Shopping in Inkster

The jewelry designers at Heartwear Designs have been at it since 1971. Since that time, the talented local artists have been stringing and molding hundreds of idiosyncratic accessories from gold, platinum, and gemstones. The work has been sold to national retailers such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Fortunoff, but now Heartwear Designs showcases the distinctive work.

Heartwear Designs jewelry includes earrings, pendants,rings, and bracelets,,available in 14-karat gold, 18-karat gold, or platinum, as well as yellow, white, rose, or green gold. Custom engagement rings and birthstone pieces, along with fashion jewelry from sterling, pearls, and gemstone beads round out the entire inventory. Heartwear Designs also offers repairs for customers' broken jewelry, restringing pearls and beads, and they polish up guests’ tarnished pieces for free.

English Gardens began as a single, family-owned nursery in 1954, and has since blossomed into a full-service landscaping and garden center with multiple locations, all owned and operated by second-generation family members. Each location facilitates both indoor and outdoor gardening projects with a large selection of gardening tools, seed packets, and transplant-ready plants extracted from their original soil by renowned surgeons. Garden accents such as bird feeders, patio furnishings, and lounge chairs dress up outside spaces with comfort and design, and the florist department brings the outdoor flourish inside by arranging fresh-cut floral bouquets and gift baskets for all manner of occasions. Workshops and in-store presentations also allow the green-thumbed experts to impart advice on common gardening and decorating topics such as building a kitchen herb garden or housetraining a dogwood tree.

Priced Green cultivates a constantly-changing inventory of high-end, gently used clothing, with each item available for five dollars or less. The boutique overflows with tank tops, dresses, skirts, and sportswear, all of which are carefully inspected by co-owners Bill and Danielle Perry and their eagle-eyed staff. Along with designer labels, the boutique also features heels, flats, and fashion-forward accessories.

Every year at Ann Arbor Fest, Catching Fireflies founders Steve and April paused from manning their paper-arts booth to admire the folksy paintings of local artist Chris Roberts-Antieau. When they finally saved up enough to purchase their favorite piece, “Catching Fireflies,” it led to a flash of inspiration: a shop dedicated to showcasing similarly whimsical artwork and supporting local artists.

Now, Catching Fireflies’ inventory spans the spectrum, from leather-bound journals and wall art to children’s toys, and has been lauded in Rochester-Rochester Hills Patch. Once customers have honed in on wares, staff can gift-wrap them free of charge, thereby eliminating the need to conceal them behind Groucho glasses.

Elegant garments from Burberry and Louis Vuitton surround shoppers at Couture Bridal Resale and Designer Resale Boutique, a high-end consignment shop that sells only authenticated designer clothes and accessories. The ever-rotating stock of mid- and high-level goods includes handbags, shoes, and clothing that's meticulously cleaned and steamed before making its way onto wooden hangers on the sales floor. The extensive clothing section features items from Gap and Gucci. Sizes ranging from 0 to 4XL are available for both men and women. Doubling as a bridal boutique, the shop offers vintage gowns dating back as far as the 1800s, as well as gowns from famed designers such as Vera Wang and Oscar de la Renta and lower-priced retail designers including Jessica McClintock.

Couture Bridal Resale and Designer Resale Boutique treats its clients to a spa-like browsing experience with a relaxing chandelier-lit space painted in soothing color schemes, pleasantly scented, and replete with hors d'oeuvres and drinks. Dedicated to outfitting the style and budget conscious with the latest and vogue-est gear, the fashion-forward staff runs special promotions to re-create the current season’s trends using Couture Bridal Resale and Designer Resale Boutique's resale and vintage collections.

A catnapper’s paradise awaits at Michigan Discount Mattress, where dozens of napping slabs await trial dozes. The mattress menagerie is populated with a variety of species, including beds woven from memory foam, natural latex, viscose, and soy-based natural foam. Though they range from soft, pillow-top styles to ultrafirm cement blocks, each mattress comes from a quality brand, such as Corsicana, Restonic, and Nature’s Sleep.