Shopping in West Park

Flamingo Road Nursery owner Jim Dezell is used to the surprise on people's faces when they come to the nursery for the first time. "People commonly come in and say, ‘Wow, I never knew there was a garden center like this,’" he says. Maybe they're wowed by the park-like landscaping, complete with display gardens designed to inspire shoppers with ideas for plant combinations. Maybe they're blown away at the fountains, statues, and thousands of pieces of pottery. Or maybe they've just seen the pond surrounded by colorfully painted "shops" and palm trees. It's a "true experience" that's as much about shopping as it is about creating "memory and traditions", wrote Today's Garden Center in 2011, when it picked Flamingo Road Nursery as the most revolutionary garden center in the nation. In addition to helping shoppers navigate the selection of flowers, trees, and other plants, the knowledgeable staff can also help them complete landscaping projects with outdoor artwork, waterfalls, and more. "It's professional advice here," says Jim. "We really try to understand our customers' needs and offer solutions that will both excite them and provide long-term enjoyment." He even recommends people bring in dimensions and photos of their space so the staff can get a better idea of what will grow well there. The staffers can even come to homes to install everything once it's purchased. Other garden-centric items, such as Big Green Egg barbecues, give customers more chances to enjoy their updated outdoor spaces. To help home growing projects succeed, one staff member, Jodi (who Jim calls their "garden gal") gives weekly talks on growing your own food at home without the hassle of planting notoriously difficult hamburger bushes. The nursery also hosts an on-site Farmers Market shop, which hosts a large assortment of fresh fruits, vegetables, and artisan foods—some of the produce is even picked at the nursery itself. On the weekends, a beekeeper visits the store to explain how bees make honey to visiting kids, using the in-store observation beehive as a teaching tool. The nursery holds seasonal celebrations as well, including an annual fall festival and a Christmas festival replete with sleigh rides, Santa visits, and a Christmas tree forest.

At Bloom Nursery, owner Diego Scort and his staff of green thumbs nurture the tender blossoms and lush foliage of their palms, shrubs, and budding vines. They strive to help customers gussy up their gardens with organically and locally grown plants, as well as those that have been adapted to thrive in South Florida's climate. In addition to sending visitors off with flourishing florae, the staffers also equip gardeners with materials, supplies, and tips necessary to keep plants from sprouting rampant weeds or eloping with tumbleweeds just passing through town.

Frank Abay is a busy man. Along with a security school and a private-investigation company, the licensed instructor now owns Miami Guns Inc. There, his guests can buy and sell firearms or practice their aim at the eight-lane, 25-yard indoor range. Visitors seeking more guided instruction can earn licenses by completing D and G classes. Miami Guns Inc. also hosts low-light pistol and self-defense-tactics courses, which include 100 rounds of ammo, range time, a certificate of completion, and a T-shirt.

Dr. Bita Sabripour's medical colleagues turn to her when they have blurry vision. Whether it's because of her training at two of the world's premier eye centers, the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins and Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, or because her office is completely free of solar eclipses, medical professionals recognize the high-quality care one receives at her vision center. From basic exams to postoperative eye care, Dr. Sabripour and her support staff help patients through every step of their ophthalmologic journeys. This support extends to outfitting clients with frames and contact lenses.

Most cigar shops reflect overstuffed Gilded Age opulence, with leather chairs, mahogany fixtures, and dim lighting leaving guests feeling a step out of time. Thankfully, 5 Star Cigarz isn’t most cigar shops. Its wooden floors and olive-trimmed white shelves bask in the natural light flooding in from floor-to-ceiling front windows. But this modernized appearance doesn’t affect the shop’s selection of cigars, with time-tested favorites from Padron, Macanudo, Arturo Fuente, and Don Diego lurking along the well-stocked walls.

The shop also shows off its collection of shiny water pipes, and a dedicated hookah area welcomes languid smokes and caterpillar impersonations with green, turf-like rugs, potted plants, and a mounted flat-screen TV. These comfy stations are hot real estate during the shop’s weekly events, which range from hookah nights and wine and cheese tastings to impromptu games of duck duck goose.