The Brown Jug
Once a locally beloved antique shop, the Brown Jug is now home to a different, though no less precious, stock: artisanal cheeses from far-flung makers, imported and delectable olives, Iggy's breads, pâtés, handmade pastas, and lots of herb-infused olive oils. No matter how rustic your picnic, the fixings on offer here will lend it a delicious bit of worldliness. 155 Main St., Sandwich, MA thebrownjug.com.
Pollen Floral Design
In the past year alone, Pollen Floral Design owner Krissy Price has dreamed up masterpieces for a distillery engagement party, a restaurant wedding, and seaside nuptials on the Cape. She’s as comfortable working in jewel tones as she is in pastels, giving big, beautiful blooms the starring role in every custom installation, free-flowing bouquet, and color-packed centerpiece she crafts. MA bostonpollen.com.
À Deux
What can’t Kelli Parker do? The custom stationer works with engravers, printers, and suppliers to make clients’ grandest visions a reality. Cases in point: She recently assembled crocodile-embossed boxes lined in white suede to hold a pair’s invites, and once created a bus wrap featuring 10-foot-tall photos of a couple—all in a day’s work for this design doyenne. One Auburn Place, Charlestown, MA 2129, adeux.co.
Audio Concepts
Audio Concepts Home Theater After you're done drooling over Audio Concepts' fantasy home-theater setups—massive TVs, booming speakers, George Jetson-worthy remote controls—find a salesperson and tell him your audio-visual dream. No matter the budget, be it $1,000 or $20,000, he'll briskly and breezily sketch out a plan to turn your underutilized family room or basement into the neighborhood cinema. 870 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA audioconcepts.com.
Charles Maksou
This man is an artist, sans the temperament problem. But first-timers take note: your hair will be washed and dried before Maksou takes scissors to head. Using the DryCut method favored by stylist John Sahag, Maksou hones in on your best features, offers a complement or two, and designs a cut around them. Best of all, he listens to what you want and takes your lifestyle into account. HAIR FX Studio, 627 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA .
Brookline Booksmith
Their fiction inventory is faultless; their nonfiction, superb. But it's Brookline Booksmith's book cellar that again propels this independent store to the top of the pile. If you're going to browse, be sure you've got a whole afternoon to spar—it's easy to lose track of time while scanning the shelves. The shop's reading series is also second to none, often hosting marquee authors such as David Sedaris and Jonathan Safran Foer. 279 Harvard St., Brookline, MA 2446, brooklinebooksmith.com.
Room & Board
Once you start purchasing Room & Board’s modern, artisan-crafted furniture, you’ll never shop anywhere else again. The brand’s pieces stand the test of time in both style and durability: Think a sculptural coffee table that holds up to bumps and beverage stains, a plush sectional that can host years of movie nights, or a storage-equipped bed frame that you can pass on to the next generation. 375 Newbury St., Boston, MA 02116, roomandboard.com.
Design Within Reach
We’ve all become more interested in sprucing up our home offices over the past year, and Design Within Reach’s eye-catching and efficient workspace furnishings get the job done. Should you need a Nathan Yong filing cabinet, a posture-improving Eames chair, or a Herman Miller desk that makes you feel like the #boss you are, the store has flair (and options) to spare. 1045 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02138, dwr.com.
Zendaya
Even in a city accustomed to A-listers, Zendaya’s time in Boston was the buzziest celebrity residency in years. All spring, fans chronicled her Tatte coffee dates with boyfriend Tom Holland, and roamed the Back Bay hoping to snag the season’s most valuable keepsake: a selfie with Spider-Man’s MJ herself. Zendaya clearly has great taste: She was spotted at Eastie’s beloved Angela’s Café not once, but twice.
Gabriel Frasca, Spire
After years of working with some of this city's best (Gordon Hamersley, Michael Schlow, Seth Woods), it's Frasca's turn to soar at Spire, the restaurant at the Nine Zero hotel. And soar he does, with entrées like his fresh pea soup, an earthy ode to summer with a tinge of sautéed pea shoots for brightness and a sweet, nutty crab dumpling for contrast. We hope more young chefs will follow Frasca's lead. 90 Tremont St., Boston, MA .
Fresh City
These avowed wrapmasters hone in on a few select points: even distribution of ingredients; made-to-taste variety; and overall freshness, heftiness, and yumminess. They succeed. For those finicky wrapsters among us— you know who you are— there's no overabundance of rice here, or goopy sludge of extra sauce to soak up your roll. Living up to such standards of wrapsody, Fresh City in Brookline blazes the way toward the future of fast food. 1335 Beacon St., Coolidge Corner, Brookline, MA .
Flair Brides Maids
Christine Walber Colon knows bridesmaids play no minor role in pulling off a wedding, so she outfits them accordingly. Her third-floor suite carries the bright hues, comfortable fabrics, and flattering cuts of designers such as Charsa, Lynn Lugo, and Jenny Yoo. There are no wear-it-once sateen selections here—just gracious service and moderate prices. Finally, someone who gives the supporting cast its due. 10 Newbury St., Boston, MA 2116, flairbridesmaid.com.
Biltmore-Green Luggage
Now that the Concorde has gone the way of the luxury steamship, there's nothing that courts robbery on an AirTran carousel like a Louis Vuitton suitcase. Safer to go with the workaday, the durable but still stylish. Biltmore-Green stocks sensible luggage from Samsonite to Hartmann, with Tumi and Travelpro in between. Aesthetes and traditionalists will prefer the unparalleled selection of leather brands like Bosca and Kenneth Cole. There's even initialing while you wait. 176 Boylston St., Boston, MA .
Stonestreets
Even the sartorially splendid sometimes need help updating their wardrobes, and Stonestreets has an all-encompassing selection of menswear from Joseph Abboud to Hugo Boss and the increasingly hard-to-find Paraboot line of shoes, which can take you from the boardroom to the boardwalk. The sales staff is adept at interpreting today's dresscodes (in other words, they understand the concept of casual Fridays) and are more than willing to impart their well-honed advice. 131 Newbury St., Boston, MA .
Maria Grace Rodrigues, Salon Mario Russo
Mario Russo has, at last, given Maria Grace Rodrigues a room of her own. The manicurist now sits behind a beaded curtain on the second floor of Russo's redesigned Newbury Street salon, where a simple white workstation provides the appropriate backdrop to her calm demeanor and lighthearted banter. Best yet, her technique has been honed to perfection: Her pretty polishes last well beyond a week. 9 Newbury St., Boston, MA mariorusso.com.