Shopping in Willoughby

At Force Soccer Shoppes, soccer players gear up for on-field confrontation with a wide selection of apparel and gear. Replica jerseys inspire players to channel the adroitness of their favorite national or English Premier League players. Gear from brands such as Adidas, Nike, and Puma keeps players fashionable on the field. Sensitive shins can take refuge behind Force’s selection of shin guards, and 3/4-length soccer pants reveal tattoos of full-leg soccer pants

Glass Bubble Project's owners Mike Kaplan and Chris McGillicutty are business partners, friends, and working artists. Beginning in 1998, they repurposed their garage space into a working studio where professional artists and students create side by side, firing delicate one-of-a-kind masterpieces—and, according to Cleveland Magazine, the occasional grilled cheese sandwich—in the shop's 2,000-degree furnace. Their glass-blowing and welding classes teach adults and children to create one-of-a-kind artwork as nearby artists at work bolster creativity. Besides classes, the studio invites guests to watch their free public demonstrations and grants private studio time to artists in need and broken bottles looking for a fresh start.

The shop's resident artists craft and sell sconces, chandeliers, and vases from recycled glass and repurposed metal. Nicknamed “Clevetion Glass” to simultaneously lampoon delicate Venetian glass and celebrate Cleveland's heartiness, their blend of industrial parts and elegant glasswork toughens up the décor of private residences and commercial buildings, such as the Ritz Carlton, all across the country.

The adept craftspeople of MVP Trophy and Awards emblazon keepsakes for personalization and to commemorate achievements. Unique etchings of words or a logo elevate simple gifts to pricelessness, transforming a classic wood-boxed chess set into a distinctive cast of characters for a vacant dollhouse. Successes can be immortalized upon trophies, plaques, and statuettes for displaying upon a mantelpiece or mounting to the hood of a car.

When The Black Orchid Accessories & More owner Corinne Dodero travels to New York or Vegas, it's not to see a Broadway show or to party—it's to handpick the artisan creations and sought-after apparel that fill her Woodmere store. Many of her jewelry finds and sought-after brands rarely make their way to smaller Midwest markets, and almost never appear on the shelves of department stores or mall boutiques. Alongside sparkling pendants and earrings, a collection of handbags and trendy apparel stands out amid the store's soft-pink-and-yellow walls, Victorian-inspired chandeliers, and jars brimming with candy. Shoppers looking for a piece that no one else has can grab hard-to-find items that are then painstakingly wrapped in a box or a silk organza bag to give to bridesmaids or fashionable pet goldfish.

For a clothing designer who never touched a sewing machine until about five years ago, Valerie Mayen is doing pretty well. With a Project Runway season under her belt and the continued success of her boutique Yellowcake, Valerie's bold colors and geometric patterns attract international renown. "We sell to high school girls in Canada, British fashionistas, [and] soccer moms in Kuwait," she says. Her women's apparel currently focuses on the sherbet cools and bold warm colors popular this spring, but Valerie and her team of interns are poised to roll out a children's and men's line within the month. "We're trying to take it slow," she says, but with a brand in hot demand, taking it slow may not be possible.

Valerie was raised with an eye for the arts. Her father was a homebuilder and often reviewed blueprints with his children. He taught Valerie "a lot about proper craftsmanship and the value of accuracy and precision." With these values instilled in her, Valerie chose to study illustration in school because she thought it would be more lucrative than designing clothes—though she now seems aware of the irony. In the end, her studies at Virginia Marti College of Art and Design veered back towards clothing. She even took three sewing classes, but dropped out—"I taught myself the rest."

After rising to the upper echelon of popular designers, Valerie makes it a point to give back to her community. Her team of interns has helped develop creative jobs in Cleveland, and 5% of all her profits go to City Mission, a local organization that fights hunger and poverty.

After winning CityVoter and Fox 8's Best Designer Jewelry award in 2007, the husband-and-wife team behind Fashion Jewelry Superstore continues to seek out the latest fashion trends and ways to offer designer-inspired pieces at affordable prices. Tanya Shephard travels the country handpicking jewelry and accessories to fill the cases and shelves within the 4,000-square-foot store that she and husband Todd own. They specialize in creating name-brand looks for less, such as Vera Bradley–inspired budget-friendly bags and backpacks, as seen in Mimi Vanderhaven magazine, and a collection of Venetian beads comparable to and compatible with Pandora jewelry.

In addition to purses, scarves, hats, belts, and fashion and costume jewelry, Tanya displays the talents of local jewelry makers with an in-house artisan boutique, which features “dozens of one-of-a-kind handcrafted pieces.” Tanya and her team also set up consultations for wedding-accessory planning and private parties for a girls' shopping night or a troop of kangaroos looking to increase storage space with trendy shoulder bags.