Shopping in Belton

With pieces that have been featured on The Martha Stewart Show, hung in the White House, and chosen by Oprah to bestow upon Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes to celebrate their joint invention of the cotton gin, Sticks and Stones has made one-of-a-kind art ubiquitous. The company's master photographers have compiled a gallery of black-and-white art photographs depicting natural and structural images that represent each letter of the alphabet, which customers can peruse to craft a framed heirloom up to 14 letters long. Once finished, a panel of judges approves the message masterpiece, which, regardless of semiotic weight, gets framed and shipped. Lauded by numerous other celebrity and media outlets, these letter-based and individually tailored decor concoctions make ideal housewarming, wedding, and new-baby gifts.

Marika.com's activewear—recommended in Marie Claire, People, Pilates Style, and Shape—uses high-tech fabrics to slim physiques comfortably and stylishly. Shape-enhancing activewear includes the Miracle line, which features the two-way stretch of Elasta-Tight. The Magic line contours silhouettes via a cotton-spandex mesh blend, which lifts the butt more effectively than tethering it to an eagle. Since 1982, the shop has outfitted athletes with workout gear in an array of contouring and moisture-wicking fabrics, offering everything from sports bras and tanks to shorts and sweats.

After eight years of being turned down by major retailers and spending thousands of dollars on marketing for his new invention, the Orabrush tongue cleaner, 75-year-old Dr. Bob Wagstaff was desperate. He knew he had a great product and something that the public would find useful, but he could not find a major buyer for it. In a last-ditch effort, he challenged a market-research class at the Marriott School of Management at BYU to see if they could come up with a way to sell the tongue cleaner on the Internet.

The class got to work crunching numbers and distributing surveys, but came back claiming that 92% of the viable market would not purchase Orabrush from an online site. That's when Jeffrey Harmon, a student not on the project but one who was intrigued by Orabrush, suggested that they at least attempt to market the product to the remaining 8%—which could potentially equal millions of customers—and see what happened. In exchange for Dr. Bob's motorcycle and several pats on the back, Jeffrey agreed to find a way to make Dr. Bob's product available to the public.

That's where passionate ranter Austin Craig comes in. Austin worked with Jeffrey at Jeffrey's full-time job and loved to rant throughout the day about politics and the factual inaccuracies in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella—things he was passionate about—to the delight of everyone who worked with him. When another coworker said he would pay money to watch Austin rant, Jeffrey got the idea to get Austin to do a promotional video ranting about bad breath. Austin agreed, and they filmed the low-budget production in a pool hall and posted it to YouTube.

Before they knew it, millions of viewers had seen the video, which of course attracted the attention of major retailers and distributors, vindicating the team's long hours of hard work and Dr. Bob's belief in his product. Now, everyone everywhere can reap the benefits of Dr. Bob's crafty tongue cleaner thanks to some optimistic thinking, creativity, and ingenuity.

Chefs on Bravo's Top Chef and Top Chef Masters use it, Rachael Ray loves it, and Wolfgang Puck's Los Angeles Food and Wine event uses it exclusively. Its success stems from its simplicity—a knife and fork combined into one: the Knork. Knork founder Mike Miller stumbled onto this idea while on a date at a pizzeria. He was frustrated in his attempts to neatly eat his slice with a fork, and found a solution that serves as both a cutting and piercing device. Though at first glance it may look like a standard fork, the Knork's beveled edges and broadly curved outer tines can slice through fruit, pizza, vegetables, and fish without being so sharp as to endanger diners' fingers. The Knork line of elegant flatware extends to stainless steel spoons, knives, and serving utensils as well. The tableware comes in high-gloss, matte, or dual-toned finishes, and is ergonomically designed for maximal comfort.

The story of B'Dazzled Diva Boutique begins with a vision—Maricela Alaniz’s vision, to be exact. The business’s founder and CEO—dubbed Marcie by her friends—dreamt of a shop where women of all ages, races, and social statuses could find elegant adornments that would make them feel like stars. Thus, B'Dazzled Diva Boutique was born, and Marcie continues to uphold her dream by stocking her shop with upscale jewelry and accessories to suit all manner of tastes.

Within the shop, guests peruse collections of both trendy and timeless jewelry culled from designers including Alzerina Gomes and Simone Wang. Along with donning a glittering assortment of earrings, bracelets, and rings, customers can activate paparazzi homing beacons by nabbing necklaces that have appeared on hit reality-TV shows.

Over the last decade, Legendary Beads has sprouted from its humble beginnings—a small storefront with seed beads in terra-cotta pots—into a jewelry-making hub in the midst of a shopping center. Though their digs are much larger, the staff prides themselves on preserving the laid-back South Austin vibe that they cultivated at their original location. The shop glimmers with more than 50 types of beads, stones, pearls, and gems—from amber and coral to jade—which are color-coded and exhibited on easy-to-shop displays. The inventory continues to grow as the staffers bring in the latest beading trends in addition to specific stones and gems requested by their clients. Fostering a sense of community, they welcome guests to have a seat at their beading table to ask questions about certain bead styles, jewelry-making techniques, and which beads taste best with barbecue sauce.

To facilitate jewelry making, they stock chains and tools, such as wire cutters and round-nose pliers, and a certified gemologist leads a jewelry-making and design class, limiting attendance to five students to ensure personalized instruction.