Shopping in Ames

Disappointed with the community’s lack of boutique-shopping options, Tia Ricklefs set out to design her own line of trendy apparel for men and women. The resulting brand, Ayden Lee, includes styles that range from summery dresses and jeans to formalwear, all speckled with quirky design elements such as asymmetrical straps, metallic accents, and built-in parachutes. Tia’s menswear line features suits and dress shirts in timeless cuts and bold colors. The red-brick storefront encloses racks of color-coordinated fashions alongside black display tables that flaunt ruched handbags and vintage hair accessories.

City Furniture outfits abodes with furniture, mattresses, and an array of artwork and household accents. Its sizable showroom is stuffed with bonded-leather couches, dressers, button-tufted sofas, and handcrafted hardwood TV centers, all illuminated by an array of lighting fixtures beaming from shelves and tabletops. A variety of twin-, queen-, full-, and king-size mattresses fill the imagination with thoughts of nighttime slumber, also inspiring customers to take quick naps after rigorous afternoon wing-eating competitions.

The staffers at Play it Again Sports help customers stay game-ready with shiny new sports and fitness gear, as well as quality items with a history of gentle use. They rescue secondhand gear from lives in garage boxes or attic cryogenics chambers by accepting trade-ins of everything from treadmills to footballs to practice jerseys. After a staff member assesses the loot's value based on condition, brand name, and the store's current demand, they pay patrons the balance by cash or check or allow them to put it toward purchases. Employees keep an eye out for quality gear, populating their inventory with equipment from brands such as Nike, Adidas, and TaylorMade. Brand-new sports gear and apparel hail from the same manufacturers, including Schwinn, Franklin, and Bauer.

Me ‘n Mommy To Be owner Nettie Byerly understands little ones sprout in what seems like no time at all, so she eases the swift passage of time and inevitable outgrowing of clothes and toys with a stock of new and gently used items. Maternity wear outfits quickly growing bellies, and a vast selection of kids’ clothing for infants to teens—including designer brands such as Gap Kids, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Hollister Co.—covers fast-growing limbs. A rotating variety of toys are on hand to entertain youngsters as they move from a fascination with dinosaurs to an interest in tracking the fruit-snack futures market. In addition to toys for purchase, an in-store playroom packed with whimsical diversions occupies little ones as parents shop. Me ‘n Mommy To Be also rents strollers, cribs, car seats, and other child-friendly contraptions, letting parents test-drive different brands before making a purchase and helping grandparents prepare for energy-filled visits.

In 1966, Jack Miller founded a nursery. Originally, it was dedicated to landscaping work, but it slowly evolved beyond stocking a few shrubs in tin cans. Now, several shade houses occupy the land, and a bustling collection of northern-grown trees, shrubs, and perennials sprawls over 8 acres in the nursery. The landscaping services, which range from building garden walls and patios to arranging plants and outfitting geraniums with party hats for special occasions, include installation by specialists and instructions on self-installation.

Stocking shelves with new and recycled duds since 1971, Ragstock fortifies wardrobes with a storefront brimming with new and recycled men's and women's clothing and accessories. In addition to mainstream garments, stores sling eclectic outfit accouterments such as neon suspenders ($9.99) and thick-rimmed spectacles ($4.99+) that allow shoppers to evoke the air of literature professors without blithely quoting Joyce.