Shopping in Metairie

Though Fifteen22 Boutique is housed in a historic homestead from the mid-18th century, its antique exterior belies its selection of contemporary designer apparel. Fluorescent lighting spills through floor-to-ceiling windows over the city’s Lower Garden District, where browsers are hard-pressed to find another women’s boutique that caters to the high-end sensibilities of modern professionals and party prowlers alike. Earning plaudits from both the fashion writers at Women's Wear Daily and the curators at InTheNOLA.com's "The Native's Guide to Shopping", the shop connects clients with pieces from leading brands including BCBG, MaxAzria, Ladakh, DL1961 Premium Denim, Blaque Label, and Blank NYC. This commitment to accessible style has also earned the shop recognition from the region's fashion elite; pieces from the boutique recently stalked the runway at New Orleans Fashion Week.

Founded by passionate fly fishermen, Uptown Angler's virtual and real shelves brim with a huge variety of tackle, rods, and essential accessories for fly fishing excursions. With rods from Sage, Orvis, and Winston and hundreds of flies, fishermen can customize their lure of choice. The shop also carries sunscreen, instructional books and DVDs, and boat accessories. The knowledgeable staff leads lessons on proper fly-fishing techniques including terminology, roll casting, and rigging without accidentally flying away.

The staff at Alltmont's Fine Custom Framing works with clients to devise unique combinations of frames and archival materials to protect photos, paintings, portraits, and memorabilia. Under the direction of expert framer Jeff Alltmont, Alltmont's Fine Custom Framing encloses wall hangings of all types in elegant, expertly crafted edgings. Within a large, bright workshop and retail space, customers peruse thousands of frame samples that adorn the walls in a single-file parade of right angles, displaying all available custom-frame colors, styles, and sizes. The friendly craftspersons at Alltmont's Fine Custom Framing obligingly advise customers in the process of designing the frame that gives their picture the snazziest hug, including custom mirrors, cork, and chalkboards. Each piece of Alltmont's handiwork is specially fitted to the specific treasure it houses, whether priceless works of art, pride-inducing diplomas and awards, or prized Vincent van Gogh Super Bowl jerseys.

Opened in 1982 by avid runners Mike Andrews and George Owen, Southern Runner not only stocks top-notch athletic apparel and footwear by brands including Asics, Moving Comfort, and New Balance, but also acts as a community center for those who love to run. Though Andrews and Owen still helm this runner’s haven, today they have additional support from a hodgepodge of life-long and late-in-life runners and walkers, including college athlete Kevin Fitzgerald, track coach and founder of Run, Chicks, Run Kristin Depp, and ultra-marathoner Tim Philips. When not helping fellow athletes find their perfect shoe with in-store foot evaluations, the crew leads weekly running groups, helps schools and coaches outfit their teams, and chases down bank robbers on foot.

The Antique and Vintage Frame Gallery carries eye-catching borders from more than 20 companies from around the world that smoothly fit around artwork, photos, or heirloom dental x-rays. Specializing in conservation framing, the gallery offers a multitude of matting services with different glazing options, including vision-eluding museum glass, which virtually disappears from sight and can barely be tasted. Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., on Fridays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., framers cheerily help customers pick the best frame for their needs and, in speial cases, artisans can reproduce frames from a chosen time period.

Bath Junkie’s Metairie branch welcomes crafty visitors who aim to create their own customized bath products without welding together bathtubs or sewing shower curtains into tuxedo capes. Amid a vibrant and colorful atmosphere, the helpful staff assists customers in selecting non-tinted and unscented products such as salt scrubs, bath crystals, lotions, body washes, shampoos, conditioners, oils, perfumes, and magical elf ointments that instill tree-talking abilities. Next, around 200 scents are available to be fused into each product before a final tint application transforms skin-soothing concoctions into aesthetically striking bathroom accessories. Surprise your mom with a hydrating body mist ($8.75, 2 oz.) that matches her bedroom décor or pick up any bottled product ($11.75, 4 oz.) such as a conditioner, body wash, or bubble bath. Add pizzazz to bath time with fragrant bath crystals ($24.50) and an exfoliating salt scrub ($30). The fun, hands-on process provides all the childlike excitement of spontaneous soda-fountain chemistry while avoiding sugar-induced headaches and upset stomachs. Every product is suitable for sensitive skin and almost all are paraben- and SLS-free.