Shopping in Westwood

Trek Bicycle Store of Fairfield and Trek Women beam with a brand-new glass and brick visage, behind which bike-handlers preside over an expansive stable of Trek-brand two-wheeled steeds as well as the tools necessary to keep bikes running at full bore. The staff help customers navigate through a maze of hybrids, road-touring, triathlon, and mountain bikes saddled to the specifications of a range of age levels. Shelves buckle under the weight of bicycle pats, accessories, and apparel for male and female cyclists. Headlights dissuade foreign objects from collision, accessory bags keep electronics secure, Bontrager and Pearl Izumi’s leather and gel gloves protect hands, and Capo’s breathable fabric tops keep skin cool during pulse-pounding rides and volcano-jumping stunts. To keep older bikes riding like their newer cousins, the store’s technicians pamper rides with a comprehensive regimen of equipment checks, adjustments, and cleaning in a range of bike tune-ups, ensuring sailing as smooth as a freshly buttered pair of roller skates.

It is not difficult to find NJ Mattress Factory—simply look for a showroom with rows of blanket-less beds. Once there, you will see sewn onto bare mattresses patches with the names Sealy, Serta, Stearns & Foster, Simmons Beautyrest, and Tempur-Pedic, a who’s who of mattress brands the store is authorized to sell. Any questions can be directed to the seasoned staff, whether they are about mattresses or the shop’s bedding accessories, which include Tempur-Pedic pillows and mattress pads that can fend off water, microbes, allergens, and that one nightmare where you are forced to stuff your mattress into an airplane’s overhead compartment.

Framed by Kosal's archivists comb a vast inventory of conservation materials to retrieve mats and mouldings that best showcase each client's valuables. By giving special attention to each custom framing order, the archivists carry on a tradition that began when the shop first began preserving artwork, keepsakes, and entire refrigerator doors. From in-store to at-home consultations, staff members guide customers toward the framing materials that optimize beauty and longevity. In addition to framing, Framed by Kosal's specialists offer photo restoration and large-format photo printing, and stock the store with a wide selection of art.

Dell Williams, founder and groundskeeper of Eve's Garden, has stocked her discreet boutique with erotic and sensual wares since 1974. An advocate for women's sexual freedom, Dell has written pieces that have made their way into the filing cabinets at Cornell University, and her acting talents have graced stages in productions of Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues. The shop's shelves reflect her celebration of female sexuality with vibrating and inert accessories and books by Vibratex, Lelo, and Je Joue that enlighten ladies as to their bodies' capacities for pleasure. Located on the 12th floor of a midtown Manhattan office building, Eve's Garden proffers a private shopping experience away from the prying eyes of street-level pedestrians and judgmental pigeons.

Camera Land's list of products and services covers all corners of the photography industry. Its stock of equipment ranges from traditional cameras and binoculars to digital recorders and printers, and it extends beyond lenses to include GPS systems and photoproducts, including albums and frames. On the services side, the staff stands ready to repair damaged equipment, digitize photos and videos, lead workshops, or even craft a customized frame to enclose customers' first scenery-induced gasp.

Camera Land’s expansive list of goods and services stems from its tradition of doing everything possible for its customers. In the shop’s early days in the 1950s, Camera Land's driving force Ed Paymer fulfilled his customers' needs, following the mantra, "The difference between them and us is us." Employees such as Sara in imaging, Neil in general photography, and Reggie in repairs continue Ed's mission of customer service by not only filling their orders and maintaining their gear, but also by answering customers’ questions and happily talking shop.

Since Harry Zarin opened the shop in 1936, the thousands of bolts of drapery and upholstery material at Zarin Fabrics have brightened homes and businesses with their elegant designs. Like your family's antique-wig collection, the company is now in its third generation of family ownership, with shelves and walls stocked with a meticulously curated collection of millions of yards of colorful threads. Custom upholstery and window treatment services add personal touches to at-home decor, and foam inserts, intricate patterns, and decorative trimming help crafters will their own fluffy sofas and eye-catching curtains into existence.

Nestled in a charming, mass-transit-friendly corner of the Lower East Side, the shop has also lent its signature fabrics to New York television icons, with set designers for shows such as 30 Rock and Law & Order creating memorable settings for TV episodes out of Zarin's extensive textile resources.