From fun pool floats to beach totes: A summer shopping guide

Summer is made for kicking back at beaches and pools — and Long Island stores are swimming with popular and trendy items to add a splash of style, comfort and fun to your R&R time.  

Since opening their new backyard pool in April, Sloane Grober, along with her husband, Mark, and their three young kids, has gone off the deep end for playful floats. Their inflatable fleet features almost every shape under the sun — cherries, watermelons, tigers, swans, rainbows and other clever designs. “The more colorful the floats, the better, and the more the merrier,” says Sloane, 32, a retail consultant. “The kids love them. I do too.” 

Michelle Russo’s favorite new summer accessory is a canvas-fringed beach bag that holds her sunglasses, towel, visor and SPF. She’s customized the catchall she found at Hitch in Babylon with a to-the-point message, CIAO, that speaks for itself. 

“I like to shop locally,” says Russo, 29, a social media and web design pro in Massapequa. “It’s fun, it’s quirky, it’s supercute.”

Use our local shopping guide to beach- and pool-focused finds for the summer of ’22.

Spray’s the thing

If you see a 5-foot-tall kangaroo wearing red boxing gloves and spritzing water at your neighbors, don’t hop to the wrong conclusion. The friendly 'roo is a plus-sized Bigmouth inflatable sprinkler ($49.99) and makes for splashy good fun before or after a dip. Actually, you don’t even need a pool. MJ Beanz, 345 S. Oyster Bay Rd., Plainview, 516-827-7700.

Fun floats

Backyard pool parties are more popular than ever, and foodie-inspired floats resembling avocados, doughnuts, pineapples and burgers are lords of the rings. Sharks and unicorns are perennial favorites. $15.99 and up. Fun Stuff Toys, 3639 Merrick Rd., Seaford, 516-409-8697, fstoys.com.

Game on 

You’re great at multitasking. Hasbro beach blankets that double as large-as-life game boards for Twister and Connect 4 ($40 each) are too. Macy’s stores.

Get carried away

Canvas totes ($36-$46) are the perfect carryalls for the beach, dock or pool. Make it one-of-a-kind and customize with heat transfer letter patches ($2 apiece). Need an idea? CIAO sends a message. Hitch, 37 E. Main St., Babylon, 516-860-5543, hitchlongisland.com.

Frosty cool

Vibrant stripes are always in fashion when it comes to summery patterns. Softsided Scout coolers ($38-$65) in alternate shades of sky blue and puffy cloud white keep your beverages chilled in style. Jeannine’s Gifts, 6 N. Park Ave., Rockville Centre, 516-536-7467, jeanninesgifts.com.

Hot toppers

Chic ways to shade rays: A striped sunhat ($78) and a floral beach umbrella ($398). They’re both so colorful that even on hazy days they’ve got the bright stuff. Frances Valentine, 78 Main St., Sag Harbor, 631-808-3315, francesvalentine.com.

Dress the part

Make a statement when you breeze in and out of your next beach or pool party. This featherlight frock in serene greens ($74) features a cutout back designed for leaving drama in your wake. Reign, 2009 Merrick Rd., Merrick, 872 W. Beech St., Long Beach, 516-442-2485 or 516-665-9057, reignboutique.com.

Chair-y picking

Seats with a little something extra have made these store standouts: One has a protective canopy ($94.99), the other has a built-in book/smartphone cubby ($83.99). Herrick Hardware, 41 Main St., Southampton, 631-283-0026, herrickhardware.com.

Milestone marker

To mark its 60th anniversary, a Long Island haven for folks out to chase and watch a wave is launching a unisex T-shirt ($29.99) commemorating the diamond jubilee. Bunger Surf Shop, 50 E. Main St., Babylon, 800-698-7873, bungersurf.com.