Goods & Services >>

• Best Auto Shop Waiting Room
  Car Repair Company
  2918 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale
  480-994-9065
  Most garage waiting rooms have all the appeal of, well, a garage waiting room. Call the decor Grease Monkey Hell: a few plastic chairs, an out-of-order pop machine, a table covered with old cam-shaft catalogues and a TV permanently tuned to Jenny Jones. At the Car Repair Company (catchy name,... More >>
• Best Bargain Shopping
  Dillard's Clearance Center
  Christown Mall
  19th Avenue and Bethany Home
  602-242-1144
  With the hundreds of discount dens, bargain barns and 99-cent stores around the Valley, it takes a lot to get a seasoned bargain hunter to raise an eyebrow. But when you combine clean, intact men's, women's and children's clothing and footwear, plus housewares, with 50 to 75 percent off retail... More >>
• Best One-Stop Shop to Get Your Pornography, Gore Video, and General Delinquency Fixes
  Underground Mall
  1526 North Scottsdale Road, Tempe
  480-947-8196
  Looking for a lock-pick gun? Trying to peep at your boss's confidential mail but don't know where to pick up the CIA Flaps and Seals Manual? Got a hankering to brew up some marijuana beer but can't find the infamous how-to book (labels included)? Underground Mall is the spot for all that and a... More >>
• Best Place to Find Your Fave 45
  Prickly Pair Records
  4630 North 12th Street
  602-285-0555
  Did you long ago give up hope of ever finding a copy of preteen belter Lena Zavaroni's 1974 novelty disc "Ma! He's Making Eyes at Me"? Sorry, we got to Prickly Pair first and beat you to it. Not only did we zone in on Zavaroni, we also carted off such hard-to-find goodies as a pre-Cher Sonny... More >>
• Best Bookstore
  Borders Books & Music
  Biltmore Fashion Park
  24th Street and Camelback, Suite 200
  602-957-6660
  (and other Valley locations)
  Where is it written that a huge national bookstore chain is inherently inferior to a cramped, poorly stocked counterpart run by aging unicorn-huggers who can quote chapter and verse on J.R.R. Tolkien? If it's in print, one of the army of friendly staffers at Borders will direct you to a... More >>
• Best Independent Bookstore
  Changing Hands Bookstore
  6428 South McClintock, Tempe
  480-730-0205
  Squeezed out of its longtime Mill Avenue digs last spring by the prospect of competition from a yet-to-be-announced national chain, this beloved independent bookstore didn't surrender. In fact, its second store is now thriving in its second location -- in a Tempe strip center just two doors from... More >>
• Best Architectural Bookstore
  Volumes
  1513 North Central
  602-252-4959
  Culture is too often measured in art institutions. Yet places like Volumes give you the real pulse of a city's art and design. To say this is our only source of Archi-Lit would be to damn it with faint praise. Everything about this store -- its selection of books, its movable fabric walls and... More >>
• Best Library to Visit When You Need to Make Copies
  Mesa Public Library
  64 East First Street, Mesa
  480-644-2702
  So it doesn't have five floors and special columns that light up during the summer solstice. We still like going to the Mesa Public Library. It's got an impressive collection of material, yet it's small enough to navigate. And it's got chess sets in the youth area, a bulletin board offering... More >>
• Best Place to Get a Cup of Coffee and a Sugar Skull
  Saints and Sinners space at the Willow House
  149 West McDowell
  602-252-0272
  Thank heaven the owners of Saints and Sinners rent a retail space at the Willow House coffee shop, allowing us to pick up devilishly fun gifts on the cheap -- and on the go. Along with traditional "Day of the Dead" sugar skulls, you can find a cast iron Catholic Nun bottle opener for a... More >>
• Best Half-Mile of Eclectic Furniture Bargains
  Another Time Around Furniture
  2817 East Bell, 602-482-2884
  J&K Furniture
  2811 East Bell, 602-992-6990
  Cupid's Furniture
  2833 East Bell, 602-867-0916
  The Furniture Registry
  2511 East Bell, 602-788-2676
  Don't you dare go write a fat check at an upscale antique boutique before spending an afternoon digging through the funky furniture shops on this stretch of Bell Road. Camouflaged in a motley section from 24th to 29th streets are four wonderlands of eclectic furniture and accessories, some of... More >>
