Shopping in Newton

For four decades, the haberdashers at Lord's of London have been outfitting men and women in handcrafted custom formal and professional wear. They scrupulously document dozens of body measurements. Equipped with such precise calculations, they’re able to forge dapper shirts, jackets, and pants around each client's individual physique and personal style. They draw from a rainbow of premium fabrics—such as cashmere and wool, silk mohair, gabardine, and pure silk—that includes more than 5,000 varieties for suits and 2,000 for shirts, sourced from renowned fashion hubs in Italy and England. The team aims to completely customize each ensemble, adorning 20 collar types with ties, 15 cuff varieties with lustrous links, and weaving striking accent swaths into fusion shirts.

In 1934, Ben and Lena Rosen realized their humble dream of opening a mom-and-pop hardware store on Norfolk Street. As business flourished, customers began to request items beyond the scope of the shop's plumbing supplies, such as paint, window treatments, or tools to convert Cold War bomb shelters into Y2K panic rooms. Over the years, Norfolk Hardware & Home Center has responded to demand by expanding into a 40,000-square-foot store and warehouse manned by more than 50 employees. Their helpful, honest advice—along with their stockpile of appliances, paint, tools, hardware, and other home supplies—makes DIY home makeovers a breeze.

Jakob Custom Clothiers' tailors design and handcraft garments for individual men and women, tailoring each piece to the tastes and lifestyle of its owner. They start with fabrics such as wool, cotton, and silk gathered from mills around the world to outfit a range of clientele—from business leaders to pro athletes—in suits, tuxedos, blazers, slacks, and shirts. Custom touches enhance the personality of each piece, with options such as mother-of-pearl buttons and monogramming on shirts and handpicked stitching and a hidden pocket for hiding packets of fancy ketchup on suits—all at no additional cost.

After devoting years to protecting precious pictures and keepsakes from environmental harm, the Middlesex Framing crew has amassed an inventory of highly protective materials. Acid-free matting keeps photographs and certificates from deteriorating over time, UV-protection glass guards against sunlight’s discoloring rays, and museum glass deters bandits who somehow made it across the living room’s laser alarm grid. Partnering with Larson-Juhl, the crew is able to access more than 1,500 molding samples and matting combinations—ensuring that each piece is both protected and enhanced by its border.

Wicked Sharp Ski and Sports proprietors J.P. Bedard and Aaron Thompson bring more than 25 years of experience in the skiing business to equip skiers and snowboarders with top-shelf new and used equipment. As visitors walk through the door, they are met by the store's resident greeter⎯a tan-and-white spotted dog named Indie⎯who welcomes them with a cheerful smile. Skis and snowboards from brands such as Fischer, Head, Kastle, and Flow keep adventurers entertained in the winter months, and tennis rackets prepare customers for warm-weather sporting. In addition to outfitting clients with tangible wares, professional technicians perform a variety of services including skate sharpening, racket restringing, boot fitting, and snowboard binding installation and adjustments.

Bike Boom functions as a fountain of youth for cycles that pass its threshold. Its technicians take in used and vintage models for renovation, transforming them into street-safe vehicles for all types of terrain. They track their makeover efforts on the shop's blog, highlighting retro specimens such as an overhauled Shogun Easy Street from the mid- to late ’80s and a ’70s Schwinn Collegiate Cruiser. Visiting guests can peruse the menagerie of multi- and single-speed road bikes, mountain bikes, and city bikes, which are designed for everyday trips around the block or up the walls of skyscrapers. Riders with a specific vision can also commission a custom-built cycle.

The professional mechanics in the repair shop perform tune-ups and install new parts. Shelves of accessories and gear—including helmets, locks, lights, and handlebar tape—equip pedalers for their commutes, and the staff readily orders items that aren't in stock or easily harvested from the derailleur tree in the backyard.