Shopping in Long Island City

Dimples' shelves are stocked with singular designs and eclectic gifts for small people and small people's people. Blankets, clothing, and baby socks swaddle children, while bibs, diaper bags, stroller gear, and hair accessories clothe parents in comfort, convenience, and stain-resistance. Protect infant's tender toes with socks (single pair, $6), or provide a lovably cuddly blanket companion: an Angel Dear security blanket ($13). To preserve a parent's white shirt and sanity, give the gift of a Baby Dry burp cloth, sold in super-absorbent pairs and a variety of stylish patterns ($22). Dimples also carries dozens of accessories, such as the Podee hands-free bottle for the business baby on the go ($9.99) and Zoochini hooded towels to keep cozy the thoughts about dinosaurs ever present in a baby's brain ($30).

NYCTUX outfits dapper dans of all ages in elegant tuxedos accessorized with rentable limousines and party buses. Single- and double-breasted suits from designers such as Oscar de la Renta and Gianfranco Ruffini envelop torsos in classic black or white Super 120 and worsted wool, and same-day service ensures clients are dressed to impress at last-minute weddings or appellate-court hearings. Natty accessories such as vests, hats, and cufflinks complement suave ensembles. A fleet of party buses and classic and stretch SUV limousines from Hummer, Cadillac, and Audi ferry 8–55 revelers to soirees and late-night drive-through windows.

Since 1959, the slope specialists at Emilio's Ski Shop have closely followed every innovation in downhill riding. They joined the snowboard revolution with Burton in 1979, and remain proud members of the Ski Merchandising Corp., the premier buying group of specialty ski and snowboard shops in the US. Today, second-generation family members lead the shop’s resident skiers and riders, who outfit customers with quality equipment, proper clothing, rentals, and winter sport information. They also organize day trips every Wednesday through Sunday to locations including Okemo, Hunter Mountain, and Mt. Snow, helping skiers get uphill without having to raise their own pack mules.

City Tree Lot’s trees travel from local farms and the mountains of North Carolina to decorate living rooms for the holiday season. Douglas firs support ornaments with sturdy branches, while the needles of a North Carolina Fraser fir twinkle magically under the rays of colorful Christmas tree lights. City Tree Lot’s trees range in height from 5 to 13 feet, allowing them to fit into tight corners or tower majestically in a stately living room or two-story man cave.

In addition to populating homes with seasonal greenery, the holiday helpers behind City Tree Lot also embody the spirit of the season through their ongoing charitable work. This year, their are twofold; in addition to collecting winter coats for victims of Superstorm Sandy, they're also running a supplies drive for animal shelters busy caring for newly homeless pets.

Since 1988, Specs For Less has been sharpening visual acuity in Staten Island and its surrounding areas. At each of its five locations, customers' eyes are coddled by a staff of optometrists, who examine eyes aided by up-to-date equipment as well as ongoing education. Meanwhile, eyewear consultants concern themselves with keeping newly minted prescriptions stylishly adhered to faces, occupying the vanguard of frame style trends with an inventory of designs from Coach, Fendi, and Dior.

Dell Williams, founder and groundskeeper of Eve's Garden, has stocked her discreet boutique with erotic and sensual wares since 1974. An advocate for women's sexual freedom, Dell has written pieces that have made their way into the filing cabinets at Cornell University, and her acting talents have graced stages in productions of Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues. The shop's shelves reflect her celebration of female sexuality with vibrating and inert accessories and books by Vibratex, Lelo, and Je Joue that enlighten ladies as to their bodies' capacities for pleasure. Located on the 12th floor of a midtown Manhattan office building, Eve's Garden proffers a private shopping experience away from the prying eyes of street-level pedestrians and judgmental pigeons.