Shopping in Novi

Visitors of all ages can find something to entertain them at My Hobby Place & Toys, where the inventory ranges from toys that foster education and development to hobby supplies for older children and adults. The store stocks products from more than 40 name brands, including Lego Star Wars and dinosaur sets and the Fisher-Price corn-popper push toy that kids must demonstrate mastery of to graduate kindergarten. Baby Einstein's Discovery cards teach toddlers to recognize animals and master basic vocabulary, and art supplies by Crayola and Melissa & Doug stimulate artistic impulses more easily than séances with Michelangelo. The Celestron travel telescope kit fits a telescope, a tripod, and two different eyepieces into a backpack-style carrying case, and the Model T rock tumbler polishes up to 3 pounds of stones using a 115-volt motor and four grades of polishing abrasives. Grownups can play trivia and humor-based board games or wrestle with jigsaw puzzles of Elvis and Marilyn Monroe.

Within their well-stocked shop in Historic Franklin Village, Bead Works' staff has been repairing, designing custom jewelry, and setting new jewelry trends for more than a quarter of a century. They draw upon their expansive design knowledge to lead numerous jewelry-making and beading classes for beaders, some of whom travel in from as far way as New York City, Miami, and the Oort cloud. In classes, teachers walk students through the steps of crafting specific items, or train fingers to master the deft movements of special techniques such as weaving or pearl knotting.

The professional beaders also make treks to on-location parties where they help budding craftsmen turn Bead Works' broad array of beads and trinkets into elegant necklaces, earrings, and mouth guards. The staff also gussies up their patron's outfits with a unique collection of vintage jewelry and intricate, beaded purses.

For the past 45 years, Duru’s Custom Shirts and Suits has fitted patrons with custom suits and professional attire spun from the finest fabrics, building a client list of notable gents such as actor and director Michael Keaton and Illinois governor Pat Quinn. From coordinating cufflinks to hemming slacks, the shop's team of experienced tailors and knowledgeable sales associates work closely with clients to fashion ensembles that reflect their persona and strike a memorable impression on peers, superiors, and roving groups of supermodels wandering around the neighborhood.

At Mattress Closeout Center, the staff uses negotiation skills to continuously replenish a diverse inventory of brand-name mattresses—many of them culled from factory overstocks, liquidations, last-year models, and overruns. While grazing through one of the brand-name liquidation center's two locations, guests can sip a cup of Tassimo-brewed coffee and research consumer reviews, retail prices, and each mattress's zodiac sign on the store's iPad. A follow-up text message sent from a staff member to each customer asks how well they slept on their new mattress and solidifies the store's well-established rapport, which is also backed by myriad testimonials from satisfied sleepers and bounce-happy trampoline enthusiasts.

The cycle savants behind Town N Country Bikes take pride in their vast collective knowledge of all things velocipede. In addition to carrying a full array of bikes and products from lines such as Specialized, Fuji, Diamondback, Haro, and Redline, they offer upkeep and repair services to keep two-wheeled companions in excellent condition, as well as rent bikes. The staffers help riders of all stripes find their ideal bikes and accessories based on individual experience level and the number of buses they're able to jump over at once.

Town N Country Bikes also caters to wintertime sports. Technicians keep skis and snowboards in gear with waxing services, to let alpine adventurers plummet down slopes at maximum velocity, and edge sharpening, to help them carve deep into the snow, control their speed, and swerve around displaced Bavarian yodelers.

A mom-and-son owned shop, Danny's Flowers & Gifts employs professional florists that arrange eye-catching bouquets from fresh-cut flowers such as blossoming lilies, roses, and tulips. The staff works with customers to craft sprays and arrangements for a variety of occasions, including birthdays, first dates, and exorcising a possessed toaster. Customers can also obtain bouquets crafted by world-renowned design houses, such as stunning white and off-white arrangements by Vera Wang. Danny’s Flowers & Gifts has all its bouquets available in-store, delivers to surrounding areas, and offers shipping through UPS and FedEx. The store also displays assorted Godiva chocolates and gift baskets brimming with fruits and candies, which are a great way to surprise a loved one or to say "I'm sorry about the time I delivered a pony to your office."