Residents of Manassas, Woodbridge and Dale City all have one thing in common. They do most of their shopping in a Prince William County, VA store. What kind of store? It can be a grocery store, a shoe store, an outlet store or a hardware store. You get the idea, it is a store close to home, in Prince William County, where you shop.

What you are looking for in a Prince William County VA store is not much different that what you expect to find in other places. I am sure you want a grocery store that is well stocked with all of the brands you have become accustomed to using. The produce should be fresh and clean and the meat section stocked with fresh cuts of meat, cleanly wrapped and well marked with a price that makes sense. Fair prices are usually expected also, although we are sometimes willing to pay a little more if some of our needs are fulfilled way beyond our expectations. Your town may have one grocery store or it may have several to choose from, but you do not have to put up with a store that does not meet your needs. The next town is never that far away.

Many of us prefer to discount shop when looking for household items or possibly back to school shopping. Chances are pretty good, whatever you are looking for, can be found in the outlet stores at Potomac Mills Mall. This was once the largest mall in the U.S., you know they have lots of stores and plenty of bargains.

In fact, Potomac Mills is one of the biggest attractions in Northern Virginia. It is one of the worlds biggest outlet malls with over 200 stores. They are "all" there. I don't think you can possibly find a better place to buy any kind of clothing or apparel than by visiting Potomac Mills. The reason is that the shops and stores are high quality (i.e. Nordstroms, Saks 5th, etc) but you get the stuff at outlet mall prices. And there's lots of selection and competition.

Another great thing about shopping at Potomac Mills is that there is amazing shopping all around the Mall. Walmart, Sams, Toys-R-Us, Costco, and restaurants galore are within a few hundred yards of the mall.

Oh, and there is a great theater -- AMC-18 -- and places to eat as well, at the Mall too. So, check it out. Here's their info:

Potomac Mills Shopping Mall

Potomac Mills Mall
2700 Potomac Mills Circle
Woodbridge VA 22192
(703) 496-9330 (Shopping Line)
Potomac Mills Information & Customer Service: (703) 496-9355

Potomac Mills Mall

Do you like shopping for items that are old, unusual, hand made or artsy? The small shops in Occoquan might be to your liking. If you make the trip on a Saturday you will probably find a Farmers Market going on and get some of the freshest produce possible.

Shoe shopping, it seems, can go from one extreme to the other. There are those that will only buy brand name shoes from "real" shoe stores. If that is the case, that's fine, Prince William County has plenty of "real" shoe stores to choose from. And then there are others who prefer to buy their shoes at outlet malls or discount stores, and preferably with names on them that no one has heard of. If so, the outlet mall is just one of many places available for people like us.
Hardware and tools are going to be a slightly different story for me. I am looking for name brands, but to be honest, name brand prices scare me half to death. I will tend to buy items on sale, or with a coupon, at a large volume store, after having already done enough research to know a good price. The only time I want to see a salesperson is if I need to borrow a ladder to get the last one off the top shelf.

At least half of you out there, and you know who you are, would prefer this kind of treatment from their local hardware store. "Hi John, What kind of project are you working on now? Let me help you find everything you are going to need and give you a few ideas that might help".

Finding the right hardware store will definitely depend on your needs, but there are many to choose from. You may be driving to the next biggest town, so make a good list, and do it in one trip. One nice thing is we have Home Depot and Loews right across the street from each other -- so you can easily check them both if one is out of something.

I would rather shop for tools all day, or visit a dentist, than go clothes shopping. I mean, 30 minutes in Wal-Mart twice a year, and I am a well dressed man. But I do understand that we are all different and have different needs. I can assure you of one thing, when you look at the list of Prince William County VA stores you will find more than enough of them selling clothing.

Cut Your Own Christmas Tree in Prince William County   Not rated yet
OK, I wasn't sure whether to put this in Shopping, Entertainment, or Recreation -- as it could fit in any of those categories. I went with shopping.
So,...