Shopping in Waltham

Beginning as an offshoot of Cambridge's historic textile industry and a complement to the inventive business model of By The Pound, The Garment District continues combining a repertoire of hip, quirky clothing with eco-friendly practices of recycling and consignment. The hard-working staff of 40 intercepts gently used fashions and unworn apparel before it can be carelessly thrown away or wasted on stylish scarecrows. More than 40,000 wearables don men, women, and children in modish displays of vintage, contemporary, and designer clothing, drawing in hats, dresses, shoes, and accessories from sources across the country to keep the racks stocked with millions of pounds of clothing throughout the year. Thread handlers sort through collected duds, hanging the stylishly suited on racks, sending overstock clothing to developing countries, and shipping soiled or torn clothing to a shoddy mill, where it is ground up and sent as threats to fashion designers.

Jakob Custom Clothiers' tailors design and handcraft garments for individual men and women, tailoring each piece to the tastes and lifestyle of its owner. They start with fabrics such as wool, cotton, and silk gathered from mills around the world to outfit a range of clientele—from business leaders to pro athletes—in suits, tuxedos, blazers, slacks, and shirts. Custom touches enhance the personality of each piece, with options such as mother-of-pearl buttons and monogramming on shirts and handpicked stitching and a hidden pocket for hiding packets of fancy ketchup on suits—all at no additional cost.

Bike Boom functions as a fountain of youth for cycles that pass its threshold. Its technicians take in used and vintage models for renovation, transforming them into street-safe vehicles for all types of terrain. They track their makeover efforts on the shop's blog, highlighting retro specimens such as an overhauled Shogun Easy Street from the mid- to late ’80s and a ’70s Schwinn Collegiate Cruiser. Visiting guests can peruse the menagerie of multi- and single-speed road bikes, mountain bikes, and city bikes, which are designed for everyday trips around the block or up the walls of skyscrapers. Riders with a specific vision can also commission a custom-built cycle.

The professional mechanics in the repair shop perform tune-ups and install new parts. Shelves of accessories and gear—including helmets, locks, lights, and handlebar tape—equip pedalers for their commutes, and the staff readily orders items that aren't in stock or easily harvested from the derailleur tree in the backyard.

Boston Gardener breathes greenery into even the smallest urban spaces with a stock of hydroponic and conventional gardening supplies to go along with its selection of herbs, vegetables, and flowers. Its online store showcases a vast repository of gardening gear, from water pumps and fluorescent lights to seed germinators and fertilizers. Demonstrating their commitment to community, the gardeners take on revitalization projects such as their Dudley Square endeavor, which transformed an abandoned alleyway into a vibrant garden that ousted nefarious gangs of weeds.