Key West : Lucky Magazine

Bésame Mucho

Located down a tiny, palm-tree-shaded street that seems more accessible by moped than by car, Bésame Mucho's tucked-away appeal is reason enough to visit. (Trust us: You'll want an escape from nearby tourist drag Duval Street.) Once you browse Bésame's amazing array of offerings—handcarved cinnabar bangles, painted chiffon Chinese lanterns ($26), Diptyque candles, and scented cologne waters by Italian line Santa Maria Novella—you'll be doubly glad you made the detour.
315 Petronia St., 866-237-2631, besamemucho.net for more information

Products: Jewelry, Beauty, Tabletop, Gifts/Design
Type of Store: Boutique

Key West Aloe

More than 30 years old, this locally owned shop started out selling aloe vera gel to sunburned shoppers. Today, the store still does a swift business in its namesake product, but has expanded its offerings to include sunblocks, tropically scented lotions, face cleansers, shower gels, and perfumes (the lightly fragranced Key Lime Body Mist, $7.95, is a customer favorite).
Main store: 431 Front St., 800-445-2563; outlet store: 540 Greene St., same phone number, keywestaloe.com for more information

Products: Beauty
Type of Store: Boutique

Kino Sandals

We couldn't believe our eyes when we walked into this rustic sandal factory, located in the oldest quarter of Key West, and saw the incredible array of leather-and-rope flip-flops, toe-strap slide-ons, and other hippie styles—all for between $8 and $11 a pair. In our minds, Kino is an essential stop in Florida. We urge you: Bring as many pairs home as possible, because you can't buy them anywhere else.
107 Fitzpatrick St., 305-294-5044, kinosandalfactory.com for more information

Products: Shoes
Type of Store: Boutique

Shell Warehouse

Though the difficulty of finding shells in a Key West store is about as challenging as locating a Slurpee in a 7-Eleven, most of what's available is banal at best. Don't let that stop you from visiting the Shell Warehouse. There are so many unexpected surprises here—gorgeous polished, pearlized African turbo shells ($10), taxidermied blowfish ($4), gigantic dyed red starfish ($5), and back-scratchers made from real alligator feet ($3)—that the place makes shopping feel like some fantastic treasure hunt (you never know what you'll find next).
1 Whitehead St. in Mallory Square, 305-294-51

Products: Gifts/Design
Type of Store: Boutique