[Check It Out] 
Material world
The South End's newest clothier, Armoire, is eager to jump into your pants ... if not your closet.
[Check It Out] 
Local booty of global beauty
In all honesty, I probably wouldn't have known this boutique exists if I didn't walk by it constantly on my way to and from home. In a location previously occupied by a Dahn Yoga studio, it lies along a roadway characterized by restaurants, spas (both kinds) and a smattering of retailers, but it's by no means a commercial bustle. Suneri's frequently updated window displays, featuring breezy summer ensembles and double-take-inducing accessories, piqued my interest ever since their opening in May.
[Check It Out] 
Global Protection keeps you covered
On the sixth floor of a duct-exposed building located in Marine Industrial Park, I'm up to my ears in condoms. A copious assortment from ONE beckons for curious inspection, in signature circular packaging sporting colorful designs and cheekier captions—a bold rooster entitled "one for the early riser" or a rustic wood-cut illustration of a man and his beaver as "one for old times."
[Check It Out] 
Drawing mass appeal at Hub Comics
Unless you're of a particular ilk, comic book stores can seem intimidating, with unfamiliar formats, rabid "collectors" and inpenetratable voids of hyper-niche knowledge. However, Union Square's Hub Comics has been bucking the insular stereotype since January 2008 as an airy, independent, welcoming perch.
[Check It Out] 
Futzing with ice cream makes us melt
In the beginning there was cream, and then there was ice and, lo and behold, the ice cream was born. Diabolically versatile, its consumption in myriad forms boggle the mind and tantalize the tummy:
[Check It Out] 
Freewheelin' with the Dutch Bicycle Company
Spend any time with Dan Sorger and Maria Salve, the visionary husband-and-wife team behind the Dutch Bicycle company, and you can't help but feel a compulsion to hop on a bike and roll.
[Check It Out] 
The sweet beerafter
On the left wall of the recently opened Publick House Provisions specialty shop stands the wet dream of all those who have ever smuggled a pint glass from a bar under their jackets:
[Check It Out] 
Chewing the fat with Kevin Healy
I was introduced to Kevin Healy as one who loves freshly ground beef to the extent that he'll eat it raw, straight from grinder to mouth. "I don't know if I can legally recommend that, but it's the freshest taste you can ever get." O RLY? "The texture's great, smells fresh." He continues, "It tastes like you didn't cook all the flavor out of it." A little laugh follows that bit.
[Check It Out] 
Old, but never tired
Here's betting you don't have one decent safari-style leisure jacket in your closet. Luckily, the Boston Antiques Weekend has arrived just in time with enough historical ephemera and vintage clothing for everybody. Score some super rare glass or pottery art, or spice up your apartment with American period furniture. If you aren't a seasoned antique buyer, you can attend one of the various seminars dealing with all the ins and outs of the trade, from spotting a fake to restoring damaged cabinets. (Always useful.)
[Check It Out] 
Aroa Fine Chocolate arrives
"I have 6,000 pounds of chocolate in my office right now," confesses Alejandro Luna. Luckily, the profusion of fair trade El Rey Venezuelan single-bean origin chocolate is in good hands. I'm chatting with Luna, one of Boston's foremost dessert authorities, over the counter of his comfortable, yet ambitious, on-the-cusp-of-opening chocolaterie Aroa. Last seen as the Langham's executive pastry chef and genius behind the hotel's infamous Chocolate Bar (and to imagine it all started with baking cakes with his grandmother in Venezuela), Luna is ready to unleash his concept—an extensive wholesale business in addition to a European-style café serving petit gateaux, petits fours and plenty of chocolate—upon the streets.
