Every child will feel special with a gift of clothing or toys from this adorable boutique. Owner Cathy Medlin has stocked the shelves with whimsical and fun toys. Clothing lines include Soft as Grapes, Kitty Cats and Nice Ideas. Barefoot Child is open daily.

This shop's specialty is fully furnishing and equipping beach homes and condominiums. They do it all — furniture, bedding, carpet and accessories. Whether you're just setting up house or looking for one special accent piece, Beach Furniture Outfitters has choices for every taste and pocketbook. Free set up and delivery are offered on the island.

A longtime favorite on the beach, Bert's has a full line of name-brand sportswear and swimwear for the whole family, as well as sunglasses, T-shirts and shoes. Bert's also offers a full line of sports equipment for sale, including skateboards, skimboards, surfboards and surfing gear. It's open seven days a week.

If you are building or refurbishing your home or business, D's Interior Design can meet all of your design needs with style. Choose between hardwoods, beautiful ceramic tile, vinyl or carpet. D's Interior Design carries classic floor coverings by Mannington, Congoleum, Shaw and Mohawk. They also have a great selection of fabrics for custom window treatments and bed spreads. D's Interior Design offers traditional and resort furniture, custom blinds and plantation shutters, artwork, home accessories and gifts. Their design staff is there to help you furnish and accessorize your complete home or individual rooms. Store hours are Monday through Friday 9 AM to 5 PM and Saturday 10 AM to 4 PM.

Kids love wandering through this family-friendly beach store packed with more than 10,000 items. Games, puzzles, starfish and shells are just the beginning. Docksider's new Family Fun Center has traditional arcade games like skee-ball and bowling and a good variety of hip video games. There is a playland of tubes, tunnels and shapes for the little ones to crawl through, and if you work up an appetite, the snack bar has nachos and soft drinks. While you're playing or browsing, you can have that special shark's tooth you found on the beach wired into jewelry. Fresh saltwater taffy, signs, wind chimes, books, paint sets, postcards and T-shirts fill every inch of this store. Docksider is open daily.

East Coast Sports carries a full line of sports clothing, including Columbia, Bimini Bay and Sperry Topsiders. In addition to clothing, you can find everything you could ever want or need for inshore or offshore fishing, including a professional staff to answer all your questions. East Coast Sports is open year round.

Built in the style of a coastal fishing village and centrally located in Surf City, the Village is home to East Coast Sports and On Shore Surf Shop. The Fishing Village offers one-stop shopping for everything you need to fish or surf at the beach. You'll find cool clothes, boards, a great selection of fishing tackle and pier carts to haul it all. Marine supplies and fishing licenses are also available.

Serving the area since 1973, The Gift Basket is best known for its impressive line of tide and nautical clocks, precision weather instruments and fine jewelry. The Gift Basket also carries cute purses, gifts and tableware. There is a Christmas corner and an N.C. sports corner where you can even find tippy-cups with your favorite N.C. team logo.

Island Traders carries name-brand and catalog clothing at 40 to 70 percent below retail prices. This is a great place to stock up on casual clothes for men and women. Look for jeans, golf wear, casual and school clothing with name brands like Lands' End, J. Jill and Eddie Bauer. New shipments arrive all the time so stop by often.

The treasures in this shop include nautical prints, lamps, flags, windsocks, sunglasses, hats and beach supplies. Island Treasures also carries toys and cuddly over-sized stuffed animals for the kids and "Topsail Time" T-shirts and sweatshirts for the entire family. The shop is open daily from Easter through September, with reduced winter hours.

Grab a steamy cappuccino or a cool fruit smoothie and browse through Quarter Moon's great selection of fiction, best-sellers and nature books. Whether you're looking for a breezy beach read or for your book club's favorite, you'll find something fabulous to read here. Quarter Moon also offers greeting cards that will have you laughing out loud and an excellent selection of note cards and stationery. Quarter Moon's kids' section is filled with fun books, games and puzzles. If you are looking for a a pair of fancy flips, a beach bag and cover-up or a cute new summer outfit, check out their racks of goodies. Choosing just the right hostess gift is no problem here, as Quarter Moon also carries a nice selection of gifts and home accessories. It's open year round.

Specializing in consumer electronics, these conveniently located Radio Shacks have the parts and pieces you may have forgotten to bring on vacation. Radio Shack carries a good inventory of replacement batteries, battery packs, prepaid phone cards, flashlights and alarm clocks. They are open Monday through Saturday.

Spinnaker's is Surf City's location for surf and skate brands, such as Quiksilver, Billabong, Rip Curl, Rusty, Lost, Volcom, Hurley and O'Neill. The store also has a large selection of girls' surf-brand apparel, swimsuits and accessories. Check out their selection of designer eye wear, such as Oakley, Electric and Dragon and shoes and sandals by DC, DVS, QS/Roxy, Reef, Rainbow and Globe. Looking for surfboards to buy or rent? Spinnaker's has a large selection. It's open daily year round (but it's closed Tuesdays in the winter).

Wall-to-wall cute and filled with the irresistible, Starfish Distinctive Gifts & Treasures is a great place to shop for that perfect wedding or hostess gift. There is a nice selection of cake plates and platters, candles, soaps and spa products. Starfish also features paintings by local artists, jewelry and a children's section. The shop offers complimentary gift-wrapping, and shipping is available.

This shop carries everything vacationers need for a stay at the beach: summer dresses, cute cover-ups, bathing suits, casual wear for the whole family, games, beach toys, sunscreen, floaties and flips. If you're looking for a hostess gift or something to brighten up the beach house, check out their gifts and home accessories. And since this store is connected to the IGA grocery store, you can also stock up on snacks before heading to the beach. It's open daily in the summer season and closed Tuesdays in the winter.

A year-round favorite with residents, Surfside offers the most complete line of women's clothing on the island. The racks are always filled with bathing suits, casual wear and party attire in a wide variety of sizes and in styles for the young and not-so-young. In addition to clothing, Surfside has a great shoe selection, an assortment of jewelry, glassware and home-decorating items. It's open daily year round.

The Topsail Island Trading Company carries fine causal and resort clothing for the whole family, including a variety of Topsail Island T-shirts and sweatshirts. The Trading Company has an impressive selection of fine jewelry, precision weather instruments, and tide and nautical clocks. While browsing you may detect a delicious scent in the air — that's their famous homemade fudge you've been hearing so much about. With more than 50 flavors, it's really hard to make a choice, yet it's impossible to leave the Trading Company without a box or bag of fudge in hand. Gourmet dips and sauces, cards, gifts and cookbooks are also available. Topsail Island Trading is open daily.

For all things turtle — ottomans and footstools, jewelry, books and puzzles, garden, kitchen and bath decor, lamps, pillows and picture frames — this Sneads Ferry shop has it. The Turtle Factory also has an amazing array of fiberglass, wall-mounted replicas of dolphins, sharks and turtles.