Shopping in Caldwell

In 1971, Michael Sowers taught himself how to throw clay in a high-school art class. The classroom had a functioning pottery wheel, but the instructor didn't know how to use it, so Michael began checking out instructional books from the library to support his fledgling interest.

Ever since, he's been molding masses of clay into plates and vessels, preserving their shapes with the heat of a 2,350-degree kiln. His work is as functional as it is aesthetically pleasing—subtly hued french butter dishes hold a quarter pound of butter in water, keeping it fresh for up to a month, and grater plates come equipped with a built-in shredder for garlic, ginger, parmesan cheese, or CIA documents. Sowers seals each piece with a lead-free glaze used by potters since the time of the Ming dynasty, ensuring that customers can safely send his pottery through a dishwasher or heat them in a microwave or oven.

After starting out in immunology—and collaborating on discoveries that are still used in cancer research today—Dr. McNeel found himself drawn to another calling: optometry. Nearly two decades later, he has racked up more than 30,000 office visits with LASIK and cataract surgery patients and is still counting, even though he ran out of fingers and toes after patient no. 1,000. In addition to providing surgical aftercare, Dr. McNeel assesses eye health during regular exams and treats patients for concerns such as dry-eye disease, an area in which he specializes.

Eyewear specialists help clients navigate a wealth of frames from brands including Prada, Versace, and Maui Jim. The also perform fittings to ensure that contact lenses don’t need to be hemmed by hand. In addition to caring for eyes, McNeel Eye Center thickens lashes with Latisse and combats wrinkles with Botox.

The sleep experts at Boise Mattress understand that customers in need of quality rest must select a mattress that encourages natural spine alignment and eliminates the need to toss and turn for a comfortable position. After asking specific questions about your sleeping patterns and highest sheep count, they present a showroom stocked with memory foam and coil-based mattresses from trusted brands such as Tempur-Pedic, Serta, Simmons, and Englander. They welcome shoppers to test out potential purchases by lying atop spring wire mattresses or Primo’s memory foam, which isolates each sleeper’s overnight movements to prevent awakening partners or napping sandmen.

Revolve Upscale Resale & Bridal stocks its racks with new and gently used bridal dresses and women's consignment blouses and dresses from top designers. Sunlight steams down from the boutique's tall windows onto designer jeans from True Religion, Lucky Brand, and Hudson, as shoes in a range of casual and formal styles await new owners on wall displays. For brides-to-be, the boutique dedicates its entire back section to wedding gowns from Monique Lhuillier, Vera Wang, or Allure. In the same section, bridal parties can complete their collective looks by coordinating bridesmaid dresses, veils, and jewelry. The shop can refer customers to an alteration specialist who can adjust garments or embroider pets’ initials on new blouses.