Atrium Mall

Designer shopping in Boston's Chestnut Hill

The compact 4 floors of Atrium Mall, located in fashionable Chestnut Hill just west of Boston, pack in more than 35 of Boston's favorite fashion and home furnishing stores.

Add 3 nice restaurants, and you'll consider Atrium Mall to be destination shopping at its best.

Quick Links: Boston Shopping Malls

Arsenal Mall Atrium Mall Burlington Mall CambridgeSide Galleria (Cambridge Mall) Chestnut Hill Mall Copley Place Natick Collection Northshore Mall Patriot Place Prudential Center Quincy Market South Shore Plaza Wrentham Village Premium Outlets

Inside, you'll find that the mall lives up to its name as light pours in through a central atrium as shoppers visit Gap, J. Crew, Anthropologie, Ann Taylor Loft, and Tiffany. Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma, and Restoration Hardware make Atrium Mall a popular destination for anyone focusing on home improvements.

The "anchor" store in this mall is somewhat unusual - a huge, and hugely popular Borders Bookstore. Other not-so-obvious magnets for the mall's well-heeled shoppers are several shops and spas focusing on body care, especially Boston's own Grettacole Day Spa.

Another very interesting store in this mall is White House Black Market, which offers chic and trendy clothing in . . . you guessed it . . . only black and white. How's that as a way to simplify color coordination?

Essentials: Atrium Mall

Location: 300 Boylston Street (Route 9, a few miles west of Boston), Chestnut Hill (Newton), MA
More information: 617-526-1400; www.simon.com (search for "Atrium")
Parking: Free indoor garage offering optional valet service

Also part of the interesting mix that you'll find here is Second Time Around. Ever wonder where designer label clothing goes after closets are cleared to make room for the next season's must-have fashions? You'll find a lot of them here . . . at very attractive prices. (For even more designer fashion at discount prices, check out savings at the Wrentham Village Outlets.)

Naturally, you'll need some food in order to stagger home under the weight of all of your purchases. No junky mall food here! Instead you'll find Boston's perennial pizza favorite, Bertucci's, The Cheesecake Factory, and another interesting, slightly unusual choice for a mall, Le's Vietnamese.

All in all, Atrium Mall is one of the Boston area's most interesting shopping malls - a carefully edited collection of interest stores and restaurants grouped together in attractive surroundings.