Shopping in Waukesha

The varied stock at Urban Laundry, named one of Milwaukee’s Best Women’s Boutiques by CityVoter, bedecks women in contemporary duds from renowned designers. The boutique sets up shop in a restored 19th-century building with exposed Cream City brick and wood-beamed ceilings, from which vintage chandeliers and artwork beam down on a collection of Lola and Sophie blouses and dresses, Free People graphic tops, and denim from 7 For All Mankind. A variety of jewelry and belts accents ensembles, and a selection of vegan handbags basks in cruelty-free materials, daydreaming of bottle feeding baby giraffes.

The staff members at Cyclesmith use knowledge gleaned from their own cycling lives and participation in local races to furnish athletes with the necessities for off- or on-road excursions, from Trek and Haro BMX bikes to apparel and accessories from Mavic and Bontrager. Armed with the Fit Kit bicycle-fitting system, technicians tailor new rides to individual frames, providing a ride as custom and smooth as a RoboCop's uniform. Once techs have helped patrons to select fresh cycles from their top-shelf assortment, customers can apply credit from trading in old bikes toward their purchase. The shop also offers repair services to keep cycles running smoothly.

Since opening in the early 1990s, Manhattan Textiles has dazzled guests with its large assortment of reasonably priced, designer-inspired fabrics. Fueled by a passion for fine textiles, owner Judy and her two daughters traveled the globe in search of distinctive fabrics worthy of display inside their expansive show room. In addition to fabrics, they hand select trims, create custom bedding, and hand loom rugs from a variety of yarns, dyes, patterns, and magic-carpet blueprints.

In 1955, James and Gladys Bluemel opened a small nursery dedicated to growing trees and shrubs and to helping locals with landscaping projects. Now, their son, Mike, runs the much-expanded family business, which thrives on bulk-supply sales, playground resurfacing, lawn care, and snow and ice control during snowman uprisings. Though he’s moved away from the nursery’s original shrub and tree business, he and his green-thumbed staff still maintain a garden center stocked with seasonal plants, garden décor, and essential supplies.

While customers browse Bluemel’s aisles, they'll likely spot a commonality between the perennials, annuals, flowers, herbs, and vegetables: a sticker reading “Dome Grown.” This label marks a plant born and raised in the garden center, which accounts for about 85% of the center’s living merchandise. Having tended and nurtured the plants since their geneses, the staff—who share 35 years of experience—can dispense tips on how to properly care for them, as well as share adorable baby-plant photos.

This newly remodeled boutique is paradise for lovers of casual yet stylish garb, housing brands such as Alternative, Big Star, and Silver Jeans. Though most of the men’s, women’s, and kids’ clothing fuses informality with a subtle hint of punk-rock grit, other items play it safe with colors and styles to suit every taste. The shop even boasts its own signature line of novelty T-shirts emblazoned with slogans that are as playful and risqué as a tattooed kitten.

In 1958, Guy Day and Dale Williams founded their mattress store with a focus on high-quality products and excellent customer service. After 10 years, the partners unveiled their line of handcrafted, personalized mattress sets under the name Verlo, a combination of their wives' names—Verna and Lois. After more than 40 years, the company has perfected its craft, manufacturing customized mattresses and selling them directly through their show rooms. The stock ranges from plush pillowtops to firm sets, both capable of supporting healthy sleeping patterns and cutthroat pillow fights for years to come.