If your idea of great shopping is working your way up Peachtree — from the antique stores of Bennett Street to the tony boutiques of Buckhead Village — you may think Gwinnett and its malls are a shopper's wasteland.

Well, grab your bag. Like everything else in the county, the shopping scene is changing. Upscale shops can be found from Peachtree Corners to Dacula.

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Norcross' Designer Antiques, co-owned by Christian Maloney and his family, reproduces furniture for people who want the look of an antique but can't find a piece to fit their home.
VASNA WILSON/AJC STAFF (ENLARGE)
Valerie Linton, 2, tries to lead her mother, Marianella, during a recent shopping trip to Kennedy's Corner in Lawrenceville.
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At Kennedy's Corner in the Village Shoppes of Sugarloaf, 3370 Sugarloaf Parkway, having a well-dressed child takes on a whole new meaning. Regina Bell, owner of the shop, outfits her clients' children in cashmere jumpers and dupioni silk dresses. She will even special-order a mink coat for tiny tots. Available in sizes 12 months to girls' size 10, the coats are priced from $1,500 to $2,000.

"I carry a lot of European items," said Bell. "We carry a hand-knit line called Zackali-4-Kids that is very popular and very unique, and we have customers coming from Buckhead to buy those," Bell said.

Her customers include the wives of Atlanta Falcons and Hawks players and residents of the north Fulton and Gwinnett country club communities.

In Peachtree Corners, one of Bennett Street's oldest shops has opened a store in The Forum at 5145 Peachtree Parkway. Designer Antiques has been selling antiques in Buckhead since 1977, said Christian Maloney, who is co-owner with his family.

Like the original store, The Forum location features mid- to late-1800s English and Irish antiques. For customers who want the look of an antique, but require a particular size or function, Designer Antiques offers reproductions that are hand-made using old timber.

High-end variety

Even in Gwinnett's newer developments such as Hamilton Mill, upscale shopping has arrived. Nature's 5th Season, which already had a store on Sugarloaf Parkway in Lawrenceville, has opened in The Shops at Hamilton Mill at 3521 Braselton Highway. Owner Sandy Maresca says she carries the largest collection of Christopher Radko pieces in the state. Radko, whose collectible glass Christmas ornaments can cost up to $80, made a visit to the Sugarloaf store in December to sign a new ornament called Magnificent Journey, which sold for $68 each.

Maresca notices her Hamilton Mill store attracts shoppers not only from the surrounding neighborhoods but also from the Chateau Elan area and beyond.

Customers are drawn to the variety of home accessory offerings — from garden statuary for the outside to silk florals and accents for inside. The store has a floral designer who also does custom silk arrangements.

"We do a lot of gifts also," said Maresca.

A Certain Something, also in The Shops at Hamilton Mill, opened in September and features high-end furniture and accessories. One of its eye-catchers is a large mahogany breakfront by Henredon that sells for $16,500. The store also carries Italian pottery, the John-Richard collection of accessories and a line of distressed pieces made from lumber reclaimed from old European bridges.

"The bulk of our customers seem to be coming from Hamilton Mill and Chateau Elan," said Jennifer Clark, who co-owns the shop with her sister-in-law, Avra Clark. But customers have come from as far away as Tucker, she said.

One of the best selections of evening gowns in the state can be found on the outskirts of Lilburn. Cinderella's Closet, which draws formal wear shoppers from all over the South, has some 2,000 dresses in stock, the most expensive of which is $4,000. Singer Louise Mandrell and Diana DeGarmo of "American Idol" fame are among the store's high profile customers, said owner Tammy Ussery-Bakhtiari.

The shop is also the official dress sponsor for the Miss America and Miss USA pageants in Georgia.

DeGarmo still comes in often for personal-appearance wear, said Ussery-Bakhtiari. "She came in last week looking for a prom dress," the owner said a few weeks ago.

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