City Living: White Plains (excerpted)

Despite its current reputation around Westchester as the county's shopping center, White Plains was once home to a Native American tribe and later, the site of a Revolutionary War battle...

Today, White Plains, the county seat, is a city of 50,000, a population that swells to four times that during working hours...

White Plains began its renaissance around 2000, as it began attracting urban professionals looking to take advantage of the easy commute to Manhattan (35 minutes).

The construction of residential buildings that followed has helped revive the city's commercial glory...

TO SHOP

In addition to the malls, which represent the commercial heart of White Plains, you can visit local businesses ranging from Japanese grocery stores to bead shops. Much of the non-mall shopping scene is centered around Mamaroneck Avenue.

Beadworks

Beadworks' staff are eager to help you make sense of the selection of fresh water pearls, semi-precious stones, African trade beads, seed beads, Czech glass beads, vintage beads, bone beads, gemstone beads and shell beads, just to name a few.
96 Westchester Ave. 914-437-7666

The original article URL is
http://www.amny.com/news/local/am-cityliving0131,0,6850247.story?page=1

Photo by Dave Sanders, Newsday / January 30, 2008