Shopping in Groton

When owner Mike Wade directs his customers to local fishing holes, he knows what he’s talking about because he's fished them himself. Mike’s passion for fishing influences the gear he keeps in stock, from new and used reels to fresh saltwater bait to AquaSkinz clothing and accessories. He even fashions his own line of plugs, inspired by his fishing adventures and information gleaning during focus groups of randomly selected striped bass.

Jeff Lederman took a hobbyist's interest in personalized crafts more than 30 years ago, and today that hobby has blossomed into a gift mecca tinged with a distinctively masculine edge. RhinoGifts.com and its sister storefront Recognition Inc. fill orders big and small for all kinds of inscribed paraphernalia, from apparel and watches to cedar humidors for stogies, and incorporates customers’ own artwork, logos, and personalized messages to complete each gift. The outfit also emblazons trinkets for companies with no minimum order sizes, meaning big corporations and mom-and-pop shops alike can treat their employees to a commemorative pen on Dr. Spock’s half birthday.

Joining the witness-protection program is the best way to disguise your identity, but the vast array of costumes at Halloween Express gives the program a run for its money. For more than two decades, the chain’s 300+ stores have supplied customers with costumes year-round from vampire capes for Halloween to Caesar togas for the Ides of March.

In preparation for the fall of 2012, they’ve added new items to their Halloween collection. These costumes range from fuzzy blue monsters to skeleton zombies and can transform groups of four into Raggedy Andy and three clones spawned from his DNA. The store’s party supplies add a spooky touch to festivities and include tombstones, rotting pumpkins, and giant hairy spiders.

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.

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.