Shopping in Manorville

By answering any and all questions about their erotic wares, the staffers at Amazing Intimate Essentials have helped promote safe and sensual trysts for more than 40 years. Their selection of massage oils, lubricants, and adult toys—which occupies stores spread throughout the Northeast and Texas—contains goods from such established brands as We-Vibe, Jimmyjane, and K-Y. They staff female-friendly merchandise, as well as products that help couples create more sparks in the bedroom than a master metalworker soldering a "do not disturb" sign to the door. The staff stresses openness and acceptance in regards to romantic endeavors, an attitude that also fuels their unwavering support of the LGBT community.

Passonno Paints has equipped brush wielders with high-quality paint for more than 80 years. A friendly, knowledgeable staff helps patrons navigate thousands of hues from series such as Rustic Colors and The Historic Colour Collection, which includes all 149 colors of President Lincoln’s pet rainbow. In addition to transforming dwellings with vivid colors and equipping windows with blinds, Passonno Paints has also created an award-winning latex-paint-recycling program.

In the late 1930s, two journalists from New York traveled to Litchfield, Connecticut, in search of a quiet vacation home where they could both focus on their writing. After transforming a small barn into their living space, however, William Harris and Jane Grant found themselves distracted from work by the surrounding countryside's rich foliage. They soon decided to devote themselves to horticulture, first in their own garden and later in the nursery that would become White Flower Farm. The couple's inquisitive and intelligent approach to gardening led them to seek out and educate themselves on new plant species, original design ideas, and modernized practices. As the couple developed a strong, local following of passionate horticulturists, their nursery business thrived, passing into the hands of the current owner, Eliot Wadsworth, in 1976.

Although its current staff nears 100 people, White Flower Farm still strives to maintain a personal touch with thoughtful customer service and the use of hands-on growing techniques. Five hundred varieties of plants grow in its 32 greenhouses under horticulturalists' constant care, and plants are packed carefully before they're shipped year-round to gardens across the country.

Victory Cycle Works owners Nick and Erin Engelson call upon 20 years of experience and certification from BikeFit to provide services that ensure both comfort and performance for cycling patrons. They keep rides in shape with tune-ups as well as repair services available in-house, through pickup and delivery, or performed on-location with mobile service. Fittings can benefit those looking for a new bike as well as improve the positioning of current bikes, preventing cyclists from having to add an extra seat for the massage therapist. During each bike fitting, Nick invites clients to mount a Dynafit CompuTrainer fit bike. His method properly aligns bike components to work with the natural rhythm of each rider's joints, allowing them to achieve a synergy of feel, function, fitness level, and foundation.

Arthur H. Simmons was a cabinetmaker, and a good one at that. So eager was he to outfit the homes of his community with his creations that in 1879—the same year that Thomas Edison tested the first practical light bulb and Alexander Graham Bell invented the Liberty Bell—the skilled craftsman opened the doors of Simmons Furniture in his hometown of Adams. Though the world has changed in the long years since Simmons Furniture’s founding, and the business is now under the helm of the Riley family, Arthur H. Simmons’s original commitment to selling quality furniture and meeting his customers’ needs remains the company’s cornerstone.

Now, more than a century since the store’s inception, staffers stock both of Simmons Furniture’s locations with home goods and furnishings from a carefully curated assortment of brands, including Ashley, Furniture Traditions, and Serta. The knowledgeable employees circulate through each store’s showrooms, ready to help shoppers to find a suitable accent piece or to answer questions relating to which of the store’s wardrobes enable direct commutes to Narnia. Along with American-made brands, eco-friendly furnishings, and luxurious wares imported from around the globe, Simmons Furniture also continues to support the community with a section dedicated solely to goods forged by local artists and merchants.

Decorators Fabric Outlet stocks rows of delicate fabrics sold by the yard. The family-owned business selects textiles from brand names such as Robert Allen, Duralee, and Beacon Hill, which can be fashioned into everything from curtains and throw pillowcases to furniture upholstery and sheets for bashful ghosts. Decorators Fabric Outlet even transforms the act of sitting from a humdrum chore to a posh pursuit with cushions for outdoor patios, boats, and campers.