Shopping in Kings Point

Since 1968, Jerry’s Artarama has stocked shelves with multitudes of tools and supplies and helped artists show off finished work with custom framing. The comprehensive inventory fulfills artists’ every need, featuring everything from acid-free blank stretched canvases to Lukas oil colors, which have been transmitting images to paper since 1862. Custom framing services can protect and showcase a diploma, favorite 8”x10,” or beloved box of cereal.

Though Florida spans nearly 60,000 square miles, Jane Thompson manages to fit most of it onto 10 acres. Throughout her plant nursery, Thompson—who claims certification from and affiliation with such agrarian societies as the Florida Association of Native Nurseries—and her team tend to more than 60 native species that range from beach-dune sunflowers to coffee trees. By specializing in these native species, Indian Trails' growers supply property owners with plants that readily adapt to Florida's climate so that they thrive with little to no irrigation. Thompson also helps homeowners plan their landscapes through onsite demonstration plantings or design consultations, in which she offers essentials such as plant selection, construction of retaining walls, and transition of plants from the nursery to preschool.

Inside Learning Express Toys, children of all ages can find a host of entertaining and educational toys designed by brands such as Lego and Scientific Explorer. Seven days a week, staff members share their enthusiastic attitudes as they help children and parents peruse dolls and accessories, brain-stimulating word games, or science kits that fuel interactive learning. The store frequently holds special events for festive occasions, such as Father's Day and Lego Day, hosting such costumed characters as Santa Claus and welcoming royal delegates from the King of Legoland.

Since opening in June 2005, Postal Sweets has keep every inch of their 3000 square foot shop overflowing with bulk candies, plush stuffed animals, and kid-friendly gifts. Guests can fill small bags with any amount of loose candies and chocolates while packaged sweets, such as PEZ, Sixlets, and Sugar Babies, come in standard sizes. Postal Sweet also boasts a large collection of toys and gifts that range from Sesame Street dolls and Beanie Baby key chains to Hello Kitty accessories including notepads, stickers, and scratching posts for human claws.

Opened in 1985 by brothers with a shared love for surfing, Boca Surf and Sail has grown from its humble roots as an easygoing shop often festooned with a Gone Surfing sign to a dependable pit stop for land and water gear. The store radiates with a love of surf culture, from racks of Quiksilver apparel to Meyerhoffer boards suspended from the ceiling and staff plucked fresh from the sea. Aisle after aisle of surfwear, apparel, and gear helps seasplorers enjoy crashing waves or the sun's warm rays cascading across beaches dotted only with shells and sandcastle McMansions.

Beneath the tall palm trees that dot Amelia's SmartyPlants' outdoor garden lies a vast stock of lush plants and vibrant blooms handpicked by an expert staff. The 2-acre independent gardening center amasses plant species both familiar and unusual, helping homeowners beautify their yards and the environment with native florals, ornamental shrubs and trees, and colorful glass garden art that adds color and whimsy to natural plots. Aside from dishing out advice in a monthly newsletter or through their regular in-shop seminars, the plant pros can offer tips on garden design, fertilization, and how to control pests via hypnosis or the shop’s selection of organic and synthetic products. An indoor shopping area also awaits to show off shelves stocked with tools and garden accessories––many made in the United States—such as fountains and statues, all waiting to add interest to landscapes or the miniature dioramas of middle-school giants.