Bliss Home
We all know the standard china and silver registries backwards and forwards, but at Bliss Home, newlyweds learn to expect the stylishly unexpected. This is where they find not only exquisite Spanish handcrafted rugs and French crystal Champagne glasses, but avant-garde curvilinear bookcases and natural-horn pâté spreaders. Bliss consultants can guide you through the registration process even if you're a flat-, serve-, bar-, dinner-, or stemware novice. And if you think it all looks good here, just wait 'til you see it in your house. 121 Newbury St., Boston, MA blisshome.bridgecatalog.com.
The Boston Marathon's Turning Pro
There was no question that by remaining stubbornly amateur in a sport that had gone professional, the Marathon was dying. Then David D'Alessandro persuaded his employer, the John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company, to spring for $10 million to sponsor 10 Boston Marathons. A course record, a world-class field, and hundreds of runners later, today's Marathon is again one of the city's—and the country's—preeminent sporting events. "We've got athletes from 30 or 40 countries," said D'Allessandro, a senior vice president at Hancock. "I've got letters on my desk from the agents of guys who wouldn't even look at us last year."
Polka Dog Bakery
Puffy's not the best shopping companion: drooling on merchandise, constantly demanding attention, invading strangers' personal space. Any place that overlooks —welcomes, even—such unseemly habits scores big with us. This year Polka Dog expanded to accommodate its lines of animal gear with voluminous bins of squeaky cupcakes and rubber telephones, walls of collars, piles of beds, and accessories for literal clothes hounds. As if all that weren't enough, there's the popular buffet of inventive edibles, for when your guests' shoes are no longer an option: liver chips, salmon coins, and catnip "pawbreakers" for delicate breeds; cow thigh bones for those with heartier appetites. 256 Shawmut Ave., Boston, MA 2118, polkadog.com.
Brussels Sprouts Kids
Relax, kids: This store doesn't have any of those icky vegetables you like to dispose of in your napkin. What it does have is loads of great clothes you can't get at the mall. That's because the owner, Molly Moncreiff, orders them from faraway places like Denmark, Israel, and Cabot, Vermont. For girls, there are down-to-earth print tops and dresses that any Anthropologie-loving big sis would kill for; for boys, relaxed Charlie Rocket tees and dress-up wear that's not dorky. There's even something for Mom and Dad: sale signs galore. 855 Washington St., Newton, MA 2460, .
L. J. Peretti Company
The war against smokers has been waged with shock (by kicking them out of bars) and awe (by taxing tobacco to the moon). Beleaguered refugees take cover in Peretti's, a family business for more than 130 years and a proud throwback to a more tolerant age. Scorning the eager hygiene of modern smoke shops, Peretti's is a glorious scramble, less a store than a history lesson. The shelves groan under the weight of thousands of handmade pipes, cigars from Avo to Zino, and more handblended tobacco mixes than Bing Crosby could have puffed in a lifetime. (He was a patron.) If it exists, it's probably here, and the gentlemanly staff will offer you a clip and a light. 2 1/2 Park Sq., Boston, MA ljperetti.com.
Disc Diggers
When you're looking for used vinyl, hit Looney Tunes in Cambridge. Want psychedelic CDs? Try Twisted Village in Harvard Square. But for an all-around selection of great used stuff, Disc Diggers out in Somerville gets the nod. The racks inside this Davis Square store overflow with all the usual suspects, plus esoteric items in every genre—rock, punk, funk, reggae, bluegrass, country, soul, and R&B. Everything is dirt-cheap, too, and there are collectibles like old press kits from and photos of defunct bands, as well as singles and cassettes. 401 Highland Ave., Somerville, MA .
Waterworks
Your bathroom never had it so good. Every inch of Waterworks is dedicated to the senses, and every item—each perfectly placed and folded—is luxury incarnate. The sweet aroma of French soaps welcomes you first. Then come bath towels so soft, you'll think you're back in the womb. Next up: gleaming shower fixtures, faucets, tiles, and tubs—in as many classic styles as newfangled modern designs. The staff is informed and charming, and if you absolutely must have those frosted glass tiles by the weekend, many of the items are available for delivery within eight days of the date of purchase. 103 Newbury St., Boston, MA waterworks.com.
