Best Garden Center

The selection and service are top-notch, but the main reason to come here is that you’ll get healthier, longer-lasting plants. Unlike greenery from big-box retailers, Chalet-brand plants are acclimated to local weather conditions: The center grew them lovingly on a 183-acre farm in Wisconsin. The capper for serious gardeners: a free lecture series.

Best Kitchen and Bath Store

Sears it’s not: You’ll start off your trip to this eye-popping kitchen and bath showroom with a free iced tea or latte. Try out a Wolf rangetop (from $3,120) during free weekly cooking classes (a recent session: making the most of your farmers’ market haul). Flip the faucet to see how the water flows into … Read more

Best Midcentury Modern Furniture

Claire Tibbs’s personal touch has won over many local interior designers whose tastes lean toward Mad Men. Her light-filled shop’s collection shifts according to what she unearths at thrift stores and estate sales, but recent finds include a two-seat Knoll sofa ($960), Herman Miller chairs ($180), and a beauty of a hutch by Bernhard Pedersen … Read more