Collins Avenue

The story

Collins Avenue is South Beach's shopping street, a block from the sand and running through the Art Deco Historic District. The stores sit in 1930s hotels and storefronts.

The core is between 5th and 9th Streets, where national brands line the avenue. North of there the shops thin out and move into hotels: The Webster at 1220 Collins, Kith at 1931, Wrist Aficionado inside the Setai at 2001, and Big Drop NYC on the ground floor of the 1 Hotel at 2321. Below 5th Street, the South of Fifth neighborhood holds Material Good and Joe's Stone Crab.

What to Expect

The best stop is The Webster South Beach (1220 Collins Ave), Laure Heriard Dubreuil's multi-brand flagship in a 1939 Art Deco hotel, with designer womenswear, menswear and accessories amid vintage wallpaper and brass. Kith Miami (1931 Collins Ave), Kith's first permanent shop outside New York, covers streetwear and sneakers and has a Kith Treats bar inside. The lower blocks are practical: Free People, AX Armani Exchange and Sunglass Hut, a block from the beach. Big Drop NYC carries resort dresses and cover-ups. Watch buyers should know Wrist Aficionado in the Setai and Material Good. One block east, the Official Art Deco Gift Shop (1001 Ocean Dr) sells Art Deco Weekend posters and vintage Miami Beach memorabilia.

Best Time to Visit

Most shops run 10am to 9pm, but the two most interesting stops keep shorter hours: The Webster is open Monday to Saturday 11am to 7pm and Sunday noon to 6pm, and the Art Deco Gift Shop daily 9am to 5pm. Do those first, then shop the chains in the evening once the heat breaks. Material Good is open weekdays 11am to 6pm and by appointment on weekends. During Miami Art Week in early December, the Untitled Art fair sets up at Ocean Drive and 12th Street, a block from The Webster, and the area gets crowded.

If You Only Have an Hour

Start at the Official Art Deco Gift Shop (1001 Ocean Dr) in the Art Deco Welcome Center, then walk a couple of blocks north and one west to The Webster (1220 Collins Ave). Head south down Collins to AX Armani Exchange (760 Collins Ave), and stop for café con leche at Puerto Sagua (700 Collins Ave) on the way to Free People (650 Collins Ave).

Where to Eat

Puerto Sagua (700 Collins Ave) has served Cuban sandwiches and picadillo since the 1960s. In South of Fifth, Joe's Stone Crab (11 Washington Ave) has been the Miami Beach institution since 1913, Stubborn Seed (101 Washington Ave) holds a MICHELIN star for Jeremy Ford's tasting menu, and at Estiatorio Milos you pick your fish from the ice. Late at night, La Sandwicherie on 14th Street does baguette sandwiches.