Shopping in Tomball

Recently, an 8-year-old girl walked into The Vintage Dollhouse with her grandmother and birthday money in tow. It may have been the Scandinavian wool sweater that made her eyes light up, or maybe it was the 17-piece tea set with cups no bigger than an eraser tip. She stared up at her grandma in awe and declared, “This is doll heaven.”

Intricate and whimsical, The Vintage Dollhouse’s doll accessories create a fastidiously detailed miniature world for kids. “If you have an imaginative, playful side, this aspect of dolls and dollhouses plugs into that—there’s always one more tiny little thing that’s calling to you,” says owner Beatrice Thompson, who pays due diligence to the artistic and tactile elements of her shop’s tiny accessories. She stocks 15- and 18-inch dolls by Adora, Sophia’s, and Wish Collection, as well as hundreds of accoutrements. Thompson is quick to help customers navigate the vast selection, pinpointing clothes that fit American Girl dolls or recommending tiny realtors who can help flip your Barbie Dreamhouse.

Beyond Twice Told Tales’ glass door, the faint, musty scent of yellowed pages dog-eared from years of careful reading wafts through the noses and alerts the brain of impending knowledge or story immersion. Thousands of used books line the shelves, their spines declaring the titles of the mystery, science fiction, horror, and drama their stories chronicle. As used titles arrive daily, it’s not uncommon for stacks of books to pile high on the floors. The racks looming over these text mountains display a collection of audiobooks—books that can play MP3 files—and reading accessories such as lights and book covers. Besides fiction, reference materials such as CliffsNotes and informative nonfiction books also contribute to the mass of reading material tucked away in every nook and cranny of Twice Told Tales’ shop.

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.

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.

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.