Shopping in McLean

Nestled between bay windows with verdigris awnings, Just Paper & Tea’s bright-red door serves as a cheery invitation to enter the store. Behind the cardinal-hued portal, happy sighs cut through the rustle of paper as patrons riffle through the shop’s hand-picked assortment of stationery accented with custom designs and elegant lettering. Perched at their workstations, calligraphers artfully emblazon blank cards with birth announcements or legally binding grocery lists, and staffers help brides- and grooms-to-be draft up dream wedding invitations. Along with lavish paper wares, Just Paper & Tea’s shelves also brim with a vast selection of teas that call to mind distant landscapes with smoky darjeeling and herbaceous green matcha.

Fragrant smoke wafts through the air of the Alhaery family's Cigar Palace, a haven for DC-area tobacco aficionados for more than 15 years. More than 90 brands rest inside humidors, with customers choosing from renowned brands such as H. Upmann, Partagas, and CAO, as well as cigarillos, accessories, and gift sets. Once purchased, cigars can be enjoyed at home or in Cigar Palace's cozy lounge, furnished with leather seats, a poker table, and a flat-screen television.

Bryn Keith Clothing Company takes its name from Bryn Johnson, who founded the company to provide fine clothing for his family and friends. Now he reaches an international client base with collections of high-end suits, shirts, and accessories. His fabrics—which come from Italy, England, Egypt, and Switzerland—rotate regularly so that clients can follow fashion trends, dress for the season, or start a suit-of-the-month club.

In Bryn Keith Clothing Company's showroom, soft jazz wafts around browsers as they pick all-cotton or all-silk pieces with as much or as little staff assistance as they desire. After clients choose the fabrics and cut, a Hong Kong tailoring service assembles the pieces and provides custom alterations in case of the sudden sprouting of a third arm. Peruse some frequently asked questions online.

From its petal-filled space in Arlington's Ballston Mall, Saeeda's Blooming Flowers enlivens weddings, birthdays, and anniversaries with stunning floral arrangements enhanced by elegant vases and gift-appropriate extras. Helpful, flower-savvy staff members shepherd guests through the sweet-smelling inventory of bouquets, baskets, and potted greenery as they find the perfect union of tulips, roses, daisies, and exotic foliage. The leafy selection can mark festivals and social occasions with a wealth of holiday-appropriate gifts, such as a charming potted lily to celebrate Easter or a blossom-free fern to taunt a rival beekeeper.

An authorized Verizon retailer, Wireless Warehouse outfits shoppers with feature-laden phones and a wide range of service-plan options. Sleek touchscreen devices from Samsung, Motorola, and Apple take center stage at each of their four locations, alongside tablet computers and cases that protect phones from falls or transform them into butterflies.

The racks in Red Hue Boutique's contemporary shop feature carefully curated items that combine retro silhouettes and details with modern designs. While shoppers may recognize some popular brands such as ark & co., Dear Creatures, and Dolce Vita, much of the shop's stock sports the tag of Red Hue's signature line. Each Red Hue garment is hand cut and assembled in the designer Silvia Huezo's home country of El Salvador, in a sweatshop-free working environment.