Whether you get yours rimmed with muscle-bound hunks or Vargas girls; trimmed in granite or wood; garnished with leaf reliefs or rhinestone studs; Near and Far has the frames that will make your snapshots pop.

Industrial designer Raymond Loewy believed that "good design keeps the user happy, the manufacturer in the black and the aesthete unoffended." We believe Design Within Reach must have embraced this same maxim when it gathered together some of the best modern home décor and started opening studio locations on both coasts. Known to many fans only by its catalog, DWR's Dallas studio, which opened in February, is the first location in flyover country. We've gone through life dreaming about the Le Corbusier chaise longue, and now we can recline on it. We've seen a million Eames knockoffs, but now we can smell and caress the real deal. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Jean Prouvé, George Nelson--if these names are sweet on your tongue, Design Within Reach will be your candy store.

The best-dressed new-millennium baby is as likely to wear a solid black, Metallica-logo-emblazoned romper one day as he is to wear a Swedish jester's cap and clogs from chichi baby direct-mail retailer Hanna Anderson. Baby style is all over the place, and we like that. The best selection and fairly decent pricing of cool baby clothes and linens is at a nearly newborn store in Lakewood. Susan O'Neill opened her Bebe Grande last year, with inspired selections of unique, artful baby clothing from 0-24 months, and by the time you read this, she'll have added more toddler togs in the 2T-3T-4T range. Simply irresistible are O'Neill's savvy instincts to buy and sell all the best French stuff--Catamini, Les Bebes de Tardis, Petit Bateau--and unique imports such as her line of hand-embroidered South African-made tiny outfits from Gordonsbury. Bebe Grande has a good selection of nursery bedding, good toys such as Lamaze and Manhattan and offers new releases of classic children's books. It's a cozy shop, overall, with baby pastel walls and décor, which you may notice on the way to the sale rack.

It's pretty much guaranteed that when you first visit "the Pig," you'll immediately make a plan to introduce the shop to someone else. The sign says "Home, Garden, Gifts, Stationery," and while all those things are there, what it really should say is, "We have a gift for most anyone." Co-owners (and sisters) Mona Kanther and Laura Robbins have stocked their store with an impressive variety. They offer bath goodies such as the Bella line; garden statues, arches, fencing embellishments and planters; a room full of very sweet baby things; our favorite Circle E candles that burn forever; and handcrafted jewelry, some of which is made by local artists. Stationery? Got it. Unusual bird feeders? Got 'em. Outlandish prices? Nope, don't got 'em. So the lowdown is basically this: Their stuff is awesome, there's something for every style and we've never seen better prices.

A pink stove? Sixties divan? Dukes of Hazzard lunch box? Vintage adult gag gifts? Watercolor painting of amputee friends? We found all of the above at Metro Retro. And you thought your grandmother had great stuff...if given the opportunity and the funds, we could furnish an entire abode with the random findings that are Metro Retro. A tip: Make several trips around the floor; you won't find that perfect item on the first time around. Another tip: Ask for help or just chat with Laura and Andrea. If you can't find that perfect Bionic Woman doll or spinning ashtray circa 1954, they'll keep an eye out and let you know. Make it a regularly scheduled destination and the shop won't let you down. When you happen upon a gem, you'll know. Let's just say we bought that painting and we're saving up for the divan.

Suits? Who wears suits? Everyone we know is in something casual, and this venerable department store has one of the widest casual selections around. The Polo and Tommy sections are huge, and the hipper Guess and Lucky Brand areas are big enough to satisfy. Even the house brand, Daniel Cremieux, with its slightly European designs and quality fabrics, is worth checking out. As for shoes, they carry those cool Cole Haan/Nike Air jobs and a bunch of European walking brands that will have you bopping out to your car on some pretty cool cakes.

We never walk out of Lula B's without something. We may find it in a booth near the doors; we may find it in the back corner with all the farmhouse-looking kitchen gadgets. It could be a 1950s aluminum pitcher with a Bakelite handle, or it could be an E.T. night-light. But it's there, and only many, many minutes of walking slowly and craning your neck into the cramped booths will find it. Sure, you could save some time on eBay or by shopping at a department store for stuff you actually need. But this is like a safari, and a safari without effort is just a zoo.

Contrary to what you might think, these critters don't fight crime, terrorize Tokyo in Godzilla movies or wreak havoc with computer networks. Instead, these large beetle larvae satisfy the cravings of pets, including large birds, small primates and reptiles such as the Texas box turtle. They also make swell fishing bait for those of us who cling to the dream of pulling a wall trophy out of White Rock Lake. Super worms are high in crude protein, and reptiles are especially attracted to their "thrashing" activity, making them as much fun to catch as they are to eat. And at World of Pets, these fat feisty little brown critters are just a buck a dozen. They'll even throw in a piece of nutritious egg crate at no extra charge. But keep a lid on this, before some flamboyant chefs start using them in their niçoise salads.

Whether you were born a woman or paid thousands of dollars to become one, Electrique Boutique has shoes in your size. Likewise, whether you need new kicks for dancing to jazz at the Samba Room or to Kid Rock tunes onstage at Baby Dolls, this store can hook you up. You'll find SMU girls trying on platform sandals with beaded straps sitting next to drag queens squishing their tootsies into thigh-high, five-inch, red patent leather boots. At Electrique Boutique, you can break a new trend or pick up some heels that would break a lesser woman's ankles. Just know that if you ask for thongs, you're not going to be handed a pair of rubber flip-flops.

This little puppy has survived the Petco invasion and is doing just fine, thank you, mostly because of the array of treats and specialty foods, combined with good service and other benefits (like top-notch dog grooming), you can find here. If you're not in East Dallas, it's a bit of a jaunt, but your widdle puppy wuppy is worf it, ain't he, ain't he now, good boy, good boy, yes you are, yes you are...