Shopping in Eden Prairie

While adding miles to his personal odometer, Runner's Gate owner Phil Hoffland has sprinted down the streets of Boston and through the mountains of Honolulu. As a long-distance runner, he's competed in road races and marathons such as the Twin Cities Marathon, the Boston Marathon, the Naples Daily News Half Marathon, the Disney Marathon, and the Honolulu Marathon. He puts equal dedication into his charitable work, having served as a volunteer running coach for the local Leukemia Lymphoma Society, and the athletic director and general manager of several local athletic clubs.

At his shop in Lakeville, Hoffland uses his experience and expertise to outfit runners with the shoes that will keep them safely pounding the pavement. He consults with customers to analyze factors such as foot shape, stride, and mileage estimates, and uses in-shop treadmills to help them select the right level of comfort.

Ceramist and BonTon Designs owner Mary Anderson has adorned jean pockets with tiny mosaic tiles, transformed a bowling ball into a shimmering orb, and enhanced dozens of homes with her handmade tile installations. At BonTon Designs, she encourages her students to approach their own creations with the same sense of playful experimentation. She welcomes students of all ages and experience levels and equips them with mosaic tips and techniques along with all supplies. Then, she sets them loose to create their own projects, from painted tiles to glowing wine-bottle lanterns to mosaics of their favorite ceramics teacher.

The storefront of Artworks Art & Frame, Inc. qualifies as a work of art in and of itself: its side wall is covered with an intricate mural of a Victorian home, and its front face features large reproductions of the most famous works of Seurat and Van Gogh. Within the store, every surface is covered with supplies for all disciplines, including reams of paper, paints in every hue, and temperamental watercolor paints that will only mix with Perrier. In custom framing services, you can enhance pictures, posters, and artwork with creative matting and hand-finished molding, as well as frames with gold- and metal-leaf finishes.

In 1952, after years of ferrying car batteries to wholesalers throughout Dallas in his trusty red Studebaker pickup truck, John Searcy opened a shop of his own. Now a national franchise with more than 300 locations, Interstate All Battery Center powers up gadgets from a catalog of more than 16,000 batteries. Specialized cells from an array of brands including Apple, Motorola, and Creative Labs power home electronics, including the cell phones and singing wall fish that run constantly in most modern households. Cordless tools purr warmly, and medical equipment, such as hearing aids and wheelchairs, continue their crucial functions with fresh energy. The shop also powers up vehicles from golf carts to vintage cars to RVs with batteries from Audi and other companies. The staff collects and recycles upward of 850 million pounds of batteries each year.

Selected for the Best of Twin Cities issues of Mpls.St.Paul Magazine and Minnesota Monthly, Jon and Wing Witthuhn founded Pacifier in 2004 in response to the lack of hip baby stores in Minneapolis, and the duo now has a second location downtown at the City Center Skyway, and recently opened a third location in Edina. True to their vision, the shop stocks a whimsical array of eclectic and modern children’s clothing and toys, nursery décor and furniture, and maternity items. Its selection of diaper bags facilitates the process of changing little loincloths, and baby bouncers inspire tiny feet to groove to the electric slide with rhythmic movements. Swaddlers keep kiddies warm as they sleep, and a Sophie the Giraffe natural teether sees babies through an important developmental change. In addition to its stock of baby gifts and toys, the shop purveys home-safety devices, including press 'n' pull plug protectors and video monitors.

When Crystal Pollard was looking for maternity and baby clothes, she found plenty of onesies but a dearth of stylish skirts or flowing evening dresses. With the help of her husband Brad, a carpenter, the couple outfitted their garage with a changing room and chandelier and created Bellies to Babies. Stocked with the best of Crystal’s garage sale finds, the shop specialized in not only gently used baby clothes but stylish maternity duds for Mom.

Today, in a storefront rather than a garage, customers weave through racks of colorful, stylish, and pint-sized clothes for toddlers as well as soft, frilly sweaters and workout gear. The shop also specializes in dress rental for special occasions, offering over 100 pieces including floor-length, summer, and cocktail dresses.