Photograph courtesy of Gucci
Best new luxury store: Gucci
The Italian luxury brand revamped its Phipps Plaza store this fall to reflect the travel-themed vision of its creative director, Alessandro Michele. That vision includes more than 4,500 square feet of velvet armchairs, leather trunks, and colorful fabrics in reds, pinks, and blues—as well as its wide-ranging collection of men’s and women’s ready-to-wear, shoes, leather goods, and jewelry. gucci.com
Best athleisure makeover: Deka Society
After shuttering its Shops Around Lenox location three years ago, Deka Society rebranded and returned to Buckhead this summer with the usual athletic staples—sports bras, tanks, and leggings—as well as expanded athleisure offerings, including cashmere sweaters from Chinti and Parker and furry slippers from Roam. dekasociety.com
Photograph by Raymond McCrea Jones
Best trend-picker: Mandy Kellogg Rye
Social media guru Mandy Kellogg Rye scoops up consistently fashion-forward finds for Waiting on Martha, her six-year-old ecommerce site, and her newer Vinings boutique. Whether it’s portable cocktail kits, resin napkin rings, or pillows and paintings by artists in residence, Rye’s shop, Waiting on Martha HOME, always feels of-the-moment. waitingonmarthahome.com
Best new retail store: Ballard Designs
Last summer, the locally based online retailer moved its flagship store to a 20,000-square-foot space at the new Works at Chattahoochee, which allows for much more furniture on display. Hardware, fabrics, and wallpaper mingle with outdoor, plum designer collabs, and seasonal decor. ballarddesigns.com
Best goodies to go: The Front Porch Market
Three years after opening her home-and-gift emporium, the Front Porch of Vinings, next to Old Vinings Inn, owner Lisa Rieves has expanded into the little house behind it. The new general store–like space is stocked with colorful stationery, Barr Co. beauty products, small works by local artists, and edible Southern staples such as cheese straws, biscuits, pies, and pickles. Locally prepared foods can be picked up inside or, if after hours, from old-school lockers out back. thefrontporchmarket.com
Best window shopping: Peoples
Curation is key at this Buckhead boutique, where clothes hang pristinely like artworks on a handful of racks in a spare and minimalistic space. Those with the budget to snap up the tops, dresses, and other pieces from high-end labels such as Chloe and Stella McCartney will surely enjoy Peoples, but the store’s modern design and impressive roster of brands make it plenty enjoyable for window shoppers, too. 404-816-7292
Photograph by Cori Carter
Best botanical inspiration: Pollen
For 15 years, husband-and-wife Chris Condon and Bonnie Garrison have created eccentric, original arrangements, often with rustic touches and exotic blooms, for Atlanta’s most fashionable floraphiles. But a recent reno has allowed them to add more home decor like ’70s-inspired jute floor mats and hand-thrown vessels by Barb Williams. pollenatlanta.com
Photograph courtesy of Draper James
Best celebrity fashion label: Draper James
Fashion lines have become the expansion du jour for celebrities, but Tennessee-raised Reese Witherspoon’s Draper James actually feels like a natural fit in the style capital of the South. At her Buckhead Atlanta location, shoppers will find blouses and dresses in floral, geometric, and animal prints and gem-tone shades. There’s also an expansive collection of home decor, goods, and accessories emblazoned with Southern slang like “Howdy.” draperjames.com
Best finds for francophiles: Huff Harrington Home
Meg Harrington and Ann Huff’s eponymous home store remains a go-to for French-sourced decor. In fact, Huff has a pied-a-terre in Paris, and the co-owners offer guided buying trips to France. Mixed in with Continental antiques, find stylish pillows from Ivy & Vine, unique jewelry, of-the-moment coffee-table tomes, and an exclusive line of bedsheets (complete with embroidered Eiffel Towers). huffharrington.com
Photograph by Caroline C. Kilgore
Best gift shop: The Merchant at Lenox Square
Even without an occasion, it’s fun to hunt for gifts at the Lenox Square location of owner Daniel Collier’s the Merchant, which also has a Krog Street outpost. A bonus at the mall is Collier’s new coffee shop downstairs. Sip a Stumptown espresso while browsing a well-curated selection of the shop’s stationery, art prints, and cheeky gifts. shopthemerchant.com
Best modern heirloom furniture: Holland MacRae
