BOUGHT & SOLD >>

• BEST 'DALE
  You can have your stinking Ridgedale, Rosedale, Brookdale, and all those other shopping palaces that so arbitrarily affix "dale" to their names. The Unidale Mall comes by its moniker honestly: It sits at the corner of St. Paul's University and Dale Avenues. At some 70,000 square feet, Unidale... More >>
• BEST ARCHITECTURAL SALVAGE
  Their business card reads "Architectural Elements and Other Cool Stuff," and that's just what you get--everything from claw-foot tubs and old lamps to antique music stands and candlesticks. They've got doors, and they've got doorknobs. Stained-glass windows. Furniture. Pianos, even. All in a... More >>
• BEST ART SUPPLIES
  Some might be drawn to bargain-basement deals at chain stores, but let's face it, these are the same people who buy all their shoes at Foot Locker. For the rest of us, there's Wet Paint. Why spend the slight amount of extra money and brave the no-elbow-room narrow aisles of this... More >>
• BEST BABY GOODS STORE
  Tucked away in an odd loft way in back, the baby goods department of this discount store has a lot of the same stuff as those upscale boutiques, but at a fraction of the cost. Nursery furniture, strollers, highchairs, gliders, bath seats--egads, the list is endless. Everything's first-quality,... More >>
• BEST BARBER SHOP
  Is it less than manly to spend more than $15 on a haircut? The answer to that question is a qualified yes. For while it is indeed inappropriate for folks with a Y chromosome to drop a double sawbuck for a haircut and not get change, men who go to only one barber get their hair cut all the time.... More >>
• BEST BED & BREAKFAST
  Regardless of whether B&Bs represent the middle-class rendition of hourly motels, they're an institution in this state, and especially in sleepy Lanesboro, where no fewer than ten quaint inns compete for the attentions of romance-seeking travelers. Of those ten, none is more genuinely comfy... More >>
• BEST BIKE SHOP
  Sure, you could scour the classifieds, glide from garage sale to estate sale, or wait for the snow to fall and the prices to drop at the nearest chain. But if you're seriously looking for a new ride, take a spin over to Freewheel. The laid-back, worker-owned store on Minneapolis's West Bank has... More >>
• BEST BOOKSTORE (NEW)
  Gawd, how we hate that name. But as any Gertrude Stein aficionado knows, a rose is a rose is a rose. So forgive proprietor David Unowsky the shameless commercial move of selling the moniker Hungry Mind into the bondage of e-commerce, and be grateful this place continues to exist. As we all... More >>
• BEST BOOKSTORE (USED)
  A used bookstore's charm is directly correlative to the amount of time you can dissipate in finding the book you've entered with the intent of purchasing. We've whittled away more hours than we care to calculate among the stacks of this perennial Twin Cities favorite. Still, we've noticed that... More >>
• BEST BUMPER STICKERS
  Perversely, as undemonstrative as we Twin Citians are, there's something about this place that breeds the impulse to express our politically correct selves on our automobiles. When you see a vehicle belonging to such a bumper-sticker aficionado, you can be pretty sure he or she stocked up at... More >>
• BEST CAR WASH
  This is decidedly not the place for the person who thinks of his car as an extension of himself. You know, the guy who spends all day Sunday polishing each piece of plastic with a special plastic-detailing rag. The rest of us go to Jiffy and get on with our lives. For $11, the good folks at... More >>
• BEST CD STORE (CLASSICAL)
  As more and more music buyers are turning to the Internet to save money or track down obscure titles, it seems that the selection in most retail outlets is getting thinner, especially when it comes to genres outside the Top 40. You might not that think that a store in Uptown--the Twin Cities'... More >>
• BEST CD STORE (NEW)
  The reputation of this local retail landmark (and multiple Best-of winner) precedes it. Yes, staffers at the Fetus still know everything--or, at the very least, a hell of a lot more than you know--about records. (And if they don't, they'll fess up.) Yes, the shop still stocks a blindingly... More >>
• BEST CD STORE (USED)
  This, the newest jewel in the Cheapo crown, gets the nod over the other branches by virtue of its varied catalog. Which, of course, comes courtesy of its proximity to an enormous college campus. Oh, to be young again, to have the energy for romance, hard partying, and cutting class to buy CDs... More >>
• BEST CHILDREN'S BOOKSTORE
  How much fun can a child possibly have in a bookstore? We guarantee that a visit to this Linden Hills shop will result in a joyful noise. Kids enter Alice-in-Wonderland style through a child-size purple door, behind which awaits a wacky menagerie--including a dovecote, caged songbirds, napping... More >>
