Shopping in South Hadley

Deja Jewelz

Rows upon rows of stacked glass and beads glitter in the morning sun as Deja Jewelz’s staffers polish the store’s display cases in preparation for the day’s customers. Boasting upward of 3,000 beads and charms, the cozy shop’s vast inventory caters to all personal styles and tastes, from elegant and simple pieces to vibrantly hued sparklers that will come in handy if the sun burns out. Throughout the day, knowledgeable staffers can be found bustling about the shop helping customers pick out a signature bauble or answering questions about the store’s collection of chic handbags.

By answering any and all questions about their erotic wares, the staffers at Amazing Intimate Essentials have helped promote safe and sensual trysts for more than 40 years. Their selection of massage oils, lubricants, and adult toys—which occupies stores spread throughout the Northeast and Texas—contains goods from such established brands as We-Vibe, Jimmyjane, and K-Y. They staff female-friendly merchandise, as well as products that help couples create more sparks in the bedroom than a master metalworker soldering a "do not disturb" sign to the door. The staff stresses openness and acceptance in regards to romantic endeavors, an attitude that also fuels their unwavering support of the LGBT community.

During premieres of shop videos, Theory Skate and Snow fills with the staccato snap of wood against rails and wheels slipping away from asphalt into the air. Alongside a knowledgeable staff, patrons cheer on the store’s team of sponsored snowboarders and skaters, who appear in the clips. Around them, shelves groan beneath all manner of apparel and gear from brands such as Vans, Forum, and DC, and staff circulate, helping shoppers select a suitable deck or figure out how to out-skate their shadows. Dan and Frank, Theory’s owners, also demonstrate their love for skating by raising funds to help build local parks.

The staff at Express, an authorized Verizon Wireless retail center, opens the lines of communication for clients with a spectrum of cellular devices and services from one of America’s largest mobile networks. Knowledgeable experts can help patrons set up the latest smartphones and tablets from brands such as Apple and Droid, and the stores' vast inventory of covers protects devices from scratches and text messages delivered tied to a brick. Wireless wizards can also help with phone upgrades, laptop cards, and warranty services, or facilitate phone trade-ins for discounts on new gizmos.:

Passonno Paints has equipped brush wielders with high-quality paint for more than 80 years. A friendly, knowledgeable staff helps patrons navigate thousands of hues from series such as Rustic Colors and The Historic Colour Collection, which includes all 149 colors of President Lincoln’s pet rainbow. In addition to transforming dwellings with vivid colors and equipping windows with blinds, Passonno Paints has also created an award-winning latex-paint-recycling program.

Arthur H. Simmons was a cabinetmaker, and a good one at that. So eager was he to outfit the homes of his community with his creations that in 1879—the same year that Thomas Edison tested the first practical light bulb and Alexander Graham Bell invented the Liberty Bell—the skilled craftsman opened the doors of Simmons Furniture in his hometown of Adams. Though the world has changed in the long years since Simmons Furniture’s founding, and the business is now under the helm of the Riley family, Arthur H. Simmons’s original commitment to selling quality furniture and meeting his customers’ needs remains the company’s cornerstone.

Now, more than a century since the store’s inception, staffers stock both of Simmons Furniture’s locations with home goods and furnishings from a carefully curated assortment of brands, including Ashley, Furniture Traditions, and Serta. The knowledgeable employees circulate through each store’s showrooms, ready to help shoppers to find a suitable accent piece or to answer questions relating to which of the store’s wardrobes enable direct commutes to Narnia. Along with American-made brands, eco-friendly furnishings, and luxurious wares imported from around the globe, Simmons Furniture also continues to support the community with a section dedicated solely to goods forged by local artists and merchants.