Shopping at Punto Clave

From the outside it looked full of promise, but for my first shopping mall in Medellín, I have to admit that I walked away from Punto Clave feeling a bit disheartened.

Where were all the clothes shops I had been eagerly anticipating, and the rows of colorful window displays that rang out for hours of splurging?

From Industriales metro station the mall looks big, but when you’re inside and exploring both floors you realize half the units are for business use and the rest are sitting empty, crying out to be filled with products and shoppers.

It’s not really the kind of place you want to go for clothes shopping, with only a handful of clothes shops, but the ones they do have are worth popping into.

Ragged is a really fashionable clothes shop for those who like to keep up with the trends (and who wouldn’t in Colombia) but they do come with a bit of a price tag: dotty pants at 89,900 pesos ($48) and matching camisole tops at 49,000 pesos ($26).

For the more conservative dresser, Sienna has a good selection of ladies clothes, or visit San Francisco with attire for the more demure dresser.

There’s jeans here for the men too, and at the time I visited, they were on sale for just 39,000 pesos ($21) – a bargain if you consider a checked shirt is also the same price.

For sports shorts at 30,000 pesos ($16) pop into the Real Outlet to (they even do scents as well).

Shoes

Calzado Nueva Moda has a good selection but my favorite in the mall is Bucaramanga with a colorful display of all sorts from plimsoles to knee-high boots (in this weather!)

But if you’ve come to shop hard, then you’re probably in the wrong place, unless you’ve just moved into a brand new apartment and are looking for bed linens or some nice decor.

Fatelares has gorgeous looking homewear from bed linen to swanky looking decor, then Estra has all the necessities from plastic bins to kitchen containers.

But, what Punto Clave lacks in retail, it makes up for in food! In fact there’s more fast food and cafes than each genre of shop.

Try some cheesecake flavored ice-cream at Mimo’s or if you’re in a rush, grab a pastry from De Lolita for the bargain price of 3,900 pesos ($2) or an all-American sandwich from Señor Smith at 10,000 ($5).

If you’re feeling flush then Arawaka is a gourmet restaurant where you can wile away some time watching the passers-by.

So what else is there at Punto Clave?

Tucked at the back is Peluquefia – a salon to get your hair cut, then there’s an opticians, a bank and also a store called Angelissima, selling cosmetic creams.

There’s also other services such as health, finance and tourism (you can book a flight with Copa Airlines) and there’s plenty of ATMs at your disposal too although you may not need to withdraw too much with only a handful of shops.

Pro’s – It won’t have the hustle and bustle of the other malls so you won’t be pushing through crowds to get to the shops.

Con’s – Not a great selection of shops.

My Verdict – If you’re in the area pop in but don’t expect too much.

How to Get There – Take the Industriales metro, cross the bridge and enter via the walkway.