So Venice made America’s Best Places to Retire list, compiled by U.S. News and World Report (10/1/07), and Sarasota didn’t. The disclaimer in the story says the places were selected by the editors based on criteria that included cost of living, crime rate, and climate, recreational activities and access to health care. U.S. News encourages readers to use their Web software, which allows each individual the opportunity to customize the outcome by determining their own specific preferences at www/usnews.com/retiresearch.  

I tried the U.S. News retirement test, and it’s no better than the books or retirement seminars my husband and I invested in before homing in on Sarasota. What do none of these sources warn you to do before moving? To check out the shopping. Trust me, you can have serious shopping withdrawal when you move to some of U.S. News’ hot spots – I know because I’ve lived in another of the top 10, Concord, NH. (The shopping was as bad as the climate, which for some reason attracted U.S. News editors).

I say go to the malls, shop Main Street, feel the energy in retail stores before you decide where you’re going to spend the next 20 years or more of your life. The quality and type of stores is a key indicator of the local lifestyle.  The shopping in Venice is fun, for example, but to live there permanently you will need to employ behavior modification.  You will have to shop Web sites and mail order catalogs to supplement what’s available in brick and mortar stores.

Instead of shopping Chanel or Fendi boutiques on Fifth and Madison Avenues in New York, I now get off on perusing copies of designer handbags and sunglasses (trust me, the best anywhere in the world) in Venice. (Sorry, we can’t publicly reveal the source).  Venice is also home to the Cat’s Meow, one of the best sources for shabby chic home décor in the country – and recognized in editorials in magazines from Coastal Living to Better Homes & Gardens.

Cat's Meow puts Venice on the connoisseur's guide to shabby chic.

You can’t beat the swimsuits at Sun Bug for cutting-edge fashion as well as magically slimming designs. And for the guys, there’s a new Nautical Emporium with everything from model ships to antique lanterns and compasses. If you’re into campy décor, the custom wall art is adorable – sharks, alligators and other critters painted onto old water skis. And there’s more: Our summer 2007 shopping section gives a guide to the best of Venice shopping. After a retail tour, you may just decide to settle down in Venice.

Campy Water Ski wall art amid antique treasures at Nautical Emporium .