Shopping in Brooklyn Park

With eyes fixed on developing style trends and hearts focused on promoting local and global prosperity, the quirky crew at taj boutique handpicks apparel and accessories that patrons can feel good about buying. Staffers outfit bodies with weekly arrivals of threads from brands such as Mystree and brighten homes or upscale treehouses with artwork crafted by local hands. The shop's commitment to good karma is reflected in its sale of fair-trade bracelets fashioned from recycled tire tubes as well as its involvement with a local organization that provides prom dresses to girls in need. Taj boutique's earrings display resembles a silver tree, which invites patrons to pick the ripest pairs or flee from charging, metallic bears, and the staff will special-order pieces to ensure that all shoppers find their jewelry soul mates.

On a secluded ranch near the Cotopaxi volcano, the powerful Ecuadorian sun nourishes Las Rosas' rose bushes before they are carefully harvested and shipped to the Minneapolis store. Rare rose varieties, grown in the ranch's temperature- and humidity-regulated greenhouses, range from 45 centimeters to six feet in length, so customers can use them to measure a kiddie pool to the depth of a fathom. Their flowery palette in hand, the shop's resident floral artists can craft arrangements or bouquets for weddings, holidays, and other events.