• Best Place to Buy Good Old-Fashioned Moderne Furniture
  Vintage Modern Gallery
  1515 North Central
  602-462-5790
  For lower-end comfort, a honkin' big La-Z-Boy is hard to beat. But for higher-end visual pleasures, the furniture at this intimate showroom just down the street from the Phoenix Art Museum is about as good as modern design gets. The gallery specializes in mid-century furnishings from the... More >>
• Best Place to Buy Exotic Home Decor
  Showcase at the Peak
  7848 East Redfield, Suite 7, Scottsdale
  480-368-0088
  (and 23425 North Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale, 480-585-0005)
  So maybe money can't buy good taste, but at least you'll have a running start at acquiring some -- for a price -- at Showcase at the Peak. With two ever-expanding locations, this emporium specializes in exotic imported furniture and home accessories from far-flung places around the globe. Though... More >>
• Best Place to Bag a Brownie
  Collectible Cameras
  1305 East Northern
  602-944-0123
  1-800-956-9132
  No, we're not going to tell you where to hook up with a Girl Scout wanna-be -- or even a bakery that sells triple-fudge cookie confections. What we're talking about here are old Kodak Brownie cameras and other vintage photographic equipment lusted after by seriously insatiable shutterbugs.... More >>
• Best Place to Buy Po-Mo Furniture
  Ferraras
  4164 North Marshall Way, Scottsdale
  480-481-0405
  Drooling over that sleek 'n' slinky postmodern design look that permeates the pages of haute decorating mags like Elle Decor and Metropolitan Home? You know, the kind in those glossy spreads showing futuristic furniture that looks like it's straight out of a 1960s Euro-hip sci-fi thriller? If... More >>
• Best Soul on Icebox
  Dr. Don's Buttons
  602-992-5613
  Cryogenics? Why freeze the dear departed when Dr. Don can turn a photo of your late loved one into a commemorative fridge magnet? Yes, a fridge magnet, complete with the name of the deceased and a brief message and/or dates of time on Earth. Untraditional? Perhaps. A funeral crowd-pleaser? You... More >>
• Best Video Rentals
  Movies on Central
  4700 North Central
  602-274-0994
  With Tower Records no longer a player in the video rentals game, Movies on Central wins in a walk. And after a stroll through the store's compact-but-tasty inventory of rarely seen titles, you'll understand how this video boutique has nurtured a Valleywide clientele drawn to tapes not to be... More >>
• Best Movie Theater
  Harkins Theatres
  6950 East Superstition Springs Boulevard, Mesa
  602-222-4275
  (and selected other locations)
  Harkins theaters rock! And so do the cushy high-backed seats at their newer theaters. It's a small difference, we know, but it's a nice touch that's enough to distinguish them from their competitors. And that's no easy task, because competing theaters keep looking more and more alike -- for... More >>
• Best Down-and-Dirty Antiques Sale
  Qcumberz Truckload Sale
  4429 North Seventh Avenue
  602-277-5133
  Every couple of months, the clever kids who operate this stylish shabby-chic emporium rent a U-Haul and head for parts Midwestern. Along the way, they buy up cool old chairs, swell '60s sofas, ancient oil paintings and stacks of another man's treasures. Their return signals the latest "truckload... More >>
• Best-Kept Secret Antiques
  Vintage Interiors
  540 West McDowell
  602-256-2884
  No one needs a pair of vintage hatpin cushions or a 60-year-old pressed-glass punch bowl. But it's hard to not buy items when they're priced as low as the cool stuff at this three-year-old shop tends to be. Wedged between a couple of antique malls and the brand-new Willo Bakery, this... More >>
• Best Place to Buy a Lethal Fly Swatter
  99 Cents Discount Store
  838 East Indian School
  602-248-0301
  Best buzz kill? Fess up, we all hate the buggers, and for our money there's nothing better for terminating the two-winged terrors than the fatal fly swatters we got at the 99 Cents Discount Store. Sure, they cost more than the ones you find in supermarkets and hardware stores, but face it,... More >>
• Best Place to Score Kitchen Widgets
  Sur La Table
  Casa Paloma Shopping Center
  7131 West Ray, Suite 14, Chandler
  480-893-0660
