Are airports the new malls for holiday shopping?

Airport shopping used to be mainly for the desperate or bored. But as airports seek to generate more revenue, they have been expanding their offerings of stores and other services, and some time-constrained business travelers now say they find gift-worthy items before their flights.

Places that were once found only in the heart of cities are now setting up outposts in airports.

Mike Lowrey, an employee of Renaissance Books, said it was among the airport’s few remaining independent stores, defying what had been the common belief that “the only thing business travelers’ delicate sensibilities can bear are familiar, upscale, nationally advertised, brands.”