Shopping in Laguna Woods

Electric hues of orange and lime green complement the gleaming paint jobs decking B-Rad's Bike Stop's bicycles and emulate the road-visible shades splashing racks of riding accessories. Bikers of all stripes can find their ideal transport in the spoked selection, which ranges from town and beach cruisers to racing, road, and mountain two-wheelers. The shop's mechanics call on years of experience to execute each repair and tune-up, along with a stock of parts from several manufacturers, including Giant, Kona, Haro, and Troy Lee Designs. To fuel their passion for community involvement, the owners of the recently opened B-Rad's plan to participate in local charity events by sponsoring activities such as bicycle races and dramatic reenactments of classic Paperboy moments.

Two Moroccan-style pouf chairs sit beneath an industrial wood and metal table, which in turn is weighed with antique books, sculptures, and a mirror in a carved frame. The scene might have come straight from a magazine shoot, but it's only a creative arrangement of the eclectic merchandise at Macalistaire at 1850. It's no surprise that shop owner Rachiel Macalistaire was inspired to open the store after her styling work was featured in home and style magazines. An avid vintage shopper, she filled the store with items from every decade, from a '50s wiggle dress to a '90s Y2K biohazard suit. Half the floor space is devoted to couches, dressers, mirrors, sculptures, and other eye-catching home items. Despite the range of goods, writers at Refinery29 wrote, "No need to spend a ton of time sifting through racks of clothing…every item from this carefully curated shop is tops!" The store also caught the eye of local press and grabbed the number-three spot on CBS 2 News and KCAL TV's top consignment shops in Orange County list.

Cobalt blue, lavender, and turquoise hues pervade the lines of baubles and accents at Primitives, LTD, a jewelry outfit that has been curating a selection of handcrafted pieces since 1988. Created primarily by Navajo, Zuni, and Hopi artists, the shop’s displays are dominated by nature-influenced designs. Artist Alan Kiva handcrafts a line of Zuni opal prayer beads, carving a total of 365 cuts into each bead’s stones to represent hopes for good health, prosperity, and a surfeit of cat videos for each day of the year. The opal inlaid into the beads’ sterling-silver setting comes in colors from frosted pink to green fire and is cut through by a ribbon of clear gemstones, exemplifying the ethereal beauty of many of Primitives’ pieces.

In 1981, Maggie Morgan and her daughter, Maria, opened a clothing boutique together in South Wales. They two fair-haired women named their shop Blondies, and in its window, they displayed a replica of the taffeta gown that Princess Diana wore when she became engaged to Prince Charles a month earlier. Maggie passed away due to lung cancer in 1999, and after moving to the United States, Maria decided to honor her by opening a lingerie shop with the same name as the boutique the two had shared. Additionally, she decided that the newest incarnation of Blondies would hold events throughout the year to benefit cancer research.

Blondies' patrons browse lingerie from 15 manufacturers and bras in sizes 30A through L that Maria custom-fits to ensure they don't fall into the majority of bra-wearers who sport an ill-fitting size. She also embellishes bra straps with Swarovski crystals and designs flowing, jewel-encrusted scarves that can be worn in a variety of ways.

Canvas Print Now's owner and founder, Marcus Stokes, began his canvas career with a single canvas printer. That was 12 years ago. Along with 24 years of experience in the general graphics industry, he used his knowledge to form Canvas Print Now. On the edge of technological advancement, the company's printers now produce high-definition artwork from their image store. Clients can also send in shots from their personal cameras or mobile phones to be printed for display in their homes or the homes of their sworn enemies. The staff can customize each image as well, producing it in collage or split form, and they can add effects such as sepia, paint-like strokes, or color retouching.