Having moved a few doors down from its former ADAC digs, Holland MacRae continues to offer exquisite wood furniture, benchmade in England by generational craftsmen. A coffee bar and courtyard make the stately showroom a convivial place for folks to gather while perusing a larger-than-ever selection of Lee upholstery (like architect Bobby McAlpine’s signature pieces for the brand) and rooms dedicated to designers’ signature furniture collections, including those by Atlanta’s own Barbara Westbrook and Robert Brown. hollandmacrae.com
Best locally made accessories: Two Twisted Sistahs
Founded by two sisters (one based in Atlanta, the other in Virginia), this local accessories brand offers handmade leather pouches, jewelry, and hair pieces that stand out for their bold, colorful patterns, including hot pink python headbands and tangerine, crocheted, leather hoop earrings. twotwistedsistahs.com
Best midcentury finds: Highland Row Antiques
Resourceful weekend pickers with the inside scoop have known for years to hit the monthly markets at Highland Row. This first-Saturday event is not a sale, as many assume, but an opportunity for several of owner Angela Carbon Baker’s vendors to roll out their latest finds from midcentury-modern masters like Herman Miller, Jens Risom, and Knoll. highlandrowantiques.com
Photograph courtesy of Serena & Lily
Best coastal style: Serena & Lily
Last year, Serena & Lily’s arrival in Atlanta was like a breath of fresh air. Capturing the Sausalito-based company’s beachy, breezy aesthetic, the Westside Provisions boutique is filled with the brand’s signature cafe chairs, slipcovered upholstery, shell-inlaid lamps, block prints, palm motifs, and all the rattan we could ever want. serenaandlily.com
Best new independent boutique: Megan Huntz
This fall, local designer Megan Huntz opened her flagship brick-and-mortar store near the corner of North and North Highland avenues. With white walls and elegant, thin racks suspended from the ceiling, the boutique has the same sophisticated minimalism as her clothing: raw silk and linen dresses, blouses, and pants in neutrals and bright colors. meganhuntz.com
Photograph courtesy of Made Goods
Best new showroom: Made Goods
Los Angeles–based Made Goods already had a wholesale showroom at AmericasMart downtown, but its new ADAC outpost, which debuted in April, marks the brand’s largest, clocking in at nearly 6,000 square feet. All the better to showcase recent arrivals like the midcentury-inspired Adali credenza and the Regina coffee table made of speckled black and white terrazzo. Don’t miss the mix-and-match dinnerware from Blue Pheasant and high-end bath accessories from Pigeon & Poodle. madegoods.com
Best children’s clothing: Mitylene
This shop is filled with eclectic and colorful solutions for parents in search of pieces with the same attention to design normally afforded to adults—but in sizes small enough for babies and kids. From rainbow tees by Aviator Nation, a 1970s-inspired California brand, to the Scandinavian-inspired floral tops by Christina Rohde, Mitylene offers plenty for fashion-forward youth. shopmitylene.com
Best new tabletop: Coton Colors
Laura Johnson is the founding artist and CEO of Tallahassee-based Coton Colors, a home decor line known best for its “Happy Everything” platters, with interchangeable attachments to mark specific occasions. Her niece Taylor Gwynn opened the Atlanta flagship a year ago. The Buckhead boutique is brimming with entertaining-friendly collections of plates, pitchers, and platters in eye-catching colors and patterns that can be easily mixed, matched, and monogrammed. Minimalists will appreciate the elegant all-white collection. coton-colors.com
Best men’s shirts: Peter Millar
The brand’s first standalone location in Georgia, this Avalon outpost carries dress shirts, cashmere sweaters, pants, sports coats, and more in a broad range of colors (e.g. “radish pink”) uncommon for menswear. The pieces are inspired by European design with a focus on fit and tailoring. petermillar.com
Best DIY studio: Topstitch Studio and Lounge
After six years of frequenting fabric stores while living in London, Leigh Metcalf longed to fill a void she found when she moved back home. Her Ponce City Market–based workshop emulates her favorites from across the pond, stocking Liberty prints, indigo ikats, and other creative fabrics. Plus, find legitimately cool dress patterns, embroidery kits, colorful scissors, and unusual notions. topstitchatl.com
Photograph by Caroline C. Kilgore
Best store expansion: Coco + Mischa
Launched in 2015 as a pop-up in Decatur, Coco + Mischa moved earlier this year into Ponce City Market, where shoppers can find an expanded collection of colorful and patterned vintage fashion, handmade jewelry, and other accessories—all curated with a slow fashion focus. cocoandmischa.com
