Shopping in Cleveland

Shopping in Cleveland's trendy Tremont neighborhood, near downtown.

Pouring rain couldn't even stop me from partaking in a little Cleveland retail therapy when I visited in April. Most of my shopping in Cleveland adventures centered on Tremont, an old immigrant neighborhood near downtown that's going through a hipster revamp of sorts.

Tremont is where you'll find Michael Symon's Lolita restaurant and the house from A Christmas Story. Interestingly, what you won't find is a lot of driveways or parking spaces. That's because the German, Polish and Slovak families who inhabited Tremont in the early 1900s couldn't afford cars. Instead, they lived a simple lifestyle - walk to work, walk home, walk to church, walk home - which means Tremont today is a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood with little car traffic.

Cute cuffs at Evie Lou.

Evie Lou: For years, Kim Crow covered Cleveland's fashion trends as the style editor at The Plain Dealer. Now she's the owner of Evie Lou, a cozy-chic shop with contemporary styles from size 2 to 22. One of my favorite lines at Evie Lou is Porto, travel-friendly clothing with sleek architectural details. You'll also find Alexis Bittar jewelry made from hand-carved lucite, Illia jackets and tops, and Ronen Chen's signature soft textiles and flowing shapes.

Evie Lou boutique.

A selection of Evie Lou's goods: clothes, jewelry and scarves.

Banyan Tree in Tremont.

Banyan Tree: A short walk from Evie Lou is Banyan Tree, a light and airy boutique with a focus on trendy but wearable fashion. Don't miss the local Cleveland Chic and Figwood brands, the latter of which is a fair trade collection created by Banyan Tree's owner, Christie. The shop also carries sweet children's toys and clothing as well as playful home decor pieces. Oh, and I couldn't tear myself away from Banyan Tree's jewelry options - I went home with two pairs of earrings!