Shopping in Bellingham

A family-owned endeavour, Framehouse Boutique's skilled framers understand the importance of carefully preserving family photos, and they pool their more than 20 years of experience to beautify pictorial memories with custom framing services. Masters of artful borders and precise matting, the team's wide-ranging skills allow them to dexterously frame pieces of varying shapes, from jerseys and needlepoint to canvas art and small 3-D objects such as Danny DeVito. In addition to framing, the multitalented crew also performs dry mounting, canvas stretching, and glass replacement. To assure quality craftsmanship and a quick turnaround—usually seven days or less—most of their frame mouldings come from local suppliers.

Every autumn, when the cool air puts an end to the growing season, the gardening experts at Art Knapp Plantland reorganize their Port Coquitlam greenhouse into Art Knapp's Funland. This harvest festival beckons young and old alike with games and rides that range from the popular and scary haunted tunnel to carnival classics, all of which operate on a ticket system. This year, kids can romp on a tire swing and in a bouncy castle, as well as enjoy the cricket ride, octopus ride, and bear-and-monkey ride. Amid the rides and games, vendors serve carnival treats, and bright-orange pumpkins sit atop rows of straw bales. Inside Art Knapp’s store, meanwhile, an ornate Halloween display presents frightening spectacles such as one-eyed skeletons and a miniature haunted town where inhabitants can only get dial-up Internet service.

JamTots Baby & More Store outfits parents and guardians with a massive array of infants' and children's accoutrements culled from top-name brands, including a large selection of shoes and Melissa & Doug toys. In addition to extensive online resource materials, the store dispenses copious diaper accessories, organic bath products from Little Twig, safety gear for precaution-requiring activities, and a plentitude of playthings. The store also outfits mothers with abundant gear including diaper bags, carriers, and strollers. JamTots Baby & More Store tests most of its stock and warmly receives any customer queries about each potential purchase's durability, safety, or probability of inspiring newborns to utter their first words in Latin.

Pre-made plates, bowls, mugs, and money boxes await the colourful kiss of paint brushes, stamps, and sponges inside this whimsical toy store

Tamara Poppitt may be the one behind the camera at Poppy Photography, but she credits her love of the art form to her husband Jon, daughter Lauren, twin sons Harrison and Hudson, and Georgia, the old english sheepdog. The Poppitt family is a recurring topic on her largely visual blog, where the portraitist's bottomless enthusiasm and practiced eye for colour and composition are immediately apparent. Tamara excels at crafting photographic narratives—a format perfect for weddings, family portraits, and creating a skimmable version of Finnegans Wake.

A locally owned Vancouver clothing enterprise, Lotusvive outfits men and women with form-hugging yet cozy apparel with an eye toward promoting eco-friendly products. The colourful lineup of yoga-inspired pants, tees, jackets, and accessories comfortably hugs torsos and limbs whether they're straining through a muscle-toning backbend or casually resting during movie marathons. Threads of sustainably sourced fabric form workout outfits of muted cool colours and sunny pastels, as well as raincoats, shorts, gym bags, and tanks, creating stylish, sensible wardrobes.