• BEST COOKING CLASSES
  The salespeople at Kitchen Window were so excited last winter when this cooking school opened one floor up from the retail store that they would occasionally give customers impromptu tours of the facility. The airy, state-of-the-art 1,200-square-foot classroom is stunning indeed, decorated in... More >>
• BEST ELECTRONICS (AUDIOPHILE)
  Having topped our high-end knob-twiddling category for six years straight, this longtime audiophile fave (est. 1951) continues to distinguish itself through its smart and friendly salespeople and its highly discerning manner of maintaining an upscale inventory. Brands of choice include Pass... More >>
• BEST ELECTRONICS (PROLETARIAN)
  The overripe neon interior of this warehouse warhorse bespeaks base consumerism at its most vulgar. Best Buy wants to corner the market on everything: not just TVs and VCRs and computers and phones and CDs and DVDs, but furniture, fridges, vacuum cleaners, and, um, books. All the better if you... More >>
• BEST EYEGLASSES SHOP
  They'll never let you out of this nondescript downtown Minneapolis emporium wearing an ill-fitting or unbecoming pair of shades. The staff simply won't permit it. Located on Ninth Street since 1991 and owned by optometrist-in-residence Dr. Robert Toomey, Downtown Eyes carries all the hot brands... More >>
• BEST FABRIC STORE
  "They have the best buttons." In cloth-loving circles, its like a mantra. To some, this may seem like no big deal. But no one wants to take the time to make something by hand only to spoil it by attaching any old buttons. Still, Dell's not merely about buttons. Whether you're planning to sew... More >>
• BEST FLEA MARKET
  Beginning the first Sunday in May, the Medina's parking lot is jammed with treasure hunters, junk dealers, and regular folks who just like to rifle through other people's stuff. There's a little bit of everything here: antique furniture, vintage bicycles, handmade birdhouses, all kinds of toys,... More >>
• BEST FLORIST
  Few shops, florists' or otherwise, are as instantly enticing as this one. First you glimpse the little storefront just south of Excelsior Boulevard, decorated with aluminum pails filled with lanky pussy willow stems. Then you walk inside and are immediately embraced by a rushing floral scent,... More >>
• BEST GARDEN CENTER
  Frilly coleus. Freaky lilies. Heavy-duty hoses. Tons of mulch, manure, and meals. Bamboo plant stakes. Papyrus. Sundials. Cedar trellises. Herbs (santolina, curry, basil, lavender, thyme) up the wazoo. Ferns. Purple waterproof gloves. Pond liners. Fountain pumps. Northern Lights azaleas. A... More >>
• BEST HARDWARE STORE
  These days hardware stores come in two shapes. On one side are the home-improvement superstores where you can buy pretty much anything you need, assuming you're able to find it. Every foray into one of these is an adventure in the retail wilderness; you might wander in on Tuesday looking for a... More >>
• BEST HEAD SHOP
  Head shops don't want to be called head shops anymore. "Smoke shop" is the term currently preferred--at least according to the fellow working the counter at the venerable south Minneapolis head shop Know-Name Records. A warning sign posted near the dizzying array of paraphernalia says it all:... More >>
• BEST HOBBY SHOP
  The Hub Hobby Center in Little Canada is a little more well-rounded: There are kites and crystal radio sets to entertain spouses and children who don't know HO scale from a hole in the ground, and nice carpeting. But if you want to look through more models than a hundred people can build in a... More >>
• BEST HOTEL
  The most crucial test of a hotel comes the moment you walk through the front entrance. In the space of that instant, a discerning guest will be able to tell whether this is a place that is going to take care of him. The Hyatt Whitney passes this test with ease. Attentive bell captains hold open... More >>
• BEST JUNKYARD
  Looking for seat belts to replace the bungee cords that hold the doors closed on your beloved '84 Corolla? Get thee to John's. This place has been around for more than 50 years. And we ain't talking about one of those old-geezer-and-a-couple-of-mangy-dogs operations. Six thousand scrapped cars... More >>
• BEST KENNEL
  At $23.95 a day (meals included) it's not cheap, but then, like Silver Dog says, "If your pets are your kids, we're the place to go." With a staff of almost 30 overseeing 140 beds, each dog is guaranteed plenty of individual attention. Small pooches stay in carpeted penthouses, while a St.... More >>
• BEST KITCHEN SUPPLY STORE
  Of course we all wish we could afford to collect our cookware at Cooks of Crocus Hill in St. Paul or Kitchen Window in Uptown's Calhoun Square--and they're both fine establishments--but for wannabe chefs on a budget, Target is almost as great a shopping experience. No, you're not going to find... More >>
