Shopping in Marietta

At Play It Again Sports, knowledgeable equipment masters outfit athletes of all sports with new and used gear from major-league brands such as Nike, Callaway Golf, and Adidas. An ever-rotating inventory keeps lockers stocked with spare balls, dressers filled with run-ready shorts, and secret laboratories populated with gleaming treadmills. Proud recipients of the Gold Standard Store award, amiable staffers stand ready to answer questions or assist with fittings, ensuring that each athlete leaves with the appropriate helmet, bat, or free-weight set. The shop also doles out cash or credit for trade-in gear, completing the ethereal circle of sports.

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.

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.

Customers choose their own adventures as they peruse the aisles of Book Browser, a literary goldmine where books by classic and contemporary authors open up new pathways for the imagination to wander. The shop’s mission to maintain a quality collection of used books results in a conspicuous lack of torn covers and dog-eared pages among the fiction and nonfiction offerings. Books by local authors highlight the selection of fresh-off-the-presses books, which share their shelves with handcrafted necklaces, Hot Shades reading glasses, and children put to sleep while flipping through the pages of Goodnight Moon.

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.