Shopping in Smyrna

Bring a project to Carter House Gallery & Framing and you’ll be presented with a seemingly endless selection of materials—the shop boasts more than 2,500 frames and 2,000 different mattes. As the on-site gallery (with pieces from both local and national artists) suggests, the team can expertly frame a variety of artworks and photographs. However, their projects aren’t limited to traditional subjects; in addition to memorabilia such as jerseys, Carter House’s team can frame flat screen televisions and digital photo frames. They can also restore family photographs that faded after people hung them in their car windows so they could use the carpool lane.

D. Geller and Son Jewelers' team has dressed bare necks, earlobes, and fingers with dazzling accessories for more than 70 years. Made from precious metals and rare jewels, sparkling pendants embellish clavicles for evenings on the town or everyday elegance. Rings forged from silver can be set with any number of carefully cut diamonds to become an engagement ring or something crunchy to place at the bottom of a box of stale caramel corn.

Tallahassee Furniture Direct's furniture fanatics schedule one-on-one appointments in order to give each customer a personalized shopping experience. Guests can peruse a pillow-topped bounty of Sealy and Royal Heritage mattresses available in a variety of firmness levels. Queen- or king-size metal frames house new mattresses, and memory-foam pillows contour to cradle necks and hold recollections of the Alamo for safekeeping. The company also stocks living-room furnishings in leather, microfiber, and chenille fabrics, as well as dining-room sets ranging in style from minimalist to ornate.

The staff members at New Balance Buckhead aren’t concerned with simply selling shoes—their mission is to pair customers with the footwear that will carry them comfortably through life’s arduous steps. Understanding that an ill-fitting pair of athletic shoes can cause pain to joints and potentially damage knees, hips, and the back, associates measure the length and width of each client's foot and conduct a gait analysis to chart the trajectory of the stride when walking normally or running through ball pits. The data are collected to help the staff match clients with their ideal shoe, keeping them running longer and looking good while doing so.

Sam Flax South outfits artists and designers with supplies and furniture from top industry brands such as Herman Miller, Humanscale, and Steelcase to produce masterpieces on any scale. Easels grip canvases as painters blanket them in polychromatic oils and acrylics, just as drafting tables, rulers, and protractors help architects draft the blueprint for the first home built entirely of discarded totem poles. Guests can leaf through paper products and readymade gifts including delicate cards, journals, and calendars. Treasured prints also find displayable homes in Sam Flax’s custom-framing department, where artisans design hangable enclosures that accentuate a picture with a contrasting mat color or an oversize neon arrow that points directly to the image. The in-house framing center applies acid-free matting and seals art in airtight materials to preserve pieces.

Started by owners Mark and Dave, Decatur Bikes moved to Decatur a year ago and still continues to cater to fellow athletes in the community with equipment, repair services, and advice. Mark and Dave guide patrons through the shop’s selection of high-quality brands to find a ride that will maximize efficiency and comfort without replacing the seat with a La-Z-Boy. Each bike bought at the shop comes with free basic adjustments for life, and the shop’s experienced technicians are always available for more extreme fix-ups. Decatur Bikes also sells a variety of bike apparel, nutritional bars, and supplements for athletes' various needs.