The shops around the corner

Griffintown, Montreal

Adjacent to the city's downtown core, this former industrial hub is recreating itself as a residential neighbourhood with condos and apartment buildings going up at rapid speed. And with them, a crop of design stores are opening their doors to shoppers of all tastes and budgets. Ludovik focuses on fun furniture and decor, while Beige takes inspiration from the eclectic shops in London and Paris, and Celadon caters to professional designers and those who have acquired equally educated tastes.

Central Eastside Industrial District, Portland, Ore.

An industrial space turned hip hood, this neighbourhood in Portland is attracting an impressive collection of restaurants, bars and microbreweries, as well as retailers who are opting for diverse spaces, which in some cases allow for in-house production. Rock and Rose specializes in vintage and new clothing for men and women, as well as locally made accessories and adornments. Down the street is the 811 Building, a hub for indie businesses, among them: Six/Seven, a collaborative retail space shared by a clothing and a jewelry designer/sculptor, and leather and canvas bag company XOBruno.

V&A Waterfront, Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Town's V&A Waterfront has long been a shopping destination for locals and visitors to the city, but this year, with the arrival of the luxe Silo Hotel, the continent's first Radisson Red hotel having a future home here, and the opening of the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa opening its doors in September, the neighbourhood will be expanding its retail offerings as well. Among the boutiques opening are accessories designers Kirsten Goss and Kat van Duinen, and Glasshouse, a men's spa.

Wilhelmsburg, Hamburg, Germany

Thanks to a massive urban regeneration project, which includes a Zaha Hadid-designed river promenade, the port city of Hamburg is getting much-deserved attention. Due to its affordability, Wilhelmsburg has become a hip neighbourhood – associations with Brooklyn's Williamsburg are not misplaced. The Energiebunker, a repurposed bunker-cum-power plant dating back to the Second World War, houses Café Vju, which offers panoramic views of the city. Honigfabrik, or Honey Factory, is a community hub with a café, crafts market and art exhibitions. And FlohZinn, a monthly flea market, is a showcase for vintage clothing, furniture and home accessories.

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