Shopping in Kansas City

With St. Valentine just around the corner, standing there waiting to sell you magazine subscriptions, now would be a good time to snag some appeasing V-Day arrangements. The popular Be My Love ($57.89) is a vase of lovely blossom buddies featuring red roses, white carnations, and Asiatic lilies. You can blush the face of your sidekick with the pinkish Dance With Me ($55.89), which comes dressed to impress with a mix of roses and carnations in a red vase and pink bow. There's also a digital display case that lets you poke your nose around a wide variety of cupid-caliber options. You can choose to have your order delivered within the KC metro area for an extra $12 (which you can use your Groupon toward).

A wave of pastel hues washes over the walls of Lauren Alexandra's two elegant boutiques, where baby and maternity specialist Pamela Dicapo has been outfitting infants, toddlers, and their parents with upscale accessories since 1994. Newborn essentials—stuffed animals, baby-talk translators, and blankets from brands such as My Blankee and Little Giraffe—share colorful shelf space with apparel from European clothiers such as CakeWalk and Catimini. The shops brim with a bevy of accouterments, and Pamela's passion for all things baby-related extends beyond her store. She and her supporting crew travel to parents’ homes to cultivate domestic comfort with professional room design services, harnessing their decorating finesse to help parents select soothing, kid-friendly wall treatments, furniture, and carpet.

Clothes and furniture find new life at Red Racks Thrift Stores. Through donations, the staffers at the store's 13 locations fill their racks and shelves with thousands of second-hand items for kids and adults, including name-brand garments from the likes of Tommy Hilfiger, Levi’s, The Loft, and Donna Karan New York. They also stock furniture and other miscellaneous goods, such as books and home décor.

And something odd happens when these items arrive at checkout—the register doesn't ring up any sales tax. That's because Red Racks is a nonprofit organization, and all proceeds go to benefit the Disabled American Veterans, an organization that has advocated on behalf of veterans for more than nine decades. Red Racks' altruistic mission has proved successful so far—the inventory of each store typically turns over every 3–4 weeks.

Jay Mathiesen cooked up Backyard Bash as a means to combine his passion for barbecue with his years of business experience. His dedicated team helps grilling fanatics navigate the store's collection of seasoned rubs, savory sauces, and recipe books. Mathiesen's collection of meat-heating paraphernalia also includes Weber grills and essential barbecuing tools and utensils. Neophyte grill masters can even enroll in cooking classes taught by award-winning chef Chris Marks. The topics of these classes range from how to prepare succulent ribs and grilled seafood to how to safeguard your eyebrows from overly exuberant flames.:m]]

Roy G. Biv-ify your printer with black or color ink for assorted printers, such as a lovely shade of magenta for a Brother DCP 130 ($13), some cyan for a Canon photo printer ($10.94), or a little black cartridge for an HP DeskJet ($26.45). Or put it toward a black toner cartridge for an HP LaserJet ($111), a Dell 1100 ($63), and much more. Stop by any location to redeem your Groupon.

Clark's Tool & Equipment opened in the 1970s as a discount tool shop, but when Don Gamble took the helm, he swapped out the supply of inexpensive outlet supplies to feature quality, American-made tools. Since then, the single shop has blossomed into four retail stores and a 15,000-square-foot warehouse stocked with a full line of brands such as SK Hand Tools, Ingersoll Rand, and Eagle Industries. The emporium of tools is an authorized supplier to industry students and teachers with a strong clientele in the rail, trucking, and manufacturing sectors.

Clark's catalog of tools and accessories includes hand tools, electric tools, and abrasives that summon the steady hands and keen eyes of everyone from industrial veterans to DIY enthusiasts. Safety equipment, tool accessories, and compressors are available to round out every toolbox with the appropriate fixings. Expert technicians also sharpen dulled blades, saws, and gardening tools and bring damaged or broken power tools back to life with skilled repair services.