Shopping in Batavia

Fey & Co. has been adorning body parts for more than 60 years, providing exquisite options and gifts for every occasion. The company prides itself on the quality of its goods and its exceptional customer service, taking the jewelry-selection process very seriously to ensure lasting satisfaction. Your pair of quarter-carat diamond studs will come set in 18-karat white gold, adding a brilliant sparkle to your aura and an optimistic tone to all future trips to the karaoke bar. Use this Groupon to treat yourself to a pair of luxurious ear ornaments, or sneak the sparklies into a short stack of flapjacks for a sweet surprise on Mother's Day. If you choose, you can use your Groupon for a $199 discount for jewelry upgrades listed in the above link.

Matt Puchalski set himself up early for a career in the arts, working as a framer at a nationally renowned studio in high school and enrolling at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. When his workplace unexpectedly went out of business, 20-year-old Matt shrewdly bought up the equipment and customer list, set himself up as the sole proprietor, and decamped to the safety of his parents' basement, where he balanced his coursework with the demands of a small-business owner. Matt's determination and hard work paid off, with streams of repeat customers and corporate clients paving the way for three subsequent business expansions and the company's current success.

A far cry from the shop's humble roots, the current studio shows off the talented staff's technical skill with projects such as a framed flat-screen television or 75-gallon aquarium. Technicians touch up and bring to life faded photographs with restoration projects, and the store's designers craft stunning framing compositions that decorate homes, corporate offices, and even the walls of the White House.

Now that he no longer has to juggle frame crafting and school with the rigors of owning his own business, Matt has time to return to his art, employing brilliant splashes of color to create impressionistic depictions of the stately granite structures, glistening skyscraper lights, and active volcanoes along the iconic Chicago skyline.

Back when Jill Card and her husband were going on their first date, he told her to wear “jeans and a cute top.” More than two decades later, the couple decided that would be the perfect name for Jill’s clothing boutique, where women of all ages and sizes can now find their own jeans and blouse or sweater for a first date, a night on the town with the fellow jury members, or a day spent hanging around the house. Her shop’s apparel quickly earned awards and media attention and enjoyed enough success to launch a second shop just 14 months later and a third boutique three-and-a-half years later. The laudations still pour in; the shop was named the Best Place to Buy Women’s Jeans by West Suburban Living magazine in 2012.

To earn this praise, Jill selects a wide range of jeans from brands such as Silver, Mek Denim, Miracle Body, Jag, Miss Me, Liverpool, and Kut from the Kloth, enabling denim-seekers from multiple generations to find styles they like. Her friendly staff is likewise well versed on the fit and style of every jean in the shop. She also offers free basic hem alterations. To pair with the jeans, Jill's stores overflow with cute tops, sweaters, blouses, and jackets from labels including Dusak, Insight, BB Dakota, Kensie, and Tulle. Jill and her staff also adorn shoppers in necklaces, scarves, and accessories.

Founded by Dena Ferrell Nance, whats-in-store has been slinging fashion-forward jewelry and accessories since 2001. The signature Etched Collection is designed in-house and lasered out of recycled sheet metals. Hundreds of jewelry items, such as earrings, bracelets, rings, and brooches, are available to spice up wardrobes and earlobes of both men and women. Headbands ($35) keep hair hats trim and proper, and scarves (starting at $10) add a dash of neck flair without resorting to cumbersome sandstone-sundial necklaces. Handbags (starting at $40) can conveniently tote bricks to use to pin down gas pedals when faking deaths via cliff-diving runaway cars.

When placed on racks in front of the store's exposed brick walls, the clothing selection at Anew seems eclectic. Stylish dresses and lace-trimmed cloche hats mingle freely with in-season designer clothes and Coach purses, forming a curated selection that allows clients to build their own, one-of-a-kind wardrobe. All of the items in the store are selected for their quality, style, and seasonality, ensuring clients don’t have to sort through racks of stained or passé clothing to find something they’d like to see in their closet. The shop specializes in boutique and designer clothing, collecting jeans from brands such as 7 For All Mankind and Miss Me and purses from Coach and Louis Vuitton. Alongside these designer goods hang accessories made by local artisans, including CooperSong, who makes bags that reuse inner tubes, recycled baseballs, and old material to create unique items. Through both their consignment clothing and recycled wares, the staff hopes to promote an environmentally friendly culture of keeping items out of the landfill and in the closets of loving new owners.

Helping customers improve their vision is the main concern of the optometrists and eye-care professionals at Eye Boutique, who provide preventive screenings and help choosing from their more than 1,800 frames at each location. In each shop, licensed doctors of optometry scan eyes with comprehensive exams before diagnosing issues or prescribing high-definition Zeiss lenses and contact lenses from Optix and Acuvue. Designer frames from Guess, Nike, and Kenneth Cole house lenses fashionably, and Teflon protective layers help guard lenses from scratches and reduce glare. Sunglasses from brands such as Ray-Ban and Coach also protect eyes from harmful UV rays, creating an accessory that is both stylish and useful, like a diamond with a job.