As our winter worsens, the fashion industry steps it up a notch. Boots may be expensive for winter, but don't consider it a pricey accessory. It is an investment in your feet.

Classic furs don't go out of fashion. The new styles include different colors, leather insets and beads and crystals, but they still retain the tried-and-true lines that master furriers have used through the years.

The weather outside may not be frightful just yet, but stores around the capital city are already beginning to display their fall and winter coats.  So if you're seeking outerwear that will keep you feeling warm and looking cool the next few months, there's no time like the present to start perusing the retail racks.

Goodbye to the bright white refrigerators that sound like a road grader making the compressor work and that no matter what a homeowner does, they still smell like stale something and mystery plastic.

The holiday season is here. It's time for food, family and giving.

While I love good food and family, the text that follows is going to focus on giving. Giving to loved ones during the holiday season can be a rewarding experience. Putting big presents under the tree for them to ponder over is a fun and playful form of torture that most enjoy. My personal favorites, though, are the stockings.

The holiday season is here, whether we like it or not.

There is an art to jewelry design. The placement of a stone, the complicated filigree work and a delicate design turn stones and precious metal into an heirloom.

Sophisticated, elegant, chic and trendy, colored diamonds have become all the rage now that they are gracing the necks and fingers of more and more celebrities.

Thanks to the determination of one family and the dedication of some outstanding employees, Springfield manufacturer Nudo Products Inc., has grown from humble beginnings.

Plagued by dry skin, Jamie Schall searched for a soap that would leave her clean but not irritate her skin. That search eventually led her to start her own business -- Sakura Soapworks.

If you are a carnivore and a locavore - meat-eater who prefers to consume locally processed food whenever possible - you will want to make sure Turasky Meats tops your list of favorite shopping venues. The independently owned retailer and wholesaler specializes in providing local restaurants, grocers and individuals with the highest quality meat products available.