Shopping in Salem

At its three locations in Harvard Square, South End, and Jamaica Plain, the Eye Q Optical team works to outfit clients with original frame styles. Most designs are its own innovations, manufactured in-house with inspiration from iconic eras and modern designers visiting from a far-off future. The Aphrodite frames play subtly on traditional cat-eyed styles, and the Apollo frames accentuate faces with bold rectangular shaping and primary blue colors.

The Eye Q Optical team also carries frames by artistic independent makers including Rapp Eyewear, who hand-finishes its colorful frames in Toronto, and Rolf Eyewear, who manufactures frames and hinges entirely out of wood. In the Cambridge office, the Eye Q opticians collaborate with digital 3-D-fitting technology and a highly opinionated robot to select the perfect frames for each client.

Alan J. Gardner opened his Salem factory in 1933, winning over generations of loyal customers with custom-made and odd-sized mattresses in a wide range of styles. Massachusetts-made pallets support sleepers with hand tufted construction and fluffy cotton fillings catered specifically to each client's specifications. The company's direct manufacturer-to-customer supply chain erases the influence of bothersome middlemen or arrogant, cigar-chomping mattress barons. Sleepers select from a variety of comfy cushion styles, such as latex, plush top, tufted, or pocket coils, with options for all-natural materials such as Joma wool and layers of thick cotton-knit fabric.

Behind the boutique's crisp brick façade, optometrist Dr. Laura Martin meticulously cares for client eyes, leaving them both looking and seeing better. She addresses a variety of issues through services such as exams, dry-eye treatment, and frame fittings. Frames wear designer labels ranging from Gucci, Prada, and Jaguar, allowing customers to outfit their oculi in prescription style. To fill in the hollow hearts of these empty frames, the boutique keeps a selection of lenses including progressive lenses, sunglass lenses, and five varieties of contacts.

Eco-friendly, reusable Re-Pac Bags protect food, toiletries, and other items within confines that repel mildew and mould. Vibrant colours and patterns add touches of style to their tightly woven nylon liners, zippers, and polyester outsides, which have been rated safe for food by a third-party lab. The sacks range in volume from 7"x4" bags (about the size of a pair of sunglasses) all the way up to a gallon-size bag ideal for carrying toiletries or the world's largest gumdrop.

The company, which was started by a nurse and her mother, manufactures all its bags within the United States. It also backs each product with a lifetime warranty, which guarantees the bags stay safe during countless trips through the washing machine or the interdimensional wormhole in the dishwasher.

The staff at Advanced Vision Center stays up-to-date with trends in eye care, from the latest diagnostic technology to the most sought-after ocular fashions. The crew employs modern digital equipment during comprehensive eye exams, and within about an hour, pairs high-tech lenses with frames from high-end designers such as Mykita, Oliver Peoples, Gold & Wood, and Ray-Ban. They also stock a wide variety of contact lenses for people who hate explaining to their children that taking glasses off creates the exact opposite effect as when Clark Kent does it.

The team includes a certified specialist in orthokeratology, a nonsurgical technique that gently reshapes the cornea with custom-designed retainer lenses that clients wear as they sleep.

AlwaysFits.Com abounds with quirky gifts and novelties suitable for recipients of all ages. Eschewing complex internet interfaces based on hieroglyphs and calculus, the site offers a straightforward online ordering system, which allows customers to click through hundreds of unusual products––from giant 5-pound gummy bears to Abraham Lincoln finger puppets to avocado necklaces. AlwaysFits.Com further simplifies the gift-giving process with pages of suggestions based on tastes or personalities, along with comprehensive gift baskets with themes such as office life, marriage, and mustaches.