Shopping in Westmont

Authorized Schwinn retailer Marty’s Bike Shop, nestled behind the same Park Ridge storefront since 1954, packs its space with bikes from Schwinn, GT, and Haro, along with a complete line of parts and accessories. Cycles available for test riding run the gamut from road bikes to trikes, ensuring that riders and bikes merge seamlessly into one, just as jockeys and horses merge seamlessly into centaurs. Alternatively, cyclists can shop road necessities such as helmets, tire pumps, road lights, and durable water bottles. Comprehensive repair and maintenance services administered onsite complement the shop’s sales arm and rejuvenate over-loved cycles.

Christened as one of the best wedding-tuxedo and formalwear vendors in the Chicago suburbs by the editors of The Knot, Black Tie Formalwear outfits gents in dapper threads from acclaimed designers such as Perry Ellis, Jean Yves, and Calvin Klein. Its staffers procure each visitor's individual measurements, then meticulously tailor a snug fit for tuxedos and Italian-style suits. A full collection of formalwear staples, such as jackets, shirts, shoes, pimped-out tuxedo hoodies, and silk ties, enhances the extensive range of suit styles and colors. Equipped with such accoutrement, the staff frequently furnishes wedding parties, striving to precisely match or complement the colors of the groomsmen's suits with the bridesmaids' dresses.

Depending on which wall you first look at when entering Motiv8 Skate Shop, it’s easy to think you’ve stepped into an art gallery. Hung along the wall like a painting exhibition, a collection of skateboard decks from lines such as Alien Workshop and Girl attracts shoppers with an array of colors and designs. Beyond that, a stock of longboards and BMX bikes and accessories inspires athletes to dream about conquering halfpipes or biking across the Atlantic Ocean. The staff also keeps the racks filled with a selection of clothing and shoes from designers such as Etnies and Emerica.

Root 66 Aquaponics Garden Shop has all the accoutrements of a standard garden supply¬—USDA-certified organic seeds, pots, and organic fertilizers. But Root 66 is hardly your grandmother's general store. Its focus is hydroaquaponics, which creates a symbiotic relationship between a tank of fish and the garden on top of the tank. The sustainable method uses a system of pumps and tubes to harvest and distribute plant food from the fish tank below. The fish, in turn, are fed, sheltered, and taught to use salad forks by the plants above them.

In the shop's introductory video, founder Shawn Odneal says that hydroaquaponics is, "the future of food production and the closest I can get to self-sustainability," by "taking traditional gardening techniques and applying them in a new way." In addition to specializing in hydroaquaponics, he also strives to make gardening accessible to city dwellers with rooftop and vertical gardens.

To motivate exercisers to burn calories in their own dwellings, Fitness Experts' passionate employees pair exercise routines with the best-suited equipment from a reservoir of new and pre-owned fitness contraptions. The knowledgeable staff addresses individual fitness needs, advising patrons on purchasing the proper gear to avoid aggravating dumbbell allergies.