Shopping in Portsmouth

Attrezzi's wooden doors open to reveal a panorama of wines, gourmet foods, and kitchen accessories. The two-story shop houses Riedel stemware, gourmet groceries, and Attrezzi's signature blends of pesto, and bottles of Attrezzi's red and white wines sit waiting inside its wine cellar.

The restaurant also hosts regularly scheduled wine tastings and wine-tasting classes at its wine bar, and chefs recite recipes and teach students how to skillfully juggle mixing bowls in cooking classes held in a state-of-the-art demonstration kitchen.

Today's Groupon gets you $80 worth of custom framing services for $40 at Art & Framing at Stapleton. This locally owned and operated gallery is a local favorite for fulfilling framing needs because of its huge selection and friendly, art-expert staff.The Case: Toni Jorgensen, the antique shop owner, is hired to polish Amy’s grandmother’s antique vase, when, according to Jorgensen, the cleaning lady came in and broke it. “I wasn’t even here,” says Jorgensen, a single tear rolling down from the outside of her eye. “I was visiting my sick aunt in the hospital.” How does Amy know she is lying?

At Art de Triumph, local artist Nancie King Mertz showcases her original paintings and pastels and outfits clients' masterpieces in custom frames. Much like the courtroom artist at Rod Blagojevich's trial, Mertz often draws inspiration from iconic Chicagoan figures, rendering portraits including The Bean (also known as Cloud Gate) and the Wrigley Building. The Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau named Mertz the Artist of the Year from 2005 through 2007, acknowledging her expertise with watercolor, oil, and pastel. In addition to ready-wear wall art, Art de Triumph deals in custom frames, helping clients select and customize matting and framing for photos, posters, and other important memorabilia such as the CTA card used to travel to the studio.

The winner of four consecutive Best Custom Framing awards from CityVoter users, Masterpieces Fine Art & Custom Framing stocks more than 2,300 frames, including work by industry mainstay Larson-Juhl. Its skilled framers meld function and aesthetic form to secure works of art in everything from American hardwood to 22-karat-gold-leafing frames to metal handcuffs. Aside from framing, the staff also restores faded or creased photos to their original vivid states and brings photos to life by converting them into imitation oil paintings or watercolors that look like they were born from hours of meticulous brushstrokes.