  Anyone who's obsessed with cooking and culinary presentation will be pawing the plate-glass front window of Sur La Table to get at the extravagant display of high-tech pots, pans and steamers designed to reel in the addicted, hook, line and sinker. Stuffed into 5,000 square feet of retail space... More >>
• Best Kitchen Accouterments
  Standard Equipment Supply
  2922 East McDowell
  602-275-8550
  From scoops to nuts (the kind that go with washers), Standard is a sure bet for any object remotely connected with restaurant and bar food service. From a deep-fry basket as big as Idaho or a classic, truck-stop diner napkin dispenser, you'll find it here. And for caterer wanna-bes, there are... More >>
• Best Aerobics Workout
  Linda Rogers-Jojola
  Phoenix Suns Athletic Club
  201 East Jefferson
  602-379-7500

  Estrella Mountain Ranch
  11800 South Golf Club Drive
  602-468-0800

  Aerobics has come a long way since Olivia Newton-John bleated, "Let's get physical!" in leg warmers and a terry headband, and Linda Rogers-Jojola has helped reshape this former fitness craze. Using a combination of step aerobics, resistance training, kickboxing and Pilates, Linda helps sculpt a... More >>
• Best Place to Wax Poetic About Eyeliner
  philosophy
  510 South Mill, Tempe
  480-968-2424
  Reading the labels on philosophy cosmetic/skin care products is like browsing the self-help aisle at Barnes & Noble. Moisturizer is "hope in a jar," eye cream is "eye believe," exfoliator is "help me" or "the great awakening" -- because "sometimes your skin needs a wake-up call." Created by a... More >>
• Best Way to Get in Shape, New York Style
  Pamela LaPierre
  Certified Instruction in The Pilates Method
  602-817-4402
  If aerobics are too low-impact for you, and the mere thought of yoga-induced bliss puts you to sleep, you were born to do Pilates. This fast-growing fitness trend, pronounced "pul-LAH-teez," increases strength and flexibility while developing an athlete's awareness of one's center (abs, back... More >>
• Best Reason to Perspire Some More
  The Yoga Institute
  7620 East Indian School, Suite 115, Scottsdale
  480-946-2116
  Your mind and body are in perfect balance; you've attained a harmony you never knew existed; you're sweating like a pig, and your head is shoved between your legs. Yes, you're at the Yoga Institute, where trained instructors lead you through 27 different postures in a room heated to a balmy... More >>
• Best Place to Get Lit
  Go Kat Go
  4832 West Glendale Avenue, Glendale
  623-931-4926
  A dreary corner of our retro bachelor pad benefited from a trip to this ultracool memorabilia superstore, which we found piled high with outlandish lamps. We resisted a '70s salad-oil rain lamp, a fabulous '50s floor model, and a light-up Lucite tiki god, opting instead for a pair of... More >>
• Best Place to Buy a 20-Foot Saguaro Skeleton
  Spur Cross Gallery
  6333 East Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek
  480-595-1719
  Remember that incident back in the '80s, when some yahoo was killed when a giant cactus he'd been shooting at toppled over, crushing him to death? We do, and had the cactus survived, we would have been the first to give it a prickly high-five. What happened to that cactus, we don't know, but... More >>
• Best Place to Buy Funky, Cast-Off Clothing
  Spine
  1323 East McDowell
  602-252-4858
  A teenager dragged us here one day, hoping to shock us with the crazy fashions stocked at Spine. Now, she's mortified to find that it's one of our favorite places for funk-alicious, one-of-a-kind threads. We're not allowed to meet her friends anymore. These gently worn items are from -- or... More >>
• Best Place to Buy Shabby Chic
  Tarnished Treasures
  3060 North 16th Street
  602-277-5251
  Every few weeks, Tarnished Treasures' owners hit the road to comb estate sales and confer with junk dealers all over the country, returning to restock their collection of the highest quality, most original used furniture, hardware and knickknacks in the Valley. The beat-up look is in, and... More >>
• Best Balloon Entertainer With a Christian Twist
  Elaine 'MissElaineous' Klein
  P.O. Box 26344
  Phoenix, AZ 85068
  602-524-5552
