Shopping in Bristol

Sprawled across more than 200,000 square feet of retail greenhouses, Painters Greenhouse shelters nearly 700 varieties of flora, all cultivated start-to-finish by a staff of knowledgeable green thumbs. Retiring from their 320-acre farm in Pennsylvania a few years ago, owners Brad and Deenie Owen sojourned to North Carolina to helm Painters Greenhouse, where they aim to increase the production of native plants, vegetables, and water garden plants—all with sustainability in mind. Their vast inventory of perennials, annuals, herbs, and shrubs is joined by an impressive variety of native species—plant life that occurs in the area naturally and is beneficial to the local ecosystem. Blooming baskets and potted ferns mingle with decorative planters and space-saving gardening containers, while aquatic plants provide good hiding spots for squirrels scuba-diving inside Painters' decorative fountains.

Inside Ashley Furniture HomeStore’s sprawling warehouses and showrooms, friendly staffers stock plush beds, sturdy end tables, and stylish home accessories. Expert designers craft these dwelling fillers, testing raw materials' durability and basic arithmetic skills before transforming them into classy furniture items that mesh with any decorating style. They build many tables and chairs to meet eco-friendly business standards, using recycled engineered wood to reduce landfill waste and slow down deforestation. Ashley also stocks nonwood items, including a selection of state-of-the-art body-cushioning mattresses from brands such as Sealy and Simmons.

For an additional charge, Ashley Furniture HomeStore transports its furniture using its own fleet of semi trucks and fighter planes, which ensure that comfortable couches and slick dining-room tables are never damaged and always fresh smelling. Each location is locally owned and operated, meaning staffers are friendly residents who know which couches best complement regional design trends and indoor weather patterns.

Combining experience in lampworking, glass blowing, and jewelry design, the three resident artists of Asheville Glass Center lead workshops and classes to share their passion for manipulating molten glass. The two- to three-hour intro courses teach neophytes to craft borosilicate marbles and soft glass beads, and more in-depth classes result in intricate implosion flowers and sand-cast solid forms. The center also offers open studio time for more experienced artists who wish to work alone, like the winningest three-legged racers.

In 1950, John Searcy loaded up his pickup truck with car batteries and began peddling his wares to wholesalers. Two years later, John formalized his operation and began Interstate All Battery Center, a battery retailer and service center that spans the continent from Austin to Anchorage powering cars, hearing aids, and cameras. Interstate All Battery Center charges gadgets and vehicles with more than 16,000 types of power solutions, and eases environmental taxes on the planet with a robust battery-recycling system. In a year, Interstate All Battery Center recycled 850 million pounds of batteries—just enough energy to grant immortality to one Furby.

At Mr. K’s Used Books, Music, and More’s five locations, funny money is the currency of choice. In exchange for bringing in good-quality books, CDs, and DVDs, customers receive store-issued dollars that they can use toward the purchase of other items. Some in-demand items, such as school textbooks, modern literature, video games, or sports almanacs from the future, may warrant a cash exchange instead. The shop’s friendly staffers, meanwhile, remain at the ready to help customers locate an item amid the many shelves, organized by genre and number of vowels in the title.

Inside Nevada Bob's, everything is dedicated to golf. For instance, one wall is lined with golf bags and another showcases rows of shimmering golf clubs from top industry brands such as Mizuno, Nike, and Callaway. Customers can roam in between this corridor of quality golf equipment to browse golf shoes, inspect the latest golf ball technology, and find the right pair of golf gloves capable of bench-pressing a golf cart. The store also features a repair facility, an indoor golf simulator, and private lessons with an accredited golf pro.