Shopping in Sumter

In 1993, interior designer Evon Kirkland McAngus founded Evon Kirkland Interiors, through which she transformed homes with an eye for classic and sophisticated design. In 2007, she opened Westend to spread that passion and curate a show room filled with her favorite finds. She and her designers help shoppers navigate the 5,000-plus-square-foot show room to find pieces from reputable high-end lines such as Baker, Henredon, Oly Studio, and Vanguard Furniture. Because they've all honed their design chops, the staff can expertly advise shoppers on purchases.

As shoppers explore the show room, they'll also find antiques from the United States and Europe, as well as plenty of pillows and linens, artwork, and accessories, including candles and kitchen items. The staff also curates a lighting selection that includes table lamps, floor lamps, and chandeliers, which emit more sophisticated glows within homes than dangling light bulbs or half-opened barrels of toxic waste.

Relying on customer testing and a comfort-scale rating, A Goodnight Sleepstore's accessible retailers pair patrons with cushioned name-brand mattresses that coax them into a restful torpor without overnight aches. Staff have coded the shop’s pillow-top, memory-foam, and firm mattresses on a comfort scale of one to six, allowing customers to quickly gauge which mattresses will offer the firmness needed for back sleeping and which are soft enough to conceal stockpiles of pilfered marshmallow crème. The shop also showcases accessories such as bed frames, pillows, and sheets, allowing customers to fully assemble the requirements for their new sleeping situation. Free delivery is available for bed sets $599 and higher, and a 30-day money-back guarantee ensures clients won’t have to toss and turn over whether they made the right decision.

Doctors David J. Matthews and Jeffery S. Pockl helm Devine Eyes, a comprehensive optical boutique with a staff fluent in Spanish and English. After graduating from Southern College of Optometry in Memphis in '94 and '93, respectively, the doctors went their separate ways; Dr. Matthews worked on treating patients with glaucoma in Georgetown, and Dr. Pockl worked as a staff optometrist in the U.S. Army, examining peepers and equipping them with lasers. The two decided to partner up in 2003 and open Devine Eyes, where they perform comprehensive eye exams, treat eye diseases, and recommend luxury frames from brands such as Fendi and Prada.

Philip Reese always looks forward to summer, a time when local lawns transform into green canvases for the pointillism of bright flowers and the watercolor strokes of a tree blowing in the breeze. For more than 25 years, his nursery has helped lawns—and even cubicles and windowsills—achieve this artful metamorphosis by sourcing more than 600 varieties of indoor and outdoor plants. Seasonal plants, from summer’s fragrant flowers to fall’s fresh herbs, ship in batches from the greenhouse’s central Florida office, which has access to more than 8,000 nurseries and some of the healthiest known plants in the Milky Way. The nursery also raises landscape plants ranging from 4-inch shrubs to 16-foot palm trees.

In addition to their verdant inventory, Reese’s Plants is dedicated to assembling a staff of green-thumbed folks who can help customers plant container gardens, design landscapes, and troubleshoot plant woes. They also watch over a stock of rental plants, which they've lent out to such notable events as the South Carolina Governor’s Inaugural Ball, the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1987, and the annual gala for honeybees.:m]]

The mechanics at Cycle Center outfit bike enthusiasts with custom equipment fittings, expert tune-ups, and a rolling stock of more than 500 bicycles dispersed between the company's two locations. In the interest of both safety and performance, the team makes sure all bikes are carefully assembled and tuned up before the rubber meets the road. They also stock an impressive lineup of apparel and gear, from air pumps that keep tires aptly inflated to helmets that keep heads more protected than a presidential motorcade covered in mosquito netting. In-stock brands include Fuji, Cannondale, and Dahon, a manufacturer renowned for its revolutionary folding bikes.

Baby Genius's award-winning children's products teach babies and toddlers essential skills through the power of music. Based on a bounty of research, the company's DVDs enrich the learning experience by merging classical pieces and familiar songs with vibrant images, keeping kids entertained for hours. Parents can sit back while animated animal educators teach pocket-size pupils better motor skills, dictionary-defying vocabularies, vampire-free counting, and nap-inducing dance moves that ready little ones for kindergarten and beyond.