Shopping in Jamaica Plain

At Framers Edge, a staff of artists and skilled craftspeople preserves anything from precious family portraits to sports memorabilia to the wettest of oil paintings. They first conduct a complimentary consultation, advising clients on the best border for their belongings and detailing the step-by-step process. Once a method is agreed upon, they get to work: blocking and stretching needlepoint pieces, adding beveled accents to finished artwork, and mounting 3-D objects such as baseball jerseys and a baby’s first clump of shower hair. They use the best equipment in the industry and materials from high-quality suppliers, including Bainbridge mats and Bella and Studio moulding.

For 42 years, adventurers and outdoor athletes have emerged from Country Ski & Sport armored in quality apparel and equipped with sturdy vessels, poised to conquer mountains, rivers, and bike paths. The Stenson family—which founded the sportsman’s haven in 1970—shares the clientele’s passion for outdoor excursions, and staff three facilities with a team of knowledgeable employees boasting more than 225 collective years of industry experience. The friendly staff draws upon outdoor know-how to match customers with pairs of skis, snowboards, kayaks, or bikes that suit their needs and size. Adventure-appropriate apparel from North Face or Under Armour keeps bodies warm while they’re slaloming down slopes or luging to work. To help customers prepare for the sporting seasons, technicians also repair and tune up skis, snowboards, and bicycles, and offer seasonal leasing options for snow equipment.

Peter H. Reynolds, co-owner of The Blue Bunny Books and Toys, knows his books—he’s even a published author, with his illustrations adorning popular children’s titles such as the Judy Moody series and several Judy Blume novels. That love of the printed word is reflected in his family’s store, filled with an array of books for children and grownups. In addition to literature, customers can peruse a selection of DVDs and children's diversions such as albums, sticker books, craft kits, lunchboxes, and puppets that can be trained to bark on command. The Blue Bunny also hosts special events, such as workshops, preschool story hours, and book signings from celebrities such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney.

No matter the season, Wagon Wheel Nursery and Farmstand helps homeowners spruce up the household with seasonal decor, flowers, fruit baskets, and produce. In the nursery and garden center and award-winning landscape division, you can find annual and perennial flowers and shrubbery. There’s also brick, stone, or gravel to accentuate your yard or theater production of The Three Little Pigs. In fall, the nursery stocks healthy supply of pumpkins. Come by in the colder months and Wagon Wheel becomes an outpost for seasoned firewood, as well as holiday decor such as fraser and balsam fir Christmas trees and custom-made decorated wreaths and kissing balls.

The styles in the window and the way people pay might have changed since Berk’s Store opened up shop in 1900, but the store still maintains its commitment to providing its customers high-quality casual footwear and apparel. As they peruse the store, shoppers can find boxes filled with desert boots by Clarks, stylish thong sandals by Jack Rogers, and the ghosts of basketball players past wearing classic Chuck Taylor high-tops by Converse. For those who prefer to shop by phone or telegram, the store offers free shipping within the continental United States.

The dedicated team members at Boston Ski + Tennis prepare patrons for the slopes or courts with equipment, tune-ups, and apparel. Since 1977, the staff have carefully selected their inventory by testing various brands on frosty and fast surfaces. Ski jackets and snow pants from Obermeyer, Marmot, and Sessions line the store's shelves, along with tennis shoes and rackets that can be used as snowshoes when walking home from mountaintop matches. The staff also apply wax to ski bottoms to help them glide over snowy runs and regrip or restring tennis rackets to make them feel new and powerful.