Shopping in Jersey City

Jewel 32's team of piercing pros and jewel experts adorns bodies with necklaces, earrings, rings, and other trimmings. Lighted glass cabinets line the walls, casting baubles from brands such as Murano, Twisted Blade, and Swarovski in a soft glow. The staff decorates lobes with marcasite earrings, replete with elegant dark stones, encircles fingers in engraved sterling-silver skull rings, and wraps ankles or bottles of ketchup in delicate sterling-silver flowers and freshwater pearls. Piercing professionals imbue noses, ears, eyebrows, and an array of other areas with new jewelry receptacles that can house favorites from Jewel 32's extensive collection of gold, silver, and diamond body jewelry, including gauges from sizes 00–20 and ornate navel rings.

By setting out to provide visitors with one of the most beloved Christmas traditions, Anthony Gallo Nurseries has practically become a tradition in itself—the Christmas tree farm has spent more than a century decking homes with the holiday’s decorative centerpiece. At the nursery, tree-seekers peruse a lineup of firs hand-picked from Gallo’s tree farm, including Fraser firs, a modern-day favorite seen in many American homes including the White House, and Balsam firs, a classic choice known for filling spaces with their festive aroma. In addition to trees, the nursery offers mixed garlands and florist-designed wreaths sprinkled with colorful berries, handmade bows, and tiny cameras that stream footage to Santa's behavior-analysis department.

Before the archivists of Art and Framing Gallery begin a project, they slip on pairs of cotton gloves. By sheathing their hands, they guard against fingerprints and finger-paints. Their dedication to museum-quality workmanship shines through each project, whether it's a same-day framing job or a standard three- to seven-day order.

In Art and Framing Gallery's showrooms, walls display more than 3,000 frame samples and acre upon acre of mats. Ready-made framed mirrors and artwork also share this space, which connects to in-house workshops. Here, craftsmen cut custom glass and piece together each project. They skillfully preserve artwork and portraits and excel with projects that require special care. They encase delicate antiques in UV-protective glass and display sports jerseys in cases that ward off wrinkling and grass stains.

Paper Doll Beauty Bar extends Paper Doll Boutique's beautifying province from vintage dresses to birthday suits with a host of spa services. Licensed aestheticians customize facials for women and men. During massages, therapists combine soothing effleurage strokes, aromatic essential oils, and heated basalt stones to help to detoxify muscles and stimulate circulation, leaving backs more relaxed and healthy. Other services include manicures, waxes, and mink eyelash extensions long enough to tickle your date's neck from across the table.

A vibrant purple awning is what draws eyes to Euro Optika’s trendy boutique, but it’s the stylish frames within that lure them indoors. Rare European eyewear from such designers as Anne et Valentine, Lafont, and Oliver Goldsmith line pale wooden shelves, sidling next to Maui Jim and Ray-Ban’s stateside shades. A knowledgeable staff is on hand to educate customers on lens types, while helping pair them with frames that best complement facial shapes, lifestyles, and slow-motion hair tosses. As an added convenience, the boutique keeps its doors open until at least 6 p.m. seven days a week.

A part of the Big Apple Art Gallery family, Bob's Frame Shop boasts a fully ensured, skilled staff that custom frames items of all dimensions right in the studio. Their services range from basic framing—which comes in a choice of 8,000 different styles—to specialty shadow boxes, which immortalize 3-D memorabilia such as a graduation cap or a treasured sports jersey belonging to the hockey-obsessed family dog. The experts outline pictures with cotton, linen, and silk mats, which are sliced with a computerized mat cutter for shapes and letters contoured to precise specifications. Delivery to the surrounding neighborhood is available, and the accommodating establishment welcomes customers seven days a week.