that I hadn't had lunch. I grabbed some mini pretzel dogs from Auntie Anne's, along with a Diet Pepsi, which satisfied my hunger pangs. I also happen to love anything from Auntie Anne's.
I enjoyed stopping by Fossil, Hot Topic, Hanes, and more. Staff at all stores were nice and friendly.
Washrooms are clean. Signs are clearly posted. I like that there are indoor pathways between the food court and the washrooms, so you don't have to freeze to death to get from one place to the other when it's winter.
It's a nice outlet mall. It's likely one of the nicer ones that I have been to over the years. I had a positive first experience. I look forward to exercising my wallet here again soon.
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