Shopping in St. Catharines

Lisa Keating, who founded Leelee after the birth of her daughter in 1998, glides across the shop's amber hardwood floors, casting an experienced eye over proud mannequins draped in threads by Tracy Reese and Trina Turk. Lisa peruses offerings by brands including Nicole Miller, Hard Tail Forever, and Autumn Cashmere to curate brimming alabaster racks in the boutique. At-home wardrobe assessments and personal-shopping services let professionally selected items leap into ensembles to add class.

Linda Van Buskirk and Dorathy Gallo, the jewelry-making duo behind Beaded Finery, ornament wardrobes with eye-catching accouterments and edify students with the skills to do the same. The talented ladies incorporate glass beads, Swarovski crystals, and semiprecious stones into a lengthy list of handcrafted products that range from draping necklaces and moroccan-tile bracelets to satin handbags. A rotating schedule of classes instills amateur jewelers with the bead-stringing and clasping skills needed to express their style through colorful, sparkly accessories similar to those populating Linda and Dorathy’s shop. Each functional item is forged in Beaded Finery's private studio, ensuring one-of-a-kind craftsmanship and a safe place to vent one’s anger at the lack of crystal-encrusted medals presented at the Olympics.

Dedicated to upholding the celebrated customs of Indian craftsmanship and culture while keeping abreast of current trends, Vanita Kollections outfits patrons in chic apparel that celebrates India’s rich heritage. Amid the shop’s stock of boldly hued garments laden with ornate embroidery, clothiers help shoppers try on traditional items including saris forged from materials such as crepe, chiffon, and georgette. Champions of dressing women for all manner of occasions, staffers keep shelves stocked with celebratory garb ranging from glittering bridal wear to sleek suits. To ensure that each customer looks her best, the store’s tailors’ fingers fly as they perform in-house alterations, creating a sleek fit, lengthening hems, and shortening pant legs in the event of a reverse growth spurt.

Mattress Mattress of WNY Inc. promotes sweet dreams with a gallery of quality sleeping surfaces. Mattresses from top brands such as Sealy and Stearns & Foster come outfitted with features such as an extra-firm feel, Posturepedic pillow-tops, and pre-inserted peas to determine the legitimacy of a supposed princess.

Each edition of the award-winning Buffalo Spree magazine delivers a full month of event calendars, local feature stories, and articles showcasing art, design, and culture across Western New York. Dining guides highlight the best local eateries, and profiles of the area's movers and shakers introduce notable businesspeople and do-gooders. Shopping guides and reviews of designers and stylists keep readers up to date on the latest trends. Home and garden coverage bores a peephole into area abodes through photographic tours of residential interiors, exteriors, and laundry rooms.

Bean Sprout cultivates the clothes-getting of kinderkind with a colourful inventory featuring boutique items from more than 70 fashion brands for newborns to 16-year-olds. Dress your daughter for her inevitable Picasso phase with Blü attire such as a sunshine-yellow polka-dot dress ($29.99) and leggings ($19.99), or prepare your son for his role as Miranda in an authentic 17th-century staging of Shakespeare's The Tempest with a Deux par Deux pale-pink jersey dress ($47.99). More dude-duds are available in the form of T-shirts ($26.99) and quick-dry plaid shorts ($37.99) from Point Zero. Bean Sprout also sells jewellery, handmade purses, music boxes, toys, and numerous other items for kids' consumption.