Shopping in Middlesex

Lush greenery and orderly rows of pink and red mixed annuals create a gardening wonderland at The Shed Inc., a complete garden center and nursery staffed by landscape-design experts. Along with shrubs, trees, and flowers, the center stocks lawn ornaments to help customers populate their ideal yard paradise and re-create favorite Night Court scenes with stone fairies. Shovels, pruners, and hand tools line shelves alongside fertilizers and fungicides, and a stock of topsoil and mulch prepares even the most barren landscapes to nurture new growth. A propane filling station also stands by, equipping grills to sizzle up some burgers or decorate a neighbor's pool toys with black stripes.:m]]

Trek Bicycle Store of Fairfield and Trek Women beam with a brand-new glass and brick visage, behind which bike-handlers preside over an expansive stable of Trek-brand two-wheeled steeds as well as the tools necessary to keep bikes running at full bore. The staff help customers navigate through a maze of hybrids, road-touring, triathlon, and mountain bikes saddled to the specifications of a range of age levels. Shelves buckle under the weight of bicycle pats, accessories, and apparel for male and female cyclists. Headlights dissuade foreign objects from collision, accessory bags keep electronics secure, Bontrager and Pearl Izumi’s leather and gel gloves protect hands, and Capo’s breathable fabric tops keep skin cool during pulse-pounding rides and volcano-jumping stunts. To keep older bikes riding like their newer cousins, the store’s technicians pamper rides with a comprehensive regimen of equipment checks, adjustments, and cleaning in a range of bike tune-ups, ensuring sailing as smooth as a freshly buttered pair of roller skates.

Framed by Kosal's archivists comb a vast inventory of conservation materials to retrieve mats and mouldings that best showcase each client's valuables. By giving special attention to each custom framing order, the archivists carry on a tradition that began when the shop first began preserving artwork, keepsakes, and entire refrigerator doors. From in-store to at-home consultations, staff members guide customers toward the framing materials that optimize beauty and longevity. In addition to framing, Framed by Kosal's specialists offer photo restoration and large-format photo printing, and stock the store with a wide selection of art.

For almost 35 years, the knowledgeable staffers at Runner’s Roost have understood that different sneakers are necessary for marathoners, trail runners, and those seeking to escape a bank heist. They call upon their personal experience and training in these nuances to pair their customers with one of more than 200 shoe models in stock.

At Jerry’s Artarama, resident artists draw on personal experience and channel the shop's four decades in business to help create works in nearly any medium. Shelves bravely bear the weight of multitudinous tubes of paint ranging from traditional oil paints made from 150-year-old processes, to easy-to-use acrylic pigments. Artists can wield a Mejillo TruColor palette to serve as a launching pad for paints, or take up PrismaColor colored pencils to add vivid pigmentation to sketches. For more specialized projects, customers can stock up on the store's street-art supplies and screen-printing kits.

Meanwhile, the framing professionals at Jerry’s Artarama navigate a bounty of glass, mats, mounting, and moulding options to personalize the framing of photos, watercolor landscapes, and napping bats. Frame options include the warm whorls of wooden frames as well as silver, black, or gold aluminum frames to complement any work's color scheme.

Westport Picture Framing's meticulous frame experts specialize in safeguarding art, photos, and prints and can frame almost any item or size to fit personal tastes and special occasions. With an impressive selection of high-quality materials to choose from, customers can match their boutique artwork or prized Calvin Coolidge trading card with the surrounding décor of the frame's impending wall space. Skilled artisans can also mount and display glass sculptures, lithographs, and serigraphs. Acid-free products and museum-quality, UV-free glass help to ensure the longevity and preservation of framed photos, keepsakes, and important receipts.