Shopping in Plainview

In 1927, Jack Cohen began selling eyeglasses from a pushcart in New York City with a novel goal: to match each wearer with a pair that fit their style as well as their prescription. Today, specialists carry on his philosophy with prescription specs from American and European labels such as Prada, Valentino, and Coach. After a visitor sits down for a fitting, a trained style professional handpicks the eyeglasses or sunglasses that best complement their face shape, eye color, and tattoo of four eyeballs. Frames come in a variety of colors and materials, and each can be customized with polarized and optical-quality lenses to ward off glare and UV rays. Meanwhile, a team of optometrists resides onsite to assess the pupils during comprehensive eye exams.

Founded a quarter-century ago by Jeniene Ferguson and named after her mother, Lady Olga’s decks bodies in blush-worthy underduds from the likes of Spanx, Oscar de la Renta, and Mystree. Panties, nightgowns, and bras—ranging from size 30AA to 52J—line the store’s lace-laden aisles, which boast hard-to-find styles and sizes.

Complimentary bra fittings cater to each customer’s individual body type, including those who have undergone or are about to undergo breast surgery, resulting in a form-fitting brassiere that won’t cause discomfort or sporadically morph into a neoclassical corset. Pocketed bras, prostheses, and mastectomy swimsuits round out the store’s special-needs selection, and all items, including chemises, robes, and accessories, can be gift-wrapped or special ordered at no additional cost.

In 1978, Peter Amato and his father Anthony turned their part-time lawn-care business into a full-time botanical operation, expanding their employment team and developing a body of horticultural knowledge that would lead to stunning, custom landscape designs. Today, the floral hub sits on a 6-acre nursery, and the staff has shifted its focus from lawns to outdoor living spaces. The nursery blooms with flowers and plants ready to be picked up by customers and brought home to their backyards, while in the gift shop, shoppers browse an enormous selection of figurines, lights, and decorative accents. Clients may call upon the designers' artistry to discuss possible outdoor makeovers or peruse the website's extensive landscape resources and visit the greenhouse to curate their own gardens.

Inmotion Clothing's staff stitches together friendliness and fluency in the wares they purvey to guide customers through an easy shopping experience. Throughout each of the store's two locations, an array of activewear—such as jackets by The North Face and Ugg gloves, hats, and boots—prepares explorers for journeys through the wilderness or stocking an industrial meat freezer. Inmotion also stocks dresses, cardigans, and sneakers ornamented with artistic images, as well as a number of specialty summer-camp items, including neon tees, shorts, and bathing suits.

Since 1993, AKO Design Center has outfitted homes around the world with quality, brand-name furniture. AKO can furnish any room or hidden laboratory in the house with sleek, contemporary items ranging from beds and recliners to office desks. The store's design team works with customers in their design studio to help create sophisticated looks for the home or workplace, and they also collaborate with manufacturers to produce stylish pieces that complement each other when purchased as a set or that add decorative accents to already existing design schemes.

The verdant displays of flowers, plants, and seasonal, locally grown produce at Gold Coast Landscape & Garden Center form a veritable feast for the senses. Trees, perennials, and annuals from growers such as Overdevest Nurseries, Monrovia, and Endless Summer fill the center’s many planters and pots, sharing space with in-season tomatoes and strawberries. The gardening staff helps visitors to create their own vegetable gardens with these tasty fruits and can even lend their expertise to designing backyard ponds. Inside, a farm market further piques appetites with its selection of steaks, salad dressings, and gourmet cheeses freshly picked from the tree.