Shopping in The Woodlands

Since they met in optometry school, husband-and-wife team Drs. Claudio and Grisel Lagunas have dreamed of opening their own practice together. Lifetime Eyecare Associates is the realization of that dream, where the duo and their fellow optometrists use advanced technology to detect and eliminate a variety of eye conditions. In addition to administering primary eye-care services, the doctors specialize in the co-management of refractive surgeries such as LASIK. They treat the degenerative corneal condition keratoconus with specialty prescription lenses, and use the innovative Optomap digital-imaging system to check ocular health and retrieve winning lottery numbers imprinted on the retina from gazing into crystal balls.

Within Lavo Collections’ four bustling boutiques, an ever-updating array of fashionable threads entices visitors with catwalk-ready looks displayed on jauntily posed mannequins. Billowing fabrics and curve-hugging colors abound in silhouette-flattering sundresses or business-casual blouses, and waist-slimming pencil skirts provide canvases for intricate belts, delicate jewelry, or wearable versions of Rembrandt’s The Night Watch.

Rich-colored wood and contemporary metal frames find their purpose at Creative Framing & Mirrors as the shop's artisans mold pieces to fit customers' cherished keepsakes. A framer chooses from a selection of more than 2,000 frames, including those with intricate designs and hidden compartments to store backup photos, which complain less loudly than backup quarterbacks. Photographs, childhood keepsakes, and stamp collections can look even more attractive with personalized interiors that boast vibrant colors, fun shapes, and fitted borders.

Not content to stick to framing services alone, Creative Framing & Mirrors artisans can also transmit images or photographs onto small or large stretched canvases. Staff members employ their tech-savvy to operate a large-scale printer and then carefully tug the subject from all corners to stretch it to an ideal size.

With an inventory that includes 14 different palms, 11 fruit-bearing varieties, and dozens of fast-growing shade trees, Big Text Tree Nursery furnishes yards with a wide range of greenery that flourishes in the southeastern Texas climate. At each of their locations, a team of garden experts helps shoppers peruse the greenery and select the ideal tree for their garden, while mobile gardening teams deliver and plant selected trees.

Blooming from a family-run arts-and-crafts business more than a quarter century ago, Woodland Art & Frame now focuses on accentuating masterpieces with complementary borders. Aside from performing traditional services, such as dry-mounting posters and retouching oil paintings, certified framers enlist a virtual framer program to help patrons visualize their artwork in different mattes, frames, and ’80s hairstyles before finalizing selections. Framers also transform flat-screen TVs into functional artwork by crafting screen-hugging frames, and sometimes visit homes or offices to assess aesthetic needs.