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Miami

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Why you can trust SCMP
Judith Ritter

There is no shortage of brand-name glam shopping in Miami but since Hong Kong is high-end retail heaven, seek out Miami's more alternative stores in the neighbourhoods that attract fewer visitors.

Historic Little Havana, once a strictly Cuban enclave, now includes other arrivals from Latin America but one thing hasn't changed - the area's passion for cigars. The latest cigar-aficionado haunt is the sleek Art District Cigars (1638 SW 8th Street, tel: 1 305 644 0444), which also has a bar and lounge. Here, the antique rolling tables and leather club chairs entice cigar lovers who come to enjoy some rum and an Aurora Preferido.

A 10-minute walk from here up Calle Ocho (SW 8th Street) is reputedly the largest Latin-music store in the United States, Casino Records (2290 SW 8th Street, tel: 1 786 394 8899; www.casinorecordsmiami.com). Pedro Alvarez Cepero, who offers visitors cups of strong Cuban coffee, started the business soon after his arrival from Cuba in 1964. The store has become a spacious venue stocking everything from hard-to-find originals of Cuban music from the 1920s to contemporary Argentine tangos. (CDs cost from HK$47 while rare vinyl can be up to HK$200). If you ask Alvarez for any of the latest Latino hip-hop, he replies, 'People come here for real music.'
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Just north of Little Havana is Miami's new, 18-square-block Design District, where the streets are lined with futuristic furniture stores, design showrooms and art galleries. Another 'art' venue in the area offers limited-edition and one-of-a-kind trainers and tees. Trendonistas in search of hipster streetwear flock to Culture Kings (4300 NE 2nd Avenue, tel: 1 305 573 2399) for hand-painted footwear (HK$3,100 to HK$6,000) by the likes of pop art legend Ron English. The store also outfits its fans from head to toe with slick tees from Tokyo designers Swagger (HK$537) and Rocksmith (HK$230 to HK$550).

On the northern edge of the Design District is the Buenavista neighbourhood, where cafes and small chic restaurants are popping up. One of the most unusual shops here is Rag Trade Happy Clothing (below; 4600 NE 2nd Avenue, tel: 1 305 573 1478), a cosy place that carries the work of local indie designers and stocks vintage gowns from Miami Beach Rat Pack days, including a frock (HK$900) from Marilyn Monroe's costume designer, William Travilla.

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Nearby Little Haiti is a vibrant area with Haitian sounds bursting from doorways, art galleries and small stores, called botanicas, where shoppers can buy remedies to find love, ward off evil and attract wealth. Botanica Halouba (101 NE 54th Street, tel: 1 305 751 7485; www.haloubatemple.com) is the Wal-Mart of Haitian voodoo stores, with racks of colourful powders and oils for everything from curing impotence to finding a job. Owned by voodoo priest Papa Paul, Halouba is the place to find candles to solve legal troubles, perfumes to win back lost love, books on voodoo, Haitian clothing and statues of saints for household shrines. Take home a beaded Haitian voodoo flag (HK$1,200) and, best of all, some wisdom imparted by Papa Paul at a consultation or card reading.
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