Shopping in Rochester

The quaint, mother-and-daughter-owned Royal Oak knitterie offers an eclectic selection of knitting, spinning, and crocheting tools for everyone from the novice knitter to the experienced threadmistress. A wide array of fibers, from Merino silk ($25) to dyed wool ($30), are offered for any of your sock- or shawl-making needs, alongside popular needles such as the Addi Turbo circles needles ($13.50+) and the Lantern Moon silk-needles case ($30+), handmade by women in Vietnam. The house of knits also boasts a friendly and knowledgeable staff that is ready to assist you in finding the right fiber for your knitting needs and to help new and experienced knitters navigate the yarnerie.

If Detroit is the Paris of the West, then Paris of Royal Oak is the Versailles of Detroit, replete with enough fashionable fashions, accessible accessories, and antique antiques to tempt even the restrained, nun-like tastes of a somber Marie Antoinette. With a dazzling blend of new and vintage wares, Paris presents a browsing vortex for flamboyant fashionistas and reclusive heiresses alike. Wearable wares include an ever-changing roster of vintage threads, whereas new glad rags keep things young and modern with graphic tees ($24–$32) and funky skirts, such as the Desigual Sofia ($99). New jewelry ranges from retro glass cocktail rings ($24) to kimono-fabric bangles ($18), and antique jewelry ($12–$50) and accessories add a distingué touch to the wardrobe of any attic-dwelling madwoman. Purchase a slew of vintage handkerchiefs ($5–$12) to toss out of the Amtrak window to a bevy of besotted beaus, and reward the one who catches the most with a summery straw fedora ($24).

The jewelry designers at Heartwear Designs have been at it since 1971. Since that time, the talented local artists have been stringing and molding hundreds of idiosyncratic accessories from gold, platinum, and gemstones. The work has been sold to national retailers such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Fortunoff, but now Heartwear Designs showcases the distinctive work.

Heartwear Designs jewelry includes earrings, pendants,rings, and bracelets,,available in 14-karat gold, 18-karat gold, or platinum, as well as yellow, white, rose, or green gold. Custom engagement rings and birthstone pieces, along with fashion jewelry from sterling, pearls, and gemstone beads round out the entire inventory. Heartwear Designs also offers repairs for customers' broken jewelry, restringing pearls and beads, and they polish up guests’ tarnished pieces for free.

English Gardens began as a single, family-owned nursery in 1954, and has since blossomed into a full-service landscaping and garden center with multiple locations, all owned and operated by second-generation family members. Each location facilitates both indoor and outdoor gardening projects with a large selection of gardening tools, seed packets, and transplant-ready plants extracted from their original soil by renowned surgeons. Garden accents such as bird feeders, patio furnishings, and lounge chairs dress up outside spaces with comfort and design, and the florist department brings the outdoor flourish inside by arranging fresh-cut floral bouquets and gift baskets for all manner of occasions. Workshops and in-store presentations also allow the green-thumbed experts to impart advice on common gardening and decorating topics such as building a kitchen herb garden or housetraining a dogwood tree.

Pintsize shoppers litter the aisles at Connie's, a kids' clothing store specializing in adorable formalwear for first communions, baptisms, and weddings. Dresses, suits, and shoes abound at this time-tested retailer, which was started more than half a century ago by Maxine and Sidney Kort, whose daughter Denise now operates the business. She stocks school-uniform components such as jumpers, skirts, and shirts throughout the year, as well as casual duds emblazoned with Michigan colleges and Detroit sports teams. Her voluminous selection of husky to petite attire caters to most body types, rendering one-size-fits-all flour sacks obsolete once and for all.

Every year at Ann Arbor Fest, Catching Fireflies founders Steve and April paused from manning their paper-arts booth to admire the folksy paintings of local artist Chris Roberts-Antieau. When they finally saved up enough to purchase their favorite piece, “Catching Fireflies,” it led to a flash of inspiration: a shop dedicated to showcasing similarly whimsical artwork and supporting local artists.

Now, Catching Fireflies’ inventory spans the spectrum, from leather-bound journals and wall art to children’s toys, and has been lauded in Rochester-Rochester Hills Patch. Once customers have honed in on wares, staff can gift-wrap them free of charge, thereby eliminating the need to conceal them behind Groucho glasses.