Garment District
Rummaging through the racks at the Garment District is like looking for the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. That perfect paisley shirt, pleather skirt, or even preppy blue blazer is there—you just know it is—but the place is so full of classics (designer and otherwise), it sometimes takes a while to find it. By the end of your tour, you've got three hot-pink shopping bags full of inexpensive low-fashion masterpieces, from jeans to jumpers, leather jackets to costume jewelry. Behind the punk rock, studded collars, and tattoos, the store's employees are some of the friendliest around. And if you have a few extra bucks, the landfill piles of leftovers are downstairs at Dollar-a-Pound. 200 Broadway, Cambridge, MA garment-district.com.
Rouge Cosmetics
Beauty junkies can spend years perfecting their primping arsenals. If you'd prefer to skip beta-testing your makeup bag, though, let Rouge founder Ann Supple Massey do the work for you. A former cosmetics buyer at Filene's, Massey vets every product with her staff, choosing only those deemed both innovative and effective. That makes for an appealing mix of old favorites (Nars, B. Kamins) and up-and-comers like Caudalie. Those who suffer from overstimulation at Sephora will appreciate Rouge's manageable inventory and elegant interior, while cosmoholics love the staff's exhaustive knowledge and occasional in-store appearances by beauty luminary Paula Dorf. 322 Derby St., Salem, MA 1970, rouge.com.
The Pop Center
Working from home when you have small children is great — that is, until your four-year-old shows up in the back of a Zoom call covered in fingerpaint from head to toe (only a slightly exaggerated story). With daycare spots limited and nannies harder than ever to find, busy moms and dads have been flocking to this Newton coworking space, where parents and young kids can work and play side by side thanks to wellstaffed playgroups, private nursing stations, and cozy coworking lounges with a call pod and nap rooms (for grownups, too!). 1037 Chestnut St., Newton Upper Falls, MA 02464, thepopcenter.com.
Mike & Patty's
There’s a time and place for lumberjack-size spreads of bacon and pancakes: It’s called “weekend brunch.” When we’re on the daily grind, it’s Mike & Patty’s breakfast sandwiches, fitting small feasts between bread, that power us through the grunt work ahead—especially now that the tiny Bay Village-born outfit has brought its ooey-gooey two-handers, like the Baller with fancy Iberico bacon, fried egg, and 24-month-aged Vermont cheddar, to a total of five outposts in the city and suburbs. Multiple Locations, mikeandpattys.com.
Follain
Skin-care purists searching for the most natural of products need only step into this sunny, subway-tiled boutique to make their dreams come true. After all, if an item contains any one of 31 ingredients barred by the company, including parabens, animal fats, and synthetic fragrances, it never hits the shelves—so you can rest assured that every cleanser, eye cream, and face serum has passed the company’s extensive review process. All that’s left to do is start pampering. 65 Charles St., Boston, MA 02114, follain.com.
Eventide Fenway
Neither rain, nor heat, nor pandemic will keep a Bostonian from a great lobster roll. Given the zealous following for this fast-casual clam shack moderne’s distinctive iteration—served on a fluffy steamed bao—it only makes sense that it would be a centerpiece of Eventide’s takeout game, a comprehensive program that also includes unshucked oysters and the heavenly fried-fish sandwich. 1321 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02215, eventideoysterco.com.
Cusser's
During COVID, expanded hours and new sidewalk seating helped us rediscover the revelatory lobster rolls at Cusser’s, the street-level takeout window chef Carolyn Johnson built into the side of Mooncusser Fish House and Moon Bar. Red-wine butter sauce dresses juicy meat on the decadent hot version; tantalizing tarragon mayo, meanwhile, is used for the heavenly cold one. Either way, the perfectly griddled potato bun is a curbside craving all on its own. 304 Stuart St., Boston, MA 02116, cussersboston.com.
Coolidge Corner Theatre
Streaming companies made it easier than ever to catch the latest releases on the small screen during the pandemic. But for true cinephiles, nothing beats the experience, and the curation, of local independent cinema. Thankfully, the Coolidge has steadily offered fans a virtual screening room featuring everything from foreign films to Oscar-nominated shorts, giving film buffs ample fodder for their Letterboxd accounts. We’re thrilled it’s reopened to in-person audiences, but glad we had it all along. 290 Harvard St., Brookline, MA 02446, coolidge.org.