Shopping in Rochester Hills

Though SEE Eyewear’s specs are only found in their stores, their designs sprout from imaginations around the world. Winner of reader's choice awards in cities ranging from San Francisco to Nashville, SEE Eyewear stocks its frames directly from fashionable frame crafters and passes on the savings of doing business at the source to customers. The company calls on fashion designers from France, Italy, and other style-conscious countries to create one-of-a kind designs to be featured on store shelves and client faces. Before that happens, though, each potential frame goes through a rigorous design and review process to ensure its distinctiveness and quality before it can be added to the national eyewear shop’s exclusive coveted selection.

From cat-eye to horn-rimmed and perfectly round to wayfarer-inspired, the cost of each frame includes single-vision lenses, giving customers the simplicity of a flat price that doesn’t require customers to pay an extra prescription fee or mine their own bifocal quarry. SEE Eyewear also trains its staff members to be aesthetically savvy so they can find the perfect fashion-forward, vision-correcting specs for any face shape, mood, or fashion sense.

Discovering new fashion across the world, the buyers for Royal Dutchess have accrued an ever-changing collection of haute couture, with selections including the latest tops, bottoms, dresses, and eveningwear. Fashion has been a lifelong passion for Royal Dutchess owners Leslie Binno and Candice Binno Pattah, who told The Oakland Press, “We treat every woman with world-class service. We want them to walk in and feel like royalty and walk out feeling like a duchess.” The boutique also dabbles in shoes and accessories, covering wrists, feet, and New Coke tattoos in outfit-perfecting accouterments, such as a line of brimmed hats and lacey headbands by Jovan Jane, or stunning belt buckles loaded with Swarovski crystals and precious metals by Nikalet.

The equipment experts at MTEC (Midwest Tool & Equipment Center) have rented, sold, and fixed everything from lawn edgers to rough terrain forklifts for more than three decades. They turn DIY projects from drawings in ketchup on the backs of placemats into vivid reality by supplying homeowners with rental equipment ranging from rug cleaners to drywall sanders for hours, days, weeks, or weekends. The company’s technicians also sell industrious contraptions to committed handymen and fix equipment that has begun to rebel.

Sibling trio Tim, David, and Harry Jr. oversees Karagosian Jewelers' sparkling empire, maintaining a tradition of knowledgeable gem dealing set by their parents—who began the then-small jewelry business in their Oakland County home in 1950. Since 1968, the current Orchard Lake Road location has expanded three times to accommodate an ever-expanding hoard of designer jewels and constant bouts of brotherly horseplay. Beyond a sizeable inventory, the Karagosians and their staff strive to outclass other jewelry retailers by stamping their direct-from-Belgium diamonds with a guarantee to beat any competitor's price. Personalized customer service includes fiancé-jeweler collaborations that yield custom engagement rings, and the store's GIA-certified gemologist Tim Karagosian can explain various cuts and carats and suggest hip baby names such as Ruby and That One

Body Boutique Activewear curates an inventory of women's fitness-focused loungewear and yoga apparel that resides "where Couture meets Comfort." Staff members utilize their comprehensive product knowledge to guide customers through the form-fitting apparel from top brands such as Planet Body and Soybu. On Sundays, shoppers can call ahead and arrange shopping sessions by appointment for personalized, leisurely store experiences unhurried by weekday schedules packed with work and crowd-surfing classes.

Lynn, Patricia, and Martina each discovered a love for design and creativity at a young age, and this passion ultimately brought them together to work at a crafting studio until 2006, when the owner of the studio retired after more than 20 years in business. Not wanting to say goodbye to each other or their customers, the three friends decided to purchase the business, and Crafty Lady Trio was born, creating a place for customers to knit, stitch, and socialize.

When asked what sets the company apart, Lynn Cusumano cites its specialization. "I think we have the largest selection,” she adds, “and largest number of experienced teachers." These resources shine through during classes, which, instead of adhering to specific lesson plans, cater to each student's skill set. Pupils purchase kits and patterns ahead of time from Crafty Lady Trio's store, and then help them blossom into colorful projects such as scarves and shawls with an expert’s guidance. The trio also leads longer crafting retreats and a weekly club for more advanced projects.

Courses take place within a 3,600-square-foot studio space that holds five teaching tables. For the trio and their students, this isn't just a place to work. It becomes a haven for making friends and sharing a passion for needlework.:m]]