• BEST LINGERIE
  Real women (of all genders) buy and wear Jockey for Her French-cut briefs and JC Penney store-brand bras. Unfortunately, those garments don't provide the zip of that cancan-dancer-holding-a-slumber-party look that's elemental to our culture. In the Twin Cities, of course, clothes for mommies to... More >>
• BEST LOCAL INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER
  Preserving and promoting local ties has always been a no-brainer for Bitstream. While ominous Internet entities like AOL and MSN devise multimillion-dollar marketing schemes to create a half-baked (and sometimes eerily Orwellian) sense of community, BU is content to be a good geek neighbor,... More >>
• BEST MALL KIOSK
  The naysayers among us can bray endlessly and effortlessly about the Mall of America. It is an easy target, with its legions of glassy-eyed consumers roaming about on ruinous spending sprees. But the critics overlook one fact: The mall is a fundamentally funny place, full of amusing people and... More >>
• BEST MANICURE
  A good manicure is a quick, delightfully simple way to get a little pampering--and who doesn't deserve that? To achieve it, you want to go someplace where you'll feel...well, pampered. And this is the place. The nail room, off to one side of this lovely full-service salon, is a quiet little... More >>
• BEST MOTEL
  Insidiously but steadily, the classic mom-and-pop roadside motel has been vanishing from the national landscape. Like other bits of disappearing Americana (drive-in theaters, outhouses, and rooftop TV antennas, to name a few), not all the old motels have folded. But the big chains--with their... More >>
• BEST MUSIC STORE
  Signs posted throughout the store remind the serious musician that he is pledged the "lowest possible price" and the "highest customer service." Since 1951 Torp's has gone to great lengths to uphold these promises. On our first, unsuspecting visit, the helpful salesman backs this up with an... More >>
• BEST PAWNSHOP
  Apparently no one at American Pawn has heard that the trend in pawnshops is to turn up the lights, fill the floor with tidy shelves, and pipe in Muzak just like at the mall. Still, this downtown St. Paul establishment has a more eclectic selection of merchandise than any of those 1,000-watt... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO BUY VINYL
  Go to Cheapo for pan-genre rack combing, or Oar Folkjokeopus for the best weekly used new-wave finds, or the Root Cellar for a vast selection of oddities and rarities (love the magazine collection in the cellar). But for the new Funkmaster Flex double record, or DMX's "What's My Name" 12-inch,... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO EDUCATE YOUR DOG
  Lesson 1: On planet Earth, more than 5 million dogs are euthanized every year. Visit your local shelter and you'll know in an instant why. Lesson 2: The dogs that tend to get abandoned and then put to death meet their fate not because they're bad animals but because they don't fit well enough... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO GET A SHIATSU MASSAGE
  We very nearly kept this one to ourselves. A form of Japanese bodywork that incorporates principles of Chinese medicine, shiatsu is applied through the clothes using the fingers and palms. While similar to a regular massage, shiatsu tends to rely on pressure points, like acupuncture. Shiatsu... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO RENT FOREIGN FILMS
  Not much has changed at Intercontinental since it took this category last year: The West Bank store is still an unsightly mess, to the extent that it's amazing when the staff can actually find what you're trying to rent (and, alas, sometimes they can't). But even amid the chaos of tapes and... More >>
• BEST QUICKIE DIVORCE
  There are times when technology complicates life (cf. Palm Pilots), and then there are times when it makes life wonderfully easy. With L&M, for instance, it's nearly possible to get divorced without ever leaving home. The company is a local paralegal service that has been processing... More >>
• BEST SHOE REPAIR
  Shoes fall apart. And when they do, we usually just throw them out. But what about those Birkenstocks you've had for years? Are you supposed to part ways now just because the soles have worn through to the cork? Not if Eddie has anything to say about it. While Eddie will fix any shoe--within... More >>
• BEST SHOE STORE (MEN'S)
  A good men's shoe department is like a good used-car lot: all the latest models and a range of options (from something just to get a man around town to transportation with a bit more kick), in every conceivable color. Dayton's has the concept wired. The shoes spread out in every direction, as... More >>
• BEST SHOE STORE (WOMEN'S)
