Shopping in Germantown

A family whose love for flora spans three generations, the Stadlers started their plant-growing endeavors back in 1932 when Paul Stadler began gardening for clients in Georgetown after emigrating from Switzerland. Soon, they opened up a small landscaping-and-gardening center, and today—more than 75 years later—Stadler Nurseries has grown to populate 340 acres of fertile land where they propagate native plants, landscaping shrubs, trees, roses, and more than 700 varieties of perennials. A staff of horticulturists and enthusiastic green thumbs helps visitors navigate the vast greenhouses and outdoor gardens, offering tips on how to prune leaves, fertilize soil, and teach plants how to roll over on command.

With an interest in fine art and a dream of owning his own business, Rick Turner felt like he didn’t quite belong at his job with the federal government. So, in 1973, Rick left his office gig behind and took a risk by opening his own shop. Settling into a quaint historic building, Rick enlisted his sister Lorraine to work in the shop. When the two started feeding large frame mouldings through a back window, they realized they needed a bigger space.

Today, at Turner Framing locations in Sterling and Seneca Square, the certified picture framers preserve children's artwork, needlepoint pieces, photographs, diplomas, and hole-in-one golf balls with museum-quality materials similar to those used in protecting King Tut's vacation photos.

An authorized Verizon retailer, Wireless Warehouse outfits shoppers with feature-laden phones and a wide range of service-plan options. Sleek touchscreen devices from Samsung, Motorola, and Apple take center stage at each of their four locations, alongside tablet computers and cases that protect phones from falls or transform them into butterflies.

The word that best describes Sterling Silver Scuba's instructors is passion. That’s because every one of them pursued it as a hobby before ever considering it professionally. Through countless hours of live dives and certification courses, they've become experts, and they share their knowledge during regular PADI classes. From specialized lessons on search and recovery or underwater naturalism to master diver or digital underwater photography, the classes prepare students for every aspect of open water exploration. Once students are certified, the school leads trips around the world to explore exotic locales such as the Bahamas, Mexico, or Donald Trump's 2,000,000 gallon bathtub for his dolphin wife.

Professional sleep counselors facilitate peaceful slumber at more than 80 Mattress Discounters locations nationwide, where showrooms brim with mattresses from brands such as Sealy Posturepedic, Tempur-Pedic, and Space Age Foam. Unlike pet stores, Mattress Discounters encourages customers to lie on the merchandise, as sleep counselors use the Discover Your Comfort system to ask questions about sleep position and comfort level. With this information in hand, client and counselor select the right mattress for restful slumber, with each sleep surface backed by a 60-night comfort guarantee.

Unlike your special lady's cucumber-melon rain-sprinkle lotion, the Combat-Ready Balm soothes razor burn and the effects of eczema and psoriasis, removes the itchiness from bug bites and scratches, and relieves sunburned, dry, or irritated skin. The balm has even seen combat while serving the dermal needs of American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Skincando products, with their no-frills packaging and intense bold labels, not only mean business, they mean war.