In a city as small as Sarasota, word gets around. Or does it? In truth, some of the most delightful shopping experiences in town are hidden behind closed doors or off the beaten trail. To unearth these off-the-radar sources, we probed shop owners, eavesdropped at fundraisers and networked everywhere. What we discovered is a treasure trove of luxury goods and services that rivals those in the world’s most exclusive haunts.

Like most of us, Sarasota’s purveyors of luxury relocated here to enjoy the fabled lifestyle. They just happen to be connoisseurs with world-class expertise and sophistication. If you’re worried that Sarasota can’t sustain talent of this magnitude, don’t be. Nearly every one of our sources does business nationally; some have been ferreted out by clients around the globe. Buckle up for a flight of fantasy: this is armchair shopping par excellence.

THAYER JEWELERS

Is it a vault? A showroom? A gallery? The answer is all three. Thayer Jewelers is an intoxicating find—once you get past the intimidation of the venue. To enter the store, you must pass through Sarasota Vault Depository’s maximum security system. After the guards buzz you in, you are escorted to an ever-so-polite reception area. Notice the door to Thayer’s interior showroom: It’s a heavy-metal throwback to the building’s former incarnation as a bank. This is no ordinary back room. You are shopping in an expansive, elegantly appointed safe.

The by-appointment showroom is manned by Jennie Whidden, an art history major. Her expertise is an asset: Owner Jeremy Thayer recently added 19th- and 20th-century European and American paintings to his jewelry offerings. Whidden also knows the pedigree of each gemstone and the provenance of every antique suite of jewels in stock. “We are definitely a destination store; customers come all the way from Miami,” she says. “And because of the security here, we are able to display rare jewelry most retail stores’ insurers would not let them carry.”

While most of the selection is classic, heirloom-quality estate jewelry, you can also see luxurious new designs created by Thayer and other local artists. Interspersed among the vast array of aspirational pieces are many that are surprisingly affordable. Though Thayer’s is primarily a trade source for high-end dealers across the county, it welcomes the public. Ask to see Eva Gabor’s set of three gemstone- and diamond-encrusted bangle bracelets ($75,000). Thayer Jewelers, 640 S. Washington Blvd., Suite 175, Sarasota (941) 955-8820. www.jthayer.net.

DKVOGUE

Even Donald Trump would be trumped by the fantasy shopping experience conjured by dkVogue. This emporium of Danish design entices out-of-town consumers with an offer to reimburse travel expenses at a five to-one spending ratio. “If a consumer spends $5,000, we’ll pay $1,000 toward airfare and hotels; if they spend $10,000 we reimburse $2,000,” says CEO and founder Kim Thybro Nielsen. But money isn’t the only motivator for the trek to Gulf coast shores.

Mid-century modern design buffs (including townies) can peruse a comprehensive selection of iconic and new Danish furniture that rivals any in the world—in both retail and residential settings.

The ultimate back room experience is a visit to Nielsen’s home, a 6,000-plus-square-foot estate on Siesta Key’s Sandy Hook Road along with a historic guest house, the Carousel House, designed by Sarasota School of Architecture architect Tollyn Twitchell. Nielsen has outfitted the homes with dkVogue furniture and accessories to present Danish design in inspirational settings. “We give customers a sales tour of the stores, the homes and our new office; it’s a full day of Danish design, with a complete explanation of the history behind the pieces,” says Nielsen. Together these venues are dkVogue’s collective “museum” of original and reproduced works by renowned Danish designers. Clients are picked up at the airport for their escorted private tour. DkVogue, 1549 State St., Sarasota (941) 955-2600; 1830 S. Osprey Ave., Sarasota (941) 952-9351. www.dkvogue.com.

LAS ANTIGUAS, INC.

Hidden behind closed doors every day but Saturday waits a significant collection of 18th-, 19th- and 20th-century treasures amassed by antiques-dealers-cum-restaurateurs Al and Monika Tomlinson. The gallery, called Las Antiguas, is appended to the pair’s wildly successful Rustic Grill restaurant in downtown Sarasota, and both entities are nestled within what was once the bustling Florida Citrus Exchange.

Monika Tomlinson explains that the entire complex served as a warehouse for the couple’s antiques business before they converted most of it into their elegant eatery. She walks me past the busy Rustic Grill kitchen to a room brimming with thousands of 18th- and 19th-century paintings. The couple supplies art and antiques to dealers, architects and elite designers across the country, and they’ve developed an uncanny system for cataloging and pulling paintings to meet specific requests.