Shopping in Owings Mills

Since 1969, the suppliers at Office Furniture Liquidators have beautified and outfitted bare office walls and classrooms with sturdy, handsome used and new furniture pieces. A lineup of stylish geometric couches and chairs infuse lobbies and reception areas with a contemporary flair, while lecterns and conference tables spice up conference rooms.

In addition to equipping start-ups and schools with new desks, chairs, and cabinets, OFL operates with a watchful eye on eco-friendly policies. They cut down on waste by recycling plastics and metal, and forgo landfills by renewing and restoring reusable furnishings.

The eye experts at Precision Vision—including licensed optometrist Dr. Selvin Gnanakkan and second-generation optometrist Dr. Anthony Glasser—provide a range of services using the latest optical technology. Since the 1980s, the team has performed procedures ranging from routine exams and screenings for glaucoma or cataracts to LASIK surgery. Staffers help patrons choose from a large selection of designer frames, from playful, contemporary specs to more conservative looks worthy of gracing the face of The Thinker.

Maryland China Co. has a long tradition of ordering fine china pieces from around the world: over a century long, in fact. Today, the staff maintains the shop's reputation by carefully vetting every item in the 1,250-piece collection, which comes from eight countries and four planets. Quality is paramount, so the shop demotes items to the seconds room for minute imperfections, such as slight color variation. A single piece of hand-painted china, such as a cup and saucer decorated with intricate loops and whorls, can take hours to complete. Full tea sets, then, celebrate the careful craftsmanship and leisurely traditions of the Old World.

Despite the large selection of hand-painted wares, undecorated white china and porcelain vases, pots, cups, and bowls dominate the shelves. Sometimes designed with ornate details, such as scalloped edges or antique-style handles, the items are otherwise blank slates for artists. Customers can purchase a small paint set with their china to transform it into a modern work of art with colorful chevrons or 2011 1040 forms.

Since 1959, The Chessler Company has precisely centered photos, artwork, and diplomas in beautiful, custom frames and mattes. Owing to its craftsmanship, the company now receives demand in the wholesale and commercial markets, including federal and state agencies, art galleries, and top-secret supervillain coalitions, but it still maintains a strong retail business for individual projects. The company's large stock of frames and mats also suits challenging framing projects, such as mirrors, heirlooms, and memorabilia. In addition to the framing services, Chessler's professional installers help patrons achieve gallery-quality displays by hanging large or tricky pieces in the home.

Mat About You's framing experts, whose work bedecks the walls of the Ritz Carlton, prepare everything from artwork to sports jerseys for eye-pleasing display. They pop pictures into ready-made frames or craft custom frames from their stock of molding to match patrons’ aesthetic sensibilities. Staffers also nestle keepsakes into 3D shadow boxes, help restore damaged photographs, and tap into museum-quality conservation techniques to preserve historic documents and sports memorabilia, such as the first tennis ball ever repurposed for a game of fetch.

Mat About You also boasts an on-site gallery stocked with potential frame fodder, such as original art, limited edition giclée reproductions, and open-edition prints. Customers can add extra pizzazz to their home decor thanks to the store's boutique collection, which brims with jewelry, furniture, pottery and ceramics, and garden adornments such as model solar systems to erect around sunflowers.

Bunched together in a vase of clear glass, freshly cut stems support the blossoms of fuchsia roses, pink carnations, and white daisies. A wicker basket brims with orange Asiatic lilies and purple asters, its weight anchoring a Mylar balloon emblazoned with the words "Happy Birthday."

These are just two of the sights that rank as commonplace within the polychromatic confines of Wilhide's Unique Flowers & Gifts, a shop that specializes in celebrating special occasions with bouquets and gourmet food baskets. Wilhide’s florists take care while crafting their bouquets to ensure that each stem has a pristine bloom and each petal is fitted with a dapper top hat.