Best Local Boutique

Kelechi Anyadiegwu started her online retail shop, ZUVAA, in 2014 after finding it was often difficult to get her hands on African-inspired clothing and accessories. Fast-forward three years later, and consumer appetite for designs from the Motherland has only increased, fueling the growth of Anyadiegwu’s company — which is currently based in Atlanta — into a multimillion-dollar venture. Folks interested in snagging pattern-drenched headwraps, dresses, jackets and other gear from Zuvaa can purchase items from its website or from the series of traveling pop-up shops it mounts at locales around the U.S. (including the ATL). www.zuvaa.com. less...

Sometimes all you need is the right accessory to make an outfit pop. Sheree Swann always knew she had a knack for working with her hands, but it didn’t blossom into a full-time profession until six months ago when she quit her job to focus on her independent line of handcrafted accessories. REEFRESH BY REE features fabric-covered button earrings, bracelets, Peter Pan collars, and bowties made with tribal and Afrocentric prints. Drawn to kente cloth and African art since childhood, Swann set out to create a cool, eccentric line that would give people the freedom to express themselves and reflect their sense of cultural pride. The result: a fly, funky line of accessories easy to suit up for business or dress down after hours. An established photographer and documenter of Atlanta’s underground hip-hop scene, Swann’s patterns and designs move with their own rhythmic flow. She also has plans to expand into home décor in the future. When in need of the right accessory to make that outfit pop, consider something locally made and universally conscious. www.reefreshbyree.etsy.com. www.facebook.com/ReefreshbyRee.'' less...

Before Trinidad Jame$ became a household name for popping mollies and sweating, he was popping tags in Ginza Boutique. The Atlanta rapper worked at the five-year-old Underground Atlanta boutique for three years. It still bears the imprint of his incomparable fashion sense: allover print tees from Crooks & Castles, chunky-lettered snapbacks from Paislee Ltd., and designer backpacks from Sprayground and Herschel Supply. At Ginza, it's all bold everything. less...

From the exposed brick walls to handmade woodgrain clocks to necklaces and earrings that look like they were plucked from a branch in a dewy forest, there's something pleasantly earthy and organic about the Indie-Pendent. Rugged and relaxed, the boutique offers handmade wares by artisans from all over the country - and it offers DIY-minded shoppers the chance to get their hands dirty. Or maybe not so dirty. The Indie-Pendent hosts workshops on everything from beer brewing, canning, reupholstery, and sewing to chakra opening (ouch) and reiki massage. Prices for those classes vary, but every Saturday there's a free demo for people looking to DIT (Do It Themselves) on a dime. less...

When you're at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, whether you have an hour to kill before a flight or a several-hour layover, it's like they have you right where they want you. You want a burger and a beer? That'll be 20 bucks, thanks s'much. Gonna buy a book to read? Be prepared to pay full price for that paperback. Perhaps a less likely way to waste some time: Do some shopping. Better known as the "everything is $10 store," Bijoux Terner in the T and C terminals is a great place to lose track of time and come perilously close to missing your flight. A wonderful mix of ghetto-gold costume earrings, cute sunglasses, watches, floppy straw hats, and every color pashmina you could ever imagine, Bijoux Terner is so fun to browse and even to buy a last-minute gift for the friend you'll be crashing with during your time out of town. Now if only it sold burgers and beer. less...

Its sister store in Manhattan is such a landmark of trendiness that it’s been lauded by Time Out and lampooned on “SNL,” but JEFFREY ATLANTA is best known for bringing the season’s must-have frocks, shoes and accessories to Atlanta’s well-heeled fashion mavens. Between items by Jil Sander, Bottega Veneta, Dries Van Noten, Prada, Lanvin, Manolo Blahnik, Pierre Hardy and YSL, if you can’t manage to drop a small fortune at this Phipps Plaza mega-boutique, then you haven’t been trying. You may not be able to eat or pay rent after shopping at Jeffrey, but we guarantee you’ll be the best-dressed gal at the shelter. 3500 Peachtree Road. 404-237-9000. www.jeffreynewyork.com. less...

When Cabbagetown's YOYO BOUTIQUE AND ART SPACE opened up, we all kept wondering what was in store. Though the shop offers a small selection of vintage clothing, what we keep going back for is its assortment of cult brands from around the continent. We get regular compliments on the funky-printed Canadian OK-47 skirts and muscle shirts we've purchased there, as well as a whimsical butterfly hoodie from local label BlackBlack. Steady shipments of new merchandise keep us browsing on a regular basis to see what other items will soon become our signature pieces.
188-A Carroll St. 404-389-0912.

less...