Shopping in Madison

Coquette's selection of seasonal fashions is as carefully chosen as a child's bowl of skittles, but less sticky when worn in the summer heat. In addition to stocking women's fashions from popular brands, the boutique carries distinctive pieces from new designers, vintage accessories, and handcrafted jewelry. Pair a floral rosebud tank ($40) with a flower cuff bracelet ($20) to attract pollen-hungry bumblebugs and make honey, or toss on a white, short-sleeve cotton dress ($46) to accentuate your skin’s sun-kissedness after a long day at the beach.

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).

Gymboree offers a bevy of baby-engaging classes in which parents and wee ones work together to build the tot's creativity and encourage development through play. Weekly classes are available for young ones ranging from the freshly born sapling to the 5-years-young wise wanderer. This deal includes rhythm-building music classes, imagination-expanding art classes, mobility-enhancing sports classes, and Gymboree's most popular class, Play & Learn, plus all family classes. The month membership allows you to take one class per week, with make-ups available during enrollment if you miss a class. This deal also includes unlimited attendance at Gymboree's open gym sessions (contact location for schedule), and you will receive a $25 discount on Gymboree clothing with a $50 purchase.

On Woodside Nursery and Garden Center's 5-acre grounds, a sprawling greenhouse hosts seasonal, Long Island–grown florae. The nursery staff cultivates its own flowers, vegetable plants, and herbs onsite to oversee every facet of growth and read each plant its preferred bedtime story at night. With photos and measurements for reference, these green-thumbed experts will also help customers design lush landscapes free of charge. Woodside's stock changes with the necessities of the seasons, with sundry flowers in the springtime, pond fish in the summer, pumpkins in the fall, and Christmas trees and wreaths in the winter.

Jeff Lederman took a hobbyist's interest in personalized crafts more than 30 years ago, and today that hobby has blossomed into a gift mecca tinged with a distinctively masculine edge. RhinoGifts.com and its sister storefront Recognition Inc. fill orders big and small for all kinds of inscribed paraphernalia, from apparel and watches to cedar humidors for stogies, and incorporates customers’ own artwork, logos, and personalized messages to complete each gift. The outfit also emblazons trinkets for companies with no minimum order sizes, meaning big corporations and mom-and-pop shops alike can treat their employees to a commemorative pen on Dr. Spock’s half birthday.

Under the leadership of manager Michael Shinsky, New Balance's professional fit specialists employ their expertise and iStep machine to fit runners, walkers, and athletes with an appropriate pair of New Balance shoes. Properly fitted footwear prevents blisters, strains, and comparisons to clowns. A selection of athletic apparel garbs active people from head to toe, encouraging support and free movement. The shop gives back to the community by raising money for charity, hosting road races, and accepting used footwear donations for Kids Helping Kids and Soles for Souls.