Shopping in Brooklyn Park

Steve Appel and Lee Whitehead found themselves in a design dilemma regarding the messy home of a wealthy client. She wanted to sell her house, but no one would buy the building in its current state. Instead of passing on the case, the duo visited the home and constructed a battle plan during a 10-hour consultation. Within the week, they'd completely repainted and replaced most of her furniture, readying her for a Saturday open house, and by Sunday, she'd received multiple offers from potential buyers. By Monday, the house was sold. As graphic-design majors and interior-design enthusiasts, Steve and Lee have used their talents in many such situations, under short time limits and with exceptional challenges, to refurbish a range of spaces—even helping famed baker Duff Goldman of Food Network's Ace of Cakes choose furnishings for his lobby at Charm City Cakes.

At Nouveau Contemporary Goods, the duo fills their space with an ever-changing roster of upholstery, dining sets, bed sets, and colorful crystal-infused wallpaper. Modern furnishings such as egg chairs and aquamarine crushed-velvet benches share a mutual territory with traditional pieces such as a red cabinet with a marble top and the actual couple who posed for American Gothic. In addition to showpieces, samplings of glass panels, blinds, and other window treatments ooze inspiration for potential clients coming up with their own projects. Anyone on a tight deadline can also count on the design duo for same-day delivery, be it for full showroom sets or unique recycled artwork and furniture.

Mat About You's framing experts, whose work bedecks the walls of the Ritz Carlton, prepare everything from artwork to sports jerseys for eye-pleasing display. They pop pictures into ready-made frames or craft custom frames from their stock of molding to match patrons’ aesthetic sensibilities. Staffers also nestle keepsakes into 3D shadow boxes, help restore damaged photographs, and tap into museum-quality conservation techniques to preserve historic documents and sports memorabilia, such as the first tennis ball ever repurposed for a game of fetch.

Mat About You also boasts an on-site gallery stocked with potential frame fodder, such as original art, limited edition giclée reproductions, and open-edition prints. Customers can add extra pizzazz to their home decor thanks to the store's boutique collection, which brims with jewelry, furniture, pottery and ceramics, and garden adornments such as model solar systems to erect around sunflowers.

For 50 years, the owners and staffers of Plaza Artist Materials & Picture Framing have encouraged the artists of their community. They visit local fairs and set up booths for kids to color and craft, and they hold workshops, demos, and classes, some of them taught by the local artists catalogued on Plaza's website. And, of course, as their name implies, they outfit art makers of all skill levels with top-of-line materials, such as Gamblin oil paints, Prismacolor pens and markers, and custom frames perfect for favorite art pieces or a competitive sibling's monumental failure to color within the lines.

Bunched together in a vase of clear glass, freshly cut stems support the blossoms of fuchsia roses, pink carnations, and white daisies. A wicker basket brims with orange Asiatic lilies and purple asters, its weight anchoring a Mylar balloon emblazoned with the words "Happy Birthday."

These are just two of the sights that rank as commonplace within the polychromatic confines of Wilhide's Unique Flowers & Gifts, a shop that specializes in celebrating special occasions with bouquets and gourmet food baskets. Wilhide’s florists take care while crafting their bouquets to ensure that each stem has a pristine bloom and each petal is fitted with a dapper top hat.

With help from the store mascot, Spike the Chihuahua, co-founders Scott Wable and Josh Dunkin use their fashion and design expertise to pair Jean Pool patrons with their ideal boutique denim. The selection—which won the Best Denim award from Baltimore Magazine in 2012—includes styles for men and women from brands such as J Brand, Joe’s Jeans, Hudson, and 7 For All Mankind, whose hemlines span from skinny to flare. In-store alterations ensure jeans fit every curve and vestigial tail, and accessories such as belts, tops, and jewelry help complete each new look.

Professional sleep counselors facilitate peaceful slumber at more than 80 Mattress Discounters locations nationwide, where showrooms brim with mattresses from brands such as Sealy Posturepedic, Tempur-Pedic, and Space Age Foam. Unlike pet stores, Mattress Discounters encourages customers to lie on the merchandise, as sleep counselors use the Discover Your Comfort system to ask questions about sleep position and comfort level. With this information in hand, client and counselor select the right mattress for restful slumber, with each sleep surface backed by a 60-night comfort guarantee.