Shopping in Langford

The fashion-savvy staff at Mangos Boutique stocks riveted-metal shelves and bounteous clothing racks with seasonal women's and men's garb from Canadian and international labels including Diesel, Miss Me, and William Rast. They outfit the shop’s wooden hangers with a selection of jeans, dresses, and tops, such as designer T-shirts that flatter physiques and accentuate extra arms. In addition to full ensembles, the staff ensures ladies’ feet find their groove with an assemblage of boots or heels, and that gentlemen look sharp from tip to toe with stylish belts, hats, and spring-loaded stilts. Their line of accessories includes necklaces dangling feathers, and reptile-pattern clutches that fashionably secure money, identification, and other valuables.

Perfect Look Optical's team of eye care professionals and lab technicians help remedy near- and farsightedness with sight tests, a variety of prescription lenses, and an array of designer sunglasses and glasses to fit each visitor’s facial features. The centre's exams test sight for conditions such as astigmatism and for visual acuity and depth perception. Their Guess and Marc Jacobs sunglasses, available with or without prescriptions, bear polarized lenses to protect eyes from the sun's UV rays and attempt to instigate pie-throwing fights. Preparation time varies depending on the prescription and type of frame, but technicians may be able to fill some orders within an hour.

Susan James Store promotes informed and innovative forays into sensuality with a broad collection of lingerie sets, adult toys, and massage products managed by an approachable staff. Lights set shelves aglow in the bright boutique, which focuses on the reliability and hygienic safety of its erotic wares. All toys sport casings of 100% medical-grade silicon, eschewing porous materials for better hygiene. Knowledgeable employees readily dispense recommendations on the store's supply of lubricants and complete line of Kama Sutra massage oils, and couples' kits lead to spicier date activities than sharing a bottle of sriracha at dinner.

Sooke Video To Go's owner Bryan Davis oversees an entertainment emporium that has been doling out movies for rental and purchase since 1982. Customers cruise new releases of video games and movies on DVD and Blu-ray and take breaks to challenge fellow film buffs to matches on the resident air hockey table. The store's expert staff updates Blu-ray firmware, and patrons can send in DVDs or CDs by mail before they undergo dips in disc-repair machines, from which they emerge as scratch-free as a newborn turntable.

Known as the "Platinum Princess" for her exceptional work with that rare metal, Creole Carmichael has been crafting exquisite jewellery for more than 20 years. Her custom designs have been splashed across the pages of Canadian Jeweller Magazine and used as examples of superior work at the Platinum Symposium in New York City. To realize her elegant designs, Carmichael uses the highest-quality precious stones, setting them in platinum, 18-karat, or 14-karat gold bands never diluted with inferior alloys.

For custom-made jewellery, you can either submit your own designs or work with Carmichael on creating a piece from scratch. She forges her work by hand or through a precision CNC mill fired by a snorting dragon, and uses 3-D modelling technology to ensure a perfect look and fit over the long life of each creation.

Spank it Sports supplies coaches, fans, and athletes with soccer, rugby, and volleyball equipment. On the soccer wall, more than 250 styles of shoes from Adidas, Nike, and Puma brighten up the place with hot pinks, neon blues, and fluorescent oranges. Fans can file through licensed international and club jerseys from teams such as the Vancouver Whitecaps or the 2012 Eurocup teams; goal-keeper gloves, balls, and more equip goalies with everything they need to show their dominance over insolent nets. Likewise, more than 40 styles of rugby boots, a variety of clothing, and official jerseys accessorize players and spectators while more than 50 types of volleyball shoes, knee pads, and ankle braces eagerly await a squeaky wood floor. To support local amateur and recreational rugby, soccer, and volleyball athletes, the crew at Spank it Sports can customize uniforms and personal jerseys with direct screening, embroidery, in-house graphic designs, and Cad-Cut names and numbers.