  You've seen those folks who do balloon animals at fairs or restaurants to keep the kids happy? Elaine Klein is a novice, yet a virtuoso. Unlike most twisters whose inflated rubber repertoires are limited to air-filled poodles and squeaky sombreros, Elaine interviews kids (or adults) before... More >>
• Best Source for Sports Collectibles
  Pop Culture Classics
  5609 West Glendale Avenue, Glendale
  623-930-7884
  Pop Culture Classics doesn't specialize in sports memorabilia. It's an equal-opportunity kitsch paradise, with mint-condition pop esoterica like Doctor Who comic books, UNICEF Barbie dolls, Superman costumes, Chewbacca masks and even a KISS makeup kit that includes autographed stamps of approval... More >>
• Best Yappy Hour
  Three Dog Bakery
  Biltmore Fashion Park
  24th Street and Camelback, Suite 8
  602-522-2333
  We suppose it was inevitable. Late one afternoon last spring, we espied Ralphie the Pug, Ranger the Rottweiler, Ginger the Pomeranian and Lizzie the Golden Retriever mingling easily in a corridor at Biltmore Fashion Park. Neither the dogs nor their masters seemed to have much familiarity with... More >>
• Best Etch-in-Flesh
  Blue Dragon Tattoos
  322 West McDowell
  602-973-4093
  (and 5008 West Northern, Glendale, 623-939-8244)
  Blue Dragon and its small team of dutiful tattooists -- along with "John the Piercist" -- bestow upon their customers the most presentable cornucopia of full-color tats and unpredictable piercings found just about anywhere. Blue Dragon's artists are renowned for their abilities, sought after by... More >>
• Best Place to Look at Art While You're Getting a Pedicure
  Mood Swings
  520 South Mill, Suite 205, Tempe
  480-968-0268
  Art, schmart. We were just looking to get our toenails pruned. So imagine our surprise when we sat back for our 7 p.m. pedicure session at this full-service salon, only to be startled by the sound of live guitar music. We opened our eyes and saw a table with punch and cookies, then noticed the... More >>
• Best Place to Get a Tattoo Removed
  Mesa Tattoo Removal Program
  480-644-4172
  Sorry you did it? Tattoos go on more easily than they come off -- but they do come off. And a consortium of community groups in Mesa will help you remove them if you're willing to put up with a little pain and a few hours of community service. Started by the Mesa Gang Intervention Project, the... More >>
• Best Non-Inquisitive Barber
  Yury Yakobuv
  Manor Barber Shop
  1143 East Glendale Avenue, Phoenix
  602-212-9734
  Just because barbers spend on average three hours a year running their fingers through your hair doesn't mean they have to know how much you make or what you paid for your house. Rule of thumb, if your mother doesn't know something, why should your hair stylist? That's why the silent scissors... More >>
• Best Women's Shoe Salesperson
  Betty Di Marco
  Dillard's at Paradise Valley Mall, Tatum and Cactus
  602-953-6200
  Finally, someone who understands a woman's deep, biological need for a new pair of shoes. "A woman can spend three and a half hours upstairs [in women's clothing] and nothing's working, but they know they can come down and buy a new pair of shoes and they're happy," says Betty Di Marco, a... More >>
• Best Men's Shoe Store
  J. Stephens
  Scottsdale Fashion Square
  Scottsdale Road and Camelback, Scottsdale
  480-946-3081
  For service, inventory and professionalism, J. Stephens wins this one in a walk. Small but well-stocked, Stephens carries the usual well-heeled brands. More important, however, it offers that fading American ideal: service. We know of one fellow who went to buy a pair of new shoes and wound... More >>
• Best Tailor
  Thomas Family Cleaners and Tailors
  3136 East Thomas
  602-956-7797
  We couldn't resist a $200 Armani suit at a local clearance shop, even if it was two sizes too big. Finding a tailor willing to fix this fashion find was another matter altogether. But George Nicolopoulos, owner and proprietor of Thomas Family Cleaners and Tailors, was happy to rip apart our new... More >>
• Best Store for Subliminal Product Placement
  Albertsons
  8035 North 19th Avenue
  602-678-0895
  (and other Valley locations)
  What really makes Albertsons your store? It's the zeal in which it displays those marginal items that hang off the shelves in the middle or end of an aisle, things like big salad forks or ice cream scoopers that can't sit on a shelf. Whoever is in charge of this unique product placement... More >>