Shopping in Batavia

A childhood charm bracelet. A necklace for prom. A pair of earrings to wear on your wedding day. Since 1968, the accessorizing experts at Beads ‘N Things have been crafting inimitable jewelry to model during life’s many occasions. When taking over the full-service bead shop in 1984, the current owners began cementing their reputation as a reliable source for beading advice. They regularly unveil the tricks of the trade to visitors during private lessons, group classes, and casual conversations at the counter.

At Beads ‘N Things, arts-and-crafters can find all the supplies needed to string together their own unique accessories. The shop's display cases and racks brim with pendants, freshwater pearls, and beads carved out of almost every material imaginable, including metals, bone, semiprecious stones, and hand-cut Czech glass. Fully equipped kits and learning materials inspire amateur and experienced artisans alike to pursue various beading projects. Finished pieces of jewelry hang on display, and guests hoping for more personalized trimmings can commission custom items. The staff also repairs cherished possessions, carefully restringing tattered strands and replacing missing parts.

Pulp Comics traces its origins to a heroic act of kindness.

In 2009, Paul Tappay donated part of his liver to his father, saving his dad's life and leaving him plenty of time to read comic books while convalescing in the hospital. Hungry for a new adventure, Paul drew up a business plan built around his love of comics, games, and pop culture. Months after the Tappay family's life-altering and lifesaving surgery, Pulp Comics began welcoming visitors not to a crowded, dimly lit lair, but to a sunny, roomy space full of new and vintage publications and droves of like-minded hobbyists.

A sense of positive, fun-loving nerddom pervades Pulp Comics' main room, where you'll find collectibles, racks of comic books, and a life-sized replica of Harrison Ford's character from Witness frozen in carbonite. Guests read gripping graphic novels in the front room's comfy leather sofas or retreat to the Back Cave, filled with more than 10,000 vintage back issues, old-school arcade games, and free WiFi.

Ace Hardware's handy employees help customers to navigate shelves stocked with home-improvement implements, household appliances, and domestic essentials. The shop’s technicians are certified to perform warrantee repair tasks for more than 100 manufacturers, including Honda, Kawasaki, and Stihl, returning your snowblower or Statue of Liberty replica to working order. In addition to its wide selection of hardware, paint, plumbing, and electrical supplies, Ace Hardware dedicates ample space to gifts, home décor, men's and women's clothing, and housewares.

Owner Crista Botticello was only 19 when she opened Ooo La La’s doors to the East Aurora community, but her fashion-forward tastes suggest an intimate acquaintance with trends in America and abroad. That unique sensibility is reflected in her boutique’s selection of casual apparel and formalwear, which includes dresses, jackets, jewelry, and handbags designed by emerging locals or renowned artisans from New York and Los Angeles. Nestled in an idyllic brick storefront, the spacious store often hosts special events, such as fashion shows that benefit local charities or show off the cummerbund’s underappreciated versatility.

When they were hairstylists, Lisa and David Robinson spent years listening to their clients complain about the difficulty of finding a lingerie shop whose bras came in a wide range of sizes and styles. Inspired, they decided to remedy this with their own boutique: My Top Drawer. The shop stocks bras in band sizes from 28 to 54 and cup sizes from A to M. Its professional fitters help customers find creations from brands such as Chantelle, Freya, PrimaDonna, and Goddess that are more comfortable than traditional corsets made from chainmail. If customers can’t find the right seamless, molded, pushup, or nursing style and fit in the store, the experts will custom order bras and mail them at no extra charge.

The shop’s wide range of supportive upperwear pairs with panties in thong, bikini, and brief cuts from Hanky Panky and Minerva. Additionally, customers can pick up both romantic lingerie and everyday sleepwear that keeps them warm when they go outside to count sheep in the pasture before nodding off. Spanx and Body Wrap shapewear smooth silhouettes, and the shop’s swimwear includes suits that accommodate full busts with larger cup sizes and supportive underwire.

The staff at Valenti Sports emblazons the uniforms and off-court garb of more than 400 local teams with their respective logos, names, and numbers. They also help guests to navigate a 9,000-square-foot haven loaded with sports gear from big names such as Under Armour, Nike, and Adidas. Their shelves boast more shoes than an octopus's swim-in closet with more than 600 styles of footwear, including 130 types of cleats, turf shoes, and flats.

Beyond stocking goods for baseball, football, basketball, and soccer players, the shop also celebrates the lesser-known sport of pickleball. The wiffle-ball-and-paddle-fueled pastime gets spotlight treatment inside and outside the store, with an onsite court available for test-driving products or testing hand-eye coordination for upcoming Whac-A-Mole championships.