Shopping in Ionia

Since Dr. Stanley Pearle opened the doors to the first Pearle Vision in 1961, the franchise has expanded to more than 800 stores nationwide. In these stores, optometrists assess the ocular health of patients before onsite opticians help them navigate the assortment of frames from brands such as Versace, Ray-Ban, and DKNY. If they're not in the store, clients can utilize the Try-On tool, uploading a photo to see what they or their dog looks like in different types of glasses. Pearle Vision also helps focus the world with contacts from Acuvue and Biofinity.

Nestled in the Kerrytown Market & Shops, Elephant Ears swaddles babies in a bevy of fair-trade, organic, and sustainable apparel and accessories made from natural fibers. The store seeks out manufacturers with ethical business practices, and a large portion of its inventory is crafted outside of the United States, in countries such as Israel, Canada, and New Zealand. Bright colors, interesting patterns, and comfortable fabrics set apart Elephant Ears' cloth diapers, wearable blankets, and baby slings perfect for sneaking extra buffet portions.

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.

Though Perpetua owners Catheryn and John Snyder are masters of compromise when it comes to their differences in taste, there’s one thing they won’t arbitrate over: the wellness of the planet. That’s why the duo’s clothing boutique houses an environmentally friendly stock of organic and vegan clothing for both men and women, with garments and accessories from high-end brands such as Reveal and Eco Skin. Within the space’s mint-green walls, clients may peruse a rotating stock of shoes, apparel, jewelry, and wallets made from hemp and organic cotton, as well as repurposed materials such as bicycle tubes, billboards, and the red carpets of fashion shows past.

Voted the area’s best women's clothing store by the readers of the Towne Courier in the 2010 People's Choice Awards, Kellie's Consignments houses an ever-changing selection of men's and women's consignment apparel, furniture, and designer shoes and accessories in its expansive 13,500-square-foot showroom. The shop's one-of-a-kind inventory shifts more quickly than a caffeinated racecar, with a fresh selection of vintage items and new merchandise from store liquidators constantly rotated in from consignors as far away as Texas. Handbags and footwear with pedigrees from designers such as Fendi and Roberto Cavalli keep patrons decked out in timeless fashions, and a selection of jewelry lets them further accessorize any outfit.

Hemmed into the East Lansing fashion scene by a mother-daughter team in 2010, Jeanologie Boutique presents a big-city shopping experience inspired by the likes of New York City stores. Inside, the boutique houses the latest trends in women's fashion, including dresses, bags, and a large selection of premium denim. Alongside brand names and popular designers, Jeanologie also uses its rack space to showcase the industry's up-and-coming stars by collaborating with students from Michigan State University's Apparel and Textile program.