  Something about the layout of this spacious, uncluttered expanse of pumps, boots, and sandals seems to guide your eye to that perfect pair. Once you've homed in, a salesperson veritably materializes at your side, attentive but not pushy. (You may even get the poetic kind: "What does this mean,"... More >>
• BEST SPORTING GOODS STORE
  Ever since Tiger Woods stormed the scene, even the neighborhood drugstore carries golf balls, bags, and clubs. Baseball gloves, basketballs, Rollerblades--they can be found in abundance at dozens of supply shops, right next to that requisite rack of Vikings jerseys. But SportMart is, to... More >>
• BEST TAILOR
  One cannot understate the importance of having clothes that fit--not just off-the-rack fit, but the kind of fit that gently hugs each curve (ladies) or crisply broadens each shoulder (gentlemen) in the most flattering way. Thank goodness for this tiny Lyn-Lake shop. Proprietor Irina Boiarskaia... More >>
• BEST TARGET
  Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote of the feeling we get when viewing natural beauty on a large scale (oceans, mountains, and the like), the profound sense that we are in some way connected to something greater and more powerful than our pitiful little selves. Something eerily similar can be said of a... More >>
• BEST TATTOO PARLOR
  Those brave enough to permanently decorate their bodies by way of repeated jabs of a sharp implement often experience inner conflict. The id envisions going through the rite of passage in a hole in the wall on the wrong side of town, surrounded by rowdy sailors and the cheap floozies whose... More >>
• BEST THRIFT STORE
  Like a college athlete who signs with an agent while still in school, a thrift store that harbors an automatic teller on its premises loses its eligibility; sure, it may still be a great player, but the presence of said electronic money changer signals an irredeemable loss of secondhand... More >>
• BEST TOBACCONIST
  When the Golden Leaf opened 17 years ago, there were just a half-dozen or so cigar shops scattered about the Twin Cities. How things have changed. By the peak of the Nineties cigar craze, some 60 specialty stores had popped up in the metro, with many offering smokes at steeply discounted... More >>
• BEST TOY STORE
  Rare indeed is a store with its own philosophy. But then, Creative Kidstuff, which Cynthia Gerdes founded in her Linden Hills neighborhood 18 years ago as an alternative to violent and faddish toy outlets, has always been a cut above. Now, as then, Gerdes refuses to stock chintzy or cheaply... More >>
• BEST USED CLOTHING STORE (DOWNSCALE)
  There must be an acre of pants at this Richfield store operated by the Association for Retarded Citizens. And while there aren't too many chichi labels scattered among the dozens of men's, women's, and children's racks here, there are bound to be hundreds of choices in every size. Everything's... More >>
• BEST USED CLOTHING STORE (KIDS)
  If you can get it for three bucks, what does it matter if Junior is busting through the snaps on the crotch of that adorable onesie in less than six weeks? Gymboree, Baby Gap, Old Navy, Little Me--all those adult-priced labels that taunt proud new parents from store windows can be had... More >>
• BEST USED CLOTHING STORE (UPSCALE)
  White leather jacket? Check. Black granny dress? Got it. Polyester? No prob. It's true, vintage fashion never goes out of style, whether you're a cash-strapped coed, an art-school wannabe, or just someone who can't resist anything that looks like it came from Katharine Hepburn's closet. But... More >>
• BEST USED FURNITURE (CHEAPER THAN DIRT)
  Those of us who are constitutionally incapable of squandering $1,500 on a couch or dinette set ought to be grateful for the boom economy. Why? Because it wouldn't be so bloody easy to furnish a pad on the cheap if not for all the big spenders and germ phobics casting aside perfectly functional... More >>
• BEST USED FURNITURE (VINTAGE)
  Five years ago, when an Uptown institution called Cobblestone Antiques lost its lease, Richard Hickenbotham and five other dealers who'd had booths there set about looking for a new space. In short order they settled on a long-vacant movie theater near the corner of Lake Street and Lyndale... More >>
• BEST VIDEO RENTAL
  Honestly, we wish there was a bit more competition for this title, but on the basis of the three most important criteria for a video store--selection, selection, and selection--the venerable Discount continues to beat other tape rental outlets by the stretch of a T-180. Atoning for the... More >>
• BEST YARN SHOP
  Plenty of Twin Cities shops stock beautiful, high-quality yarn. But only a few offer the easy conversation and camaraderie that has been part of knitting circles since the olden days. At Depth of Field, the large wooden table near the front desk is the de facto gathering place. Sometimes... More >>