Shopping in Auburn

Dr. Nicki Hill enjoys sharing her optometric skills with those in need, whether that entails working with patients at U.S. Veterans Affairs Hospitals or performing free eye exams for tornado victims in Tuscaloosa and Pratt City. Shoppers can find the same level of care inside Bell Road Eyewear's airy emporium. There, staff members guide visitors through a large inventory of designer eyewear and illuminate the distinctions between single-vision plastic and polycarbonate lenses. Frames by Danish brand ProDesign and chic styles from Vogue, DKNY, and Jai Kudo rest atop antique-style wood tables. Shoppers can also peruse selections of children's glasses, sunglasses, and monocles fitted with stained glass. Although Dr. Hill can diagnose visual capabilities in-house, Bell Road Eyewear will also fill lens prescriptions from outside optometrists.

To call The Body Shop a mere skin and body care store is to miss half of what makes it special. Late founder Dame Anita Roddick was a pioneer for ethical business practices; upon opening her first store in Brighton, England, in 1976, she developed company values such as "Defend human rights" and "Protect our planet." She somehow balanced principles and profit, partnering in global campaigns with UNICEF, Greenpeace, Amnesty International, and the United Nations, all while expanding her brand into 2,500 locations in 60 international markets. After her death in 2007, then-British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said, “She campaigned for green issues for many years before it became fashionable to do so and inspired millions to the cause by bringing sustainable products to a mass market. . . . She was an inspiration.”

Indeed, the Body Shop exhibits an eco-friendliness that's hard to come by in a company of its size. Its products have been fair-trade since 1987, and its Against Animal Testing movement led to a UK-wide ban of animal testing of cosmetics. The products are made from ingredients harvested from around the world: shea butter from Ghana goes into body scrubs and butters, and Indian artisans craft wooden massagers and tote bags that are screenprinted by hand. But all that isn't to say the company's production practices overshadow its final products. Skincare treatments such as the Blue Corn 3-in-1 deep-cleansing scrub mask often appear in Allure, Marie Claire, and other national publications.