Best expansion: Verde Home
Long revered for its selection of high-quality and custom rugs, upholstery, and the most attractive recliners we’ve ever laid eyes on, Verde Home expanded into Steve McKenzie’s former space in May, painted it a moody gray (it’s the only non–paint store in town to carry Farrow & Ball), and welcomed new lines like Selamat, Copeland Furniture, and Avasa hand-embroidered bedding. verdehomeinc.com
Best 360 style: Brick + Mortar
For one-of-a-kind pieces, there’s no better shop than Westside Provision District’s Brick + Mortar. Founder David Kowalski regularly peruses estate sales to find the antique leather chairs, vintage Georgia maps, and found objects that line his store. Also of note: Brick + Mortar’s eponymous candle collection, in scents like campfire and citrus, are handmade in Atlanta. thisisbrickandmortar.com
Photograph by Cori Carter
Best kicks: Walter’s Clothing
Don’t let the store name fool you: While Walter’s Clothing does indeed offer clothing for men and women, the shop’s sneaker collection is the standout here, from classic styles like the FILA “OG” 96 to new releases from Nike, Reebok, and more. Founder Walter Strauss, who escaped Nazi Germany before opening his business, died in July, but his downtown store remains an Atlanta institution. waltersclothing.com
Best invite-only shopping experience: Shoppe Native
What began as a casual event hosted by two Grant Park women (Alison Fandel and Alyssa Cassatto) to show off unique, local wares has turned into a must-get-an-invite house party that puts your mom’s Tupperware shindigs to shame. The stylish set features favorite Atlanta artisans like Connie N’ Jack (jewelry), Charlotte Smith (ceramics), and the Victorian Atlanta (plants), with drinks and snacks at a chic pop-up shop. Invitation only, but follow @connienjack or @alifandel for intel.
Best site to browse with a bourbon: Dixon Rye Online
This new Southern-rustic online shop captures the same handsome, hospitable vibe we love about Bradley Odom’s West Midtown brick and mortar. Live since September, the ecommerce site is the place for expertly curated wares like Brancusi-esque tabletop sculpture, vintage kilims, solid hardwood chests, handmade Moroccan pottery, saddle-stitched leather sling chairs, John Derian decoupage, original art, and luxurious Astier de Villatte candles. dixonrye.com
Best art with a heart: Atlanta Artist Collective
This online collective carries works by popular local artists like Carrie Penley, Winston Wiant, and Lisa Gleim, with many created around a group-chosen monthly theme and all accessibly priced between $70 and $2,700. This year, owner Laine Kilburn also opened a small gallery in Gregg Irby Gallery’s former spot behind Sardis Methodist Church. As always, five percent of sales are donated to area nonprofits. atlanta.artistcollectives.org
Best way to make your artwork shine: Myott Studio + Artifacts
When Myott Studio acquired Artifacts a few years ago, the pair of masterful custom framers became the dream team for Atlanta artists, gallerists, collectors, designers, and everyday folk with good taste. Their client roster ranges from the High Museum and Mason Fine Art to Elton John and Tyler Perry Studios, but walk-ins are welcome and prices are surprisingly reasonable. myottstudio.com
Photograph courtesy of River Mint Finery
Best women’s contemporary collection: River Mint Finery
Cindy Joffe originally cofounded this Peachtree Battle shop to sell accessories like Avindy, the jewelry line she started with her mother nearly 20 years ago. The shop has quietly ramped up its women’s clothing offerings over the last year to boast one of the best collections in the city. Look for KES little black dresses, jumpsuits from 7115 by Szeki, and Coclico boots, among other pieces from hard-to-find designers. rivermintfinery.com
Greatest hits
Best cocktail attire
Tootsies
Best vintage and resale
Labels
Best women’s shoes
Sabot
Best athleisure
Alternative
Best retail fabric
Lewis & Sheron Textiles
Best his and hers
Sid and Ann Mashburn
Best euro chic
Switch Modern
Best baby apparel
Baby Braithwaite
Best men’s fashion on a budget
SuitSupply
Best jewelry
Young Blood
Best made in the U.S.A.
Room & Board
Best midcentury vintage
City Issue
Best outdoor furniture
Kolo Collection
Best glam decor
Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams
Best local furniture store
Mathews Furniture + Design
Best classic furnishings
Bungalow Classic
Best specialty plants
GardenHood
Best home accessories
B.D. Jeffries
Check out our other Best of Atlanta 2018 winners:
Food & Drink
Beauty & Fitness
Arts & Culture
City Life
