Woodbury Commons draws hordes of shoppers each year

By Rebecca Rothbaum
Poughkeepsie Journal

As one hurtles toward Woodbury Common on the New York State Thruway, the outlet shopping complex nestled in the rolling hills of Orange County looks like a small city.

Indeed, with 220 stores, Woodbury Common Premium Outlets is a mecca of merchandise for millions lured to Central Valley by discounted designer goods.

In the 15 years since it was founded, the outlet has expanded several times and become the second most popular tourist destination in New York state (Niagara Falls comes first) and the most popular in the Hudson Valley, with 12 million visitors each year.

Although the parking lot is usually full of cars with New York, New Jersey and Connecticut plates, some come to Woodbury Common from as far as Asia, including bus loads of Japanese tourists drawn by the outlet's motto ''everyday savings of 25 to 65 percent.''

This is prime time at Woodbury Common, the mega-shopping season between Thanksgiving and Christmas. And as a visitor found on a trip there on the unofficial opening of the season, Thanksgiving weekend, Woodbury Common does offer real savings on high-quality goods. It is worth a drive there for holiday shopping. It is possible to find gifts that will impress, delight and amaze without going broke.

But shoppers take heed: Set aside a whole day for Woodbury Common. With the variety and sheer number of shops, a trip there will no doubt take longer than expected.

And there is a very decent food court with offerings from Haagen Daz, Au Bon Pain, Starbucks Coffee and restaurants like Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar for refueling.

It is also a good idea to stop by the information kiosk in the food court for a list of stores and a map. Hit the stores you most want to get to first. By the end of the day, you may be too pooped to shop.

Here, luxury stores like Barneys New York, Bottega Veneta, Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo or Natori, normally financially off-limits to many, are safe for browsing. Although much of the clothing, shoes and other goods in these stores still may not be cheap, they are dramatically reduced in price.

For example, a pair of elegant leather Ferragamo pumps, once $225, were selling for $109 last weekend. In Barneys, silk blouses with ties, once $137, were $59. At Natori, bras were going for less than $10.

At the Ralph Lauren store annex (yes, there are two Lauren stores), men's corduroy pants were selling for $10. A man's gray wool blazer was $39.

Even if the merchandise were last season's, the prices at Woodbury Common would still be good. But most of it is not. This is certainly the case at the Banana Republic Store, where shoppers will find many of the company's current styles. One of the best deals there last weekend was a woman's slightly sheer, stretchy sweater that was reduced to $12.

There are stores for kids, too, including Carter's and OshKosh B'Gosh, as well as K*B Toy Liquidators.

And remember, Woodbury Common is not just clothing.

Jewelry and watches can be found in such stores as Fossil, Movado and Zales. At the Seiko store, a $225 ladies watch with a stainless steel band was $50. A dressier timepiece with a red leather band, once $895, was $360.

For the home, check out Corning Revere, Le Creuset, Williams-Sonoma Marketplace, Oneida or Royal Dalton. At Dansk, four-piece sets of flatware were selling for as little as $30 and $40.

Holiday shoppers in particular may want to swing by stores like Godiva, where boxes of chocolates were half price, Sony, Perfumania and Bear Mountain Books.

Additional savings can be had by downloading coupons from the outlet's Web site or picking up a coupon book there. The only caveat is it is easy to buy too much.