Shopping in Omaha

By eliminating traditional numbered sizing and adopting a user-friendly color-dot sizing system, Beyourself promotes a positive shopping experience focused on finding clothes that accentuate your shape. Rather than worrying about brands’ inconsistent measurements and complex sizing algorithms, shoppers can put down their graphing calculators and proudly proclaim they're a green, purple, or taupe. In addition to jeans ($40–$170), dresses ($35– $50), basic tees or tanks ($10–$18), and tops ($20– $40), Beyourself offers jewelry, accessories, handbags, shoes, and customized jetpack holsters, so you can fly around town in style.

Miche bags employ a crafty design that creates a head-spinning array of custom options that prohibit bags from cultivating lint farms and spawning legions of pennies. A Miche bag base comes in two sizes (a Miche bag is a standard two-handled purse, while the Miche big bag base is more of a satchel) and can be fitted with a wide variety of striking small or large magnetic bag shells that fit snugly like cocoons of head-turning fashionableness. Boast tartan taste with a plaid Tori design for $24.95 or harness nature’s flair with a Zoe blue piece for $19.95. Additional accessories add practical pizzazz through handles and organizers that leave other spare handbags in the dust on speedy fashion runways.

From the humble beginnings of a five-bike shop in 1981, Cycle Works has since expanded and now showcases thousands of bikes and accessories lining the floors and walls of two separate stores. At both locations, certified bike mechanics maintain smooth-riding bikes with tune-ups and customize new bikes to suit both cyclist and terrain. Once a two-wheeler has been selected, technicians measure bike and rider, and make necessary adjustments to the bike to assure a correct and comfortable fit. Before making final decisions, they let the customer take the bike out for a malted shake and a test-drive to assure compatibility. They also guarantee each sale with lifetime brake and derailleur adjustments at no cost to the original owner.

Stanton Optical treats shoppers to a selection of more than 3,000 frames from designers such as BCBG, Coach, Tommy Hilfiger, and Calvin Klein. Their optometric physicians calibrate fresh prescriptions before patients browse the wealth of frames and then select from brands of lenses such as Sola, Zeiss, and Transitions, which alternate between clear and tinted to protect eyes from sun rays and help them absorb the zinc found in moon rays. For those who prefer frame-free faces, Stanton Optical also outfits eyes with contacts by Acuvue and Bausch + Lomb.

Legacy Art & Frame edges photographs, prints, and memorabilia with more than 2,000 different frame styles, matting options, and protective glass sheets. Outlining expert Michael Heaton draws on 22 years of experience as he outfits mirrors in heavy gold baroque fashions or complements cubist paintings with sleek contemporary lines and non-glare glass. Shadow boxes elegantly display sports jerseys, pressed flowers, or action figures representing the shadow government, and specialized frame assemblies help guard fading daguerreotypes against further wear and tear. Patrons can also peruse the store’s variegated collection of antiques, which includes lamps, chairs, glassware, and vintage knick-knacks.

Backed by more than 85 years of experience, the shoemakers at Stride Rite design and assemble durable, cushy footwear specifically tailored to accommodate the constantly growing soles of babies, toddlers, and kids. They put each piece of footwear from their eponymous brand through a meticulous, three-step test, first scrutinizing fit before allowing real kids to don the shoes for 30–45 days of active play and imaginary-friend wrestling. Then they administer another 30–40 lab tests, striving to secure a snug fit with sturdy materials. To further swaddle tots’ feet in style, Stride Rite compiles a vast array of sneakers, sandals, and dress shoes from renowned brands such as Sperry, Robeez, and Keds.