Shopping in Marietta

Contributing to local commerce isn’t new territory for the Howard family. In 1925, Edwin Howard’s in-laws founded a small grocery in Doraville, which he took leadership of 30 years later. After gaining experience in that business, he decided to expand the family’s venture, and in 1972, he opened the first Howard’s True Value Hardware right next door. Now, after more than 35 years and currently under the ownership of Howard brothers John and Doug, the hardware store keeps shelves stocked with more than 100,000 hardware items, tools, and home-garden accouterments from the likes of Carhartt and Honda, as well as charcoal grills from Big Green Egg, wood pellet grills from Traeger, and a line of propane grills with tanks they can fill in-store.

Building materials, including adhesives and mason tools, lighten the burdens of home-improvement projects, and a constellation of hand tools relieves the hassle of hiring a beaver to chew its way through 2”x4”s. A full stock of interior paints helps customers brighten the hue of living quarters, while a sturdy pair of jeans from Carhartt helps them to withstand the wear-and-tear of maintenance projects or slow dances with rose bushes.

Sam Flax South outfits artists and designers with supplies and furniture from top industry brands such as Herman Miller, Humanscale, and Steelcase to produce masterpieces on any scale. Easels grip canvases as painters blanket them in polychromatic oils and acrylics, just as drafting tables, rulers, and protractors help architects draft the blueprint for the first home built entirely of discarded totem poles. Guests can leaf through paper products and readymade gifts including delicate cards, journals, and calendars. Treasured prints also find displayable homes in Sam Flax’s custom-framing department, where artisans design hangable enclosures that accentuate a picture with a contrasting mat color or an oversize neon arrow that points directly to the image. The in-house framing center applies acid-free matting and seals art in airtight materials to preserve pieces.

Mattress Choice's sleep specialists take the time to educate guests as they lead them on tours through a showroom stocked with more than 30 models. They explain the technology and benefits of each mattress to guests who lie on as many mattresses needed until they find the comfiest fit. Familiar brand names such as Simmons Beautyrest and ComforPedic make up the showroom’s roster. A stockpile of accessories provisions sleepers with other necessary items—frames, Tempur-Pedic pillows—that pile atop already-snug mattresses to make them even more comfortable after long sleepwalks or sleep break dancing.

The Sole Store of Atlanta outfits gents in laidback attire from behind a sleek brick storefront. Their rotating cache of attire includes hockey-inspired jerseys and button-down bowling shirts, perfect for dressing the part for the big game or theater outings to lost Shakespearean plays about bowling. Cargo shorts and designer jeans from brands such as Jet Lag and Cult of Individuality also line the shelves, and baseball caps, sports watches, and custom-designed belts enhance carefully constructed ensembles.

Since 1990, Tuxedo Frame Gallery has specialized in encasing photos, keepsakes, and other miscellaneous items in high-quality custom frames. The designers help clients choose from thousands of frame styles, hundreds of mat colors, and a dozen types of glazing. Once the specifics are laid out, designers carefully oversee the framing project from start to finish, ensuring that framers maintain the company’s award-winning level of workmanship. Tuxedo Frame Gallery also specializes in conservation framing, which preserves mementos’ long-term value with deterioration-deterring features such as acid-free mats, UV-protective glazing, and frames embroidered with mummy wraps.

The staff at Blush Kennesaw love talking clothes with their customers. Whether it's face-to-face in their cozy shop, or through their Facebook page, they leap at the chance to share the latest dresses and tops with other fashionistas. And with an ever-changing stock of colorful sundresses, trendy knit tops, comfortable shorts, and glimmering accessories, coupled with a penchant for 1920s sports trivia, they always have something exciting to chat about.