Shopping in Chester

A Guild Commended Framer, Frame Nation employs certified framers who match existing frames and create special projects from scratch. Behind the shop's brick storefront, staffers help customers to make selections from more than 2,000 frame samples, including acrylic, steel-welded, and wood options. Combined with glass, museum-quality practices, and a tiny flux capacitor, these protective casings preserve everything from diplomas to wedding photos.

To find inspiration for their own creations, visitors need only view the artwork lining the walls. Frame Nation regularly displays the handiwork of local artists; one ever-present exhibit includes a collection of frames and three-dimensional collages crafted from recycled materials.

Miniature humans are stylishly outfitted with bedding, transportation, and accessories at weebsworld, a boutique store specializing in "hip gear for cool babies." Friendly staff members offer numerous services, performing complimentary baby-gear consultations that help parents pick out baby bags, blankets, and high chairs. Technicians certified in child-passenger safety supply customers with weighted, life-size baby dolls to try out strollers and car seats, and a storewide stroller track lets them test baby chariots or train for upcoming carriage-pushing marathons. The staff will also assemble strollers purchased in-store or online free of charge, allowing parents and their pride and joy to wheel out of weebsworld in their stylish new ride.

Melanie "The Bead Empress" Bentley established her commonwealth of creativity after years teaching aspiring artists how to work with metal clays. Within her 3,000-square-foot embellishment emporium, Murano glass from Italy, hill tribe silver from Thailand, and Swarovski crystals fill shelves from floor to ceiling. Polymer clays, sterling silver, stringing materials, and Czech fancy glass that Melanie handpicked on a recent trip to the Czech Republic round out the store's stock and arm patrons with the materials necessary to line their family's treasure chest.

But Melanie goes beyond filling the supply boxes of local jewelry makers. She also aims to expand the crafting community by welcoming beading newcomers and showing those who don't believe in their creativity that there's an artisan inside everyone. Along with her fellow specialized jewelrysmiths, Melanie leads more than 45 classes per quarter, providing her customers with a means of acquiring jewelry that’s guaranteed to be free of curses.

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.

Baby Genius's award-winning children's products teach babies and toddlers essential skills through the power of music. Based on a bounty of research, the company's DVDs enrich the learning experience by merging classical pieces and familiar songs with vibrant images, keeping kids entertained for hours. Parents can sit back while animated animal educators teach pocket-size pupils better motor skills, dictionary-defying vocabularies, vampire-free counting, and nap-inducing dance moves that ready little ones for kindergarten and beyond.

Feathernesters' proprietors, Marc Goswick and Tony Turner, scour their local farmers' market for fresh produce and eggs they transform into elegant spreads that have earned praise from RVANews. Marc, an avid gardener and cook, draws on homegrown recipes handed down from his mother and grandmother to craft the tasty creations found in Feathernesters' bakery. Among these creations, the signature buttermilk pie reigns supreme, earning a mention in Richmond magazine for the care Marc takes when making each pie fresh by hand every morning.

During afternoon tea, fingers emerge from their bowling-ball hiding places to pluck sandwiches and fresh scones from a two-tiered tea tray as loose-leaf tea blends steep in personal pots, peppering the air with floral aromas. Brunch in the tearoom plays host to a smorgasbord of all-you-can-eat goodies, including baked Virginia apples with cinnamon and brown sugar, seasonal fruit, and Southern cheese grits. After meals, patrons can peruse Feathernesters’ 5,000-square-foot shop laden with vintage jewelry, handmade folk art, and hand-painted furniture arranged in displays designed by Tony. Marc and Tony also welcome parties to the tearoom, with events for all occasions from bridal and baby showers to tea parties for children aged 5–10 and child-sized cornhusk dolls.