shopping in atlanta: Source Guide: dominomag.com

shopping in atlanta

Armour & Co, Photo By Anna Wolf, May 2007

Atlanta Shops: Whether you're sweeping through on business or live in the area, you'll find a wealth of diversions in this house-proud metropolis. domino shopping sleuth Rita Konig finds the can't-miss boutiques, eats and secrets.

Anne Flaire Antiques: 996 Huff Road
(404) 352-1960 Completely divine, if a bit dusty! No wonder we felt transported to a Provençal warehouse in this huge furniture depot—Anne Flaire moved here from France 20 years ago and goes back twice a year to shop. The stash ranges from 18th-century antiques to modern pieces.

Armour & Co: 1198 N. Highland Avenue
(404) 817-3725 Jayme Leffler's new place has the feel of a younger, livelier Mecox Gardens. Coffee tables (from $565) and stools (from $205) by Bungalow 5 are sculptural and affordable, and if you've been meaning to get one of those ceramic ball lamps, they're in abundance, including Robert Abbey's peacock version ($187). You might grab a Nouvelle Vague CD for cruising around town, as you definitely need a car here.

B Braithwaite: 1198 Howell Mill Road
Suite 110
(404) 605-0963 Nancy (mother) and Chaffee (daughter) Braithwaite cater mostly to the under-18-month set. Their light-filled space is kitted out with baby-room vignettes that are redecorated seasonally (Nancy is a well-known interior designer). From Netto Collection cribs (from $499) to a Svan mini table and chairs set ($199) to Barrington Collection bunnies ($65), the stuff here is stylish and adorable.

Bennett Street: Off the 2100 block of Peachtree Street Just two blocks long, this converted warehouse district is dense with galleries, cafés and two key consortiums of antiques dealers. The more tightly packed, Interiors Market (55 Bennett St., (404) 352-0055), hosts 45 dealers, including celebrated interior designer and Market founding manager Mimi Williams' her self-described "wacky" taste veers from vintage bra molds to '60s takes on the bergère chair—and Duval Cravens, who terms his mix "Billy Baldwin meets Grey Gardens." The Stalls (116 Bennett St., (404) 352-4430) has slightly more breathing room and generally larger pieces.

Belvedere: 996-B Huff Road
(404) 352-1942 Julia-Carr Bayler helped kick-start the city's high-design wave when she opened her vintage-modern store in 1999. Along with pillows, lamps and ceramics by big names like Dransfield & Ross and Peter Lane, she offers contemporary flash in the form of R&Y Augousti's shagreen tables. We could spend all day trying on the jewelry displayed in 1940s cabinets.

City Issue: 2825 Peachtree Road NE
(404) 844-5463 Retro fans will love this shop. They specialize in mid-20th-century modern furniture, and vintage housewares, dinette sets and ceramic vases.

Limetree: 2359 Peachtree Road NE
(404) 844-5463 Southern hospitality is evident in all the dealings at this local Buckhead area shop that specializes in bridal and wish list registries.

Metropolitan Deluxe: 1034 N. Highland Avenue
(404) 892-9337 Don't carry a big bag when you shop at this stuffed-to-the-gills home decor store or you might feel like a bull in a china shop. Visit the top floor for knickknacks like refrigerator magnets and candles, or head downstairs for the latest furnishings.

Pieces: 3234-A Roswell Road
(404) 869-2476 Our first impression—with its swaths of bright greens and pinks and profusion of Chippendale chairs—was pure Palm Beach. But a more interesting vision emerges. Former decorator Lee Kleinhelter's vintage furniture ('40s through the '70s) reflects an eye for form and function.

Space: 800 Peachtree Street N.E.
(404) 228-4600 Owner Tim Hobby started out as an interior designer and still operates his business out of this store. His 10,000-square-foot showroom is a vision of modernity unlike anything else in the city, with a focus on Italian brands like Cassina, plus well-chosen vintage and accessories like Venini glass.

Sprout: 1198 Howell Mill Road
(404) 352-0864 Little fashionistas can choose from refined NYC label Makié, pop Vermont brand Zutano and French-y basics by Petit Bateau. There are also sweet children's home accessories—the supersize gray piggy bank with white polka dots for $40 is basically sculpture—and pretty miscellanea, such as felt hair clips that come in whale and bird shapes ($12). This is the spot for the total cool kid.

Stanton Home Furnishings: 1723 N. Damen
(773) 782-1570 Even by Atlanta standards, owner Jimmy Stanton is exceedingly nice, so it makes sense that he claims to run "a store for everybody." The democratic mix of new and antique pieces ranges from $4 travel candles to $1,000 19th-century botanical prints framed in zebrawood. In the market for a sofa? Stanton stocks classics from Bernhardt, Oly and Lee Industries and will hold your hand through the process.

Stefan's Vintage Clothing: 1723 N. Damen
(773) 782-1570 If you want to leave home decor land, Stefan's has an incredibly well-organized and color-coded stash of treasures from the early 1900s through the '70s.

Urban Cottage: 3211 Cains Hill Place NW
(404) 760-1334 If you're looking for rustic vintage-looking furnishings and custom reproductions, this is the store for you. Stock ranges from glass door pulls to armoires, and rotates weekly.