Connecticut Stores and Shopping

The staff at Express, an authorized Verizon Wireless retail center, opens the lines of communication for clients with a spectrum of cellular devices and services from one of America’s largest mobile networks. Knowledgeable experts can help patrons set up the latest smartphones and tablets from brands such as Apple and Droid, and the stores' vast inventory of covers protects devices from scratches and text messages delivered tied to a brick. Wireless wizards can also help with phone upgrades, laptop cards, and warranty services, or facilitate phone trade-ins for discounts on new gizmos.:

David Art Center, in business for more than four decades, stocks a deluge of quality art supplies from name brands including Liquitex, Winsor & Newton, Daler-Rowney, and PrismaColor. Located just a few minutes from downtown New Orleans, the art-savvy staff also helps visitors to dress up artwork, photography, and two-dimensional dolls with a selection of more than 1,000 styles of moldings and mats, custom-cut glass, and dry-mounting materials.

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.

The courteous staff shares a wealth of fashion knowledge to help clients find vintage and contemporary apparel to complement their personal style or create completely original looks. Like a mother's stern warning, items from the shop's stock are rarely repeated to make room for a constant flow of new jewelry and clothing discoveries. Busy fashionistas may schedule private shopping appointments outside of regular business hours to receive one-on-one service. Closet-cleaning house calls summon Vice Versa Boutique's organizers to tidy up disheveled wardrobes and provide suggestions on future purchases before floating out the window with a vintage umbrella.

The six teachers at Cutting Edge Quilts combine their individual quilting savvy to lead students through a wide range of classes. Amid myriad fabrics and ample creative space, the studio's long-arm quilting machine lets students sew their quilt top, batting, and backing together in a more-time-efficient manner than by using traditional machines or bribing a silkworm. Various quilting groups meet regularly, focusing on different techniques such as hand-sewing and scraps as they take advantage of the studio's gargantuan collection of threads, kits, and specialty fabrics such as Batik and Moda.

Cutting Edge divides its staff into a skate crew, snow crew, bike crew, and longboard crew. These teams of experienced specialists can answer nearly any extreme-sport question you throw at them -- and tune up your gear for safe and steady riding. On the shop floor, rows of BMX and Mountain bikes eagerly await their chance to pop some wheelies and tear up dirt trails. The shop's walls barely peek out from behind a vast selection of boards, shoes, and helmets. Cutting Edge is also a dealer of Kona, Santa Cruz, Pivot, Niner, and Transition bikes.