Shopping in Penn Hills

Some Wear Special has stocked its shelves with designer apparel and accessories for more than 25 years. The boutique purveys a range of labels, including Vera Bradley, Hobo, Big Buddha, and Timmy Woods. In addition to adult duds, the shop also carries gifts for moms-to-be and new parents, such as infant wear and new-baby user's manuals, as well as presents for special occasions, including wine glasses and personalized, rhinestone flip-flops.

Franklin Nursery is a family-owned and family-operated full-service garden center and gift shop that's been serving steaming platefuls of verdant life since 1973. The nursery specializes in shade, evergreen, and ornamental trees, all of which are grown locally on the owner's farm. In addition to dendrite-based life, choose from a wide selection of decorative shrubs (starting at $25), perennials ($10–$25), roses ($20–$30), and more. Summon talking squirrels to your garden with ceramic Witchety Woodland Tinkling Toadstools ($6–$18), decorative dollops of whimsy from Kinsman Garden Company. For the discerning, biodegradable gardener, choose from a selection of FoxFarm organic soils and fertilizers.

An upscale fiber-arts boutique, Yarns By Design keeps its shelves stocked with high-quality yarns, patterns, and other supplies from all over the globe. Every month, visitors put those materials to work during a number of classes and clubs. Beginning crochet classes, for instance, cover basic techniques and stitches, and needle-felting classes teach students how to use felting needles to create 3D animals. Throughout the year, YBD also offers special workshops hosted by talented designers.

Wild Birds Unlimited stocks a wide variety of supplies to please serious hobbyists and ornithological amateurs alike. Based on more than 30 years of research, their cache of supplies is designed to please and attract flocks of all forms, with types of birdseed specially formulated to the season that feature 100% edible seeds. They also carry high-quality feeding equipment, birdbaths, and viewing gear such as binoculars and books on various species and their native regions.

Biketek welcomes all cyclists for supplies, repairs, and tune-ups, whether they ride recreationally or compete in triathlons. In addition to road, triathlon, mountain, single-speed, and hybrid bikes from Felt, Jamis, and Raleigh, the shop stocks a sizeable collection of gear from Giro, Sidi, Topeak, and Shimano. GU and Hammer Nutrition products, meanwhile, give riders the power necessary to win races and corral herds of stampeding tricycles. For six months after they purchase a new bicycle, buyers can come back to the shop for free maintenance and fit adjustments.

On the upkeep side of Biketek’s coin, technicians repair and maintain rides with tune-ups, part installations, and other services. They also fit bikes to riders with Body Scanning CRM technology, which uses software and noninvasive laser-pointer body measurements to determine the ideal saddle height, angle, and fore-aft position, as well as handlebar height and rotation. Although everyone can purchase a fitting session, Biketek offers one free to anyone buying a new road, triathlon, or cyclocross bike.

Cheeks’ lingerie experts strike a balance between flirty and functional with a collection of Italian-made gauzy thongs as well as sturdy cotton undergarments. Their accommodating staff can help customers’ ascertain proper bra sizes for brands such as Wacoal, Natori, and Chantelle. In addition to everyday undergarments, skivvy savants guide brides-to-be toward Cheeks’ collection of bridal accessories and honeymoon lingerie, which prove a more subtle method of impressing a groom than eating an entire wedding cake.