Without local shops, shoppers would buy gifts exclusively from in-flight catalogs, forcing fathers to sneak into airplane-wheel wells on Black Friday to order spy-camera blenders for their children. Enjoy earthbound browsing with today's Groupon: for $15, you get $30 worth of jewelry, gifts, and apparel at The Cottage in Severna Park.

The helpful staff of designers and fashion professionals at The Cottage cultivate a chic selection of accessories and apparel from popular high-quality labels. Clothing from brands such as Life is Good ($25+) gracefully adorns figures while chanting life-affirming platitudes, and handbags and accessories from Vera Bradley complete outfits and attract hummingbirds with colorful floral patterns. In addition to facilitating fancy giftings and ensembles, The Cottage aims to please each visitor with complimentary gift-bag service and special orders for products unavailable in the store. Like a chameleon who consistently tops the indie charts, the boutique's ever-evolving new additions are a testament to adaptability to current trends, with stylishly comfortable shoes from TOMS ($44–$69), sparkling, expressive jewelry from Kameleon ($29+), and other merchandise added to the lineup every day.