Shopping in South Gate

Professional sleep counselors facilitate peaceful slumber at more than 80 Mattress Discounters locations nationwide, where showrooms brim with mattresses from brands such as Sealy Posturepedic, Tempur-Pedic, and Space Age Foam. Unlike pet stores, Mattress Discounters encourages customers to lie on the merchandise, as sleep counselors use the Discover Your Comfort system to ask questions about sleep position and comfort level. With this information in hand, client and counselor select the right mattress for restful slumber, with each sleep surface backed by a 60-night comfort guarantee.

The friendly staffers at iFurnish's family-owned showroom outfit abodes with name-brand wood, leather, and upholstered furniture. Contemporary and classic sofas join ottomans to fill living rooms, and dining rooms host tables sturdy enough to handle Thanksgiving's traditional anvil-eating contests. Several plush and memory-foam mattresses provide solid support for sleeping or jumping, and a wide array of home accessories, from lamps to wool rugs, decorates any room. Color whippersnappers’ chambers with kids' furniture such as bunk beds, desks, and dressers that easily conceal escape tunnels leading to the pantry.

Arnold Farms opened in 1970 as a simple roadside farmstand. Today, patrons find the same folksy service alongside gardening and landscaping needs sprawled across the shop’s multilevel facility. On Arnold's upper floor, outdoor-living supplies, including pottery, potted plants, all-weather Cheetos, and more than 100 styles of patio furniture rest near a fully stocked hardware store. One floor down, the shop spreads out its mulches and landscaping supplies in a nursery that houses annuals, perennials, shrubs, grasses, and trees. Gardening experts roam the aisles to assist customers, and master landscape designers work with patrons to create beautiful touches or complete overhauls for existing yards of all shapes.

Somewhere among the rows of illuminated display cases that flaunt Oakley, Ray-Ban, and Arnette shades, a furry snout pokes out, sniffs twice, and returns to its brightly colored chew toy. The snout belongs to the official mascot at Shades of the Bay: Allie, a 13-year-old beagle who spends her days nuzzling visitors and frolicking amid shelves piled high with sunglasses and Reef flip-flops. Across the street lies Shades of the Bay’s sister store—Shades Unlimited—which also boasts a large collection of sunglasses from top designers, both polarized and nonpolarized. At either location, a knowledgeable staff helps lead customers to shades that flatter faces or transform sock puppets into trendy companions.

Poppy and Stella’s knack for curating a stylish, eclectic inventory has not gone unnoticed. “The people behind Poppy and Stella just get shoes,” according to the Baltimore City Paper, who named Poppy and Stella the Best Women’s Shoe Store in 2009. In 2011, CBS Baltimore praised Poppy and Stella for its “atmosphere, selection and service.”

That atmosphere is found in a tidy, eclectic boutique, where customers can peruse a stylish array of designer shoes, boots, handbags, and apparel from brands such as Dolce Vita, Pour La Victoire, Sam Edelman, and Frye. Throughout the store, neat displays highlight both seasonal trends and classic designs, all of which can keep friends and neighbors from giving you disparaging nicknames like “old-shoes Jack.”