I don’t know how many of you go to vacation in Phoenix, Arizona–and granted, we’re incredibly biased–but Phoenix is one of the coolest places. Ever. The greater Phoenix area is essentially a giant shopping mall full of all the stores everyone knows.  That’s not the incredibly cool part.  The incredibly cool part is that amongst all these commercial giants, local businesses still exist and thrive.  So, if you’re making a trip to Arizona, you should make sure you check out these two shops: Smeeks & Frances.  Located on the NW corner of Central Ave. and Camelback, these shops are a shining beacon of locally owned stores.

Both shops are owned and operated by Georganne Bryant.  She has created two of the most beautiful shops Phoenix has to offer.  Smeeks is an old time candy and novelty shop. There are all sorts of knick-knacks and beautiful displays throughout the store.  Not to mention every kind of soda pop in a glass bottle that you can imagine.  Smeeks really takes into account the playfulness and joy of candy.  All the employees are sweet, clever people. We mean all. We s this having been there easily over 20 times, we have not had a mediocre experience once. It really is a magical place, even just to go visit.  It’s a true testament to locally owned and operated stores.

The other shop is Frances, and its addition: Frances Studio.  Frances is a boutique with unique jewelry, clothing, books and housewares.  One of the best parts of the store is the children’s section.  There are fun books, handmade kids toys and the children’s clothes!  But, we also love all the delicious perfumes and candles. Shopping at Frances isn’t just a place to find beautiful things, but it’s an experience in itself. Frances Studio is more focus on shoes and purses and accessory items, which is wonderful! Frances has a wide selection of TOMS shoes and other incredibly cute, unique shoes.

Make sure next time you’re in Phoenix that you check out these beautiful stores.  And send them our love!  And if you want to see what else they’ve been up to you can always check out their blog.