Shopping in Independence

At Herbs & Spice, mad cooks are sure to find whatever concoction they need to complete their meat-reanimation experiments among the sprawling cornucopia of spices and spice-related merchandise. The shop is also home to owner and longtime spice aficionado Colonel De Stewart's line of hand-blended spices, Colonel De Ray, watched over by the mustachioed Colonel himself, both in the flesh and on a hand-painted sign hanging above the spice counter. Always ready with recommendations drawn from a lifetime of cooking experience, not to mention the all-knowing tapeworm curled up in his ear, the Colonel will happily act as your jungle guide through more than 500 herbs and spices.

When Jason Reser isn't pouring his energy into competitive mountain-bike racing and trail improvement, he's tending to his business—Reser Bicycle Outfitters. At two stores, one of which earned a Best Bike Shop recognition from Northern Kentucky Magazine in 2012, he leads a team of competitive cyclists, technicians, and fitting specialists certified by the Serotta International Cycling Institute. At the Over-the-Rhine location, staffers match customers to city-friendly bikes and accessories; at the Newport, Kentucky store, they instead oversee a stock specializing in sports-focused bikes. Their inventory encompasses brands such as BMC, Civia, Orbea, and Ridley. The technicians service all makes and models in onsite repair shops, treating bicycles with everything from basic tune-ups to major overhauls to unproductive psychotherapy sessions. They also measure customers and frames at more than 30 points and swap out parts to complete custom fittings.

Show Mom you care or carefully remember Mother's Day with a For You, Mom bouquet, a 26-stem combination of roses, gerbera daisies, carnations, mini-carnations, baby’s breath, and vibrant greens ($50.75). Or, gift a minimalist glass-bubble bowl filled with a few simple seasonal blooms ($30). A dozen roses ($60) are fail-proof blooms for any occasion, including Constitution Day, Secretary's Day, and Overseas Electronics Day. The friendly flower whisperers at Ruttle & Neltner boast an impressive 55 combined years of creating eye-catching arrangements and will be happy to work with you to design a creative and customized nine-inch bouquet vase ($35+) or other vased arrangement ($45+).

By keeping up-to-date on the latest product information and safety alerts, with regular input from a parent advisory team and IBM’s Deep Blue computer, Best for Babies ensures that it carries only the safest and highest-quality merchandise. Parents and pet owners who like to dress their four-legged friends in baby clothes can deck out their darlings with clothing such as New Jammies organic nap n’ play footies ($28), a Barefoot Dreams eco-heirloom cardigan ($50), or a stylish Alfonsi Venetis oilcloth smock ($25).

Decorate a dull wall with Sid Dickens memory tiles ($79.95 each), or re-scent your soul sack with Crabtree & Evelyn India Hicks Island Living perfume ($50). Mother's Day, graduations, weddings, and anniversaries blow in with the hot-air spews of summer, and they necessitate carefully chosen gifts. Browse Edgewood Designs' large variety of décor, jewelry, purses, apparel, and more. Pick up a Vera Bradley handbag ($10+), ideal for stuffing with all manner of curio, or entertain uninspired feet with SwitchFlops (average $38), shoes with interchangeable tops.

Benken's greenhouses are beaming with fantastic flora, with everything from easy-to-grow plants to exotic tropical trees represented. For rejuvenating flower power every spring, consider selecting from the thousand-plus perpetual perennials ($12.99 and up). Otherwise, increase the splendor of this year's garden goodies by stocking up on annuals ($5.99–$9.99). Similar to cheap beer, except more delicious and rewarding, six-packs of vegetable plants go for $4.99. A properly pampered 4" tomato plant ($2.59) will produce pounds of produce, ensuring that the "T" in one's summer BLTs won't have to be teabags or treacle again. Gardening gourmands, meanwhile, can spice up their outdoors with $5.99 herbs. Hanging baskets of geraniums ($29.99) add an airiness and color to any porch or dungeon. Three gallons of knockout roses ($34.99) will finally give your yard a way to ask you to marry it, while one gallon of Patriot hostas ($14.99) lets you celebrate Independence Day with a ka-bloom that will outlast any firework's ka-boom.