BOUGHT & SOLD >>

• BEST ART SUPPLIES
  Really, there are only two things required of an art supply store: cheap goods and a reasonably helpful staff. While the mostly-student staff at MCAD's art supply store can be a touch on the surly side, the prices are hard to beat. The Art Cellar is of another era, a retail store with no... More >>
• BEST BABY GOODS STORE
  There's a whole crop of new baby goods stores for parents who refuse to accept that they have actually birthed a baby, rather than a mini-adult with its own hipster tastes. But the 20-year-old St. Paul standby, Baby Grand, will help you deal with the nitty-gritty (and the goopy and the poopy)... More >>
• BEST BED AND BREAKFAST
  B&Bs can be a turnoff to those phobic members of society who prefer the shrink-wrapped anonymity of hotels to sharing comforts with strangers. But step over the historic threshold of Evelo's, and you might feel a luscious wave of nostalgia for the days before intelligent key cards,... More >>
• BEST BIKE SHOP
  New York in the '20s. Prague in the early '90s. Are we fated not to recognize the good old days until they've been bought and sold, co-opted and corrupted out of existence? That wistful preamble is a way of introducing the fact that we here in the Twin Cities are living through a golden age of... More >>
• BEST BODY PIERCING
  Don't let the name deter you; the Ink Lab may be best known as a tattoo shop, but inside this immaculate storefront lurks a cadre of highly skilled (and elaborately adorned) piercing experts. Masters of speed and accuracy, the Ink Lab kids are capable of transforming even the gnarliest... More >>
• BEST BOOKSTORE (CHAIN)
  There's nothing quite like the homey idiosyncrasies of mom-and-pop bookshops, but there's also nothing quite like reality, in which one often wants a book--now. Borders won't have everything you're looking for, but it offers better odds than any other Twin Cities bookseller. Unlike the various... More >>
• BEST BOOKSTORE (INDEPENDENT)
  With the passing of Ruminator, there really isn't a great general-interest independent bookstore in the Twin Cities. St. Paul's Bound To Be Read is a fine store with a particularly excellent kids' section and a well-programmed reading series, but it feels more like a budding chain's prototype... More >>
• BEST BOOKSTORE (USED)
  A bastion of funkiness and culture in increasingly banal downtown Minneapolis, this cluttered bookshop is a must-visit for both serious antiquarians and casual readers on a budget. The store's street-level floor has an excellent collection of fiction from which you might take home a first... More >>
• BEST BOUTIQUE
  When the afternoon sun shines into the windows of this new venture, it's hard to tell whether Nico is a gift shop or an art gallery. Locally made jewelry is laid out on crisp white pedestals, while sparsely filled shelves along the back wall hold other Twin Cities originals--hand-painted... More >>
• BEST CAR WASH
  Spring cleaning starts (and, if you're like us, ends) with the yearly trip to the car wash. Time to chip months of coffee splashes off the dash and vacuum pounds of sand and salt off the floor mats. Luckily the folks at Mermaid have been taking on the filthiest of Fords for ages. Free coffee... More >>
• BEST CD STORE (NEW)
  This 37-year-old retail pioneer doesn't have the mom-and-pop vitality of Treehouse or Fifth Element (or its younger self), but for eclectic music lovers, the Fetus can't be beat. Here you'll find the Twin Cities' best and deepest selections of jazz and R&B--winding racks with a smart blend... More >>
• BEST CD STORE (USED)
  Every day, hordes of disappointed music consumers, kids late with the rent, thieves, and former Smashing Pumpkins fans head into Cheapo with their trash and your treasure. The abundance of new arrivals makes Cheapo an invaluable destination for the music fan and collector. Now, it should be... More >>
• BEST CHILDREN'S BOOKSTORE
  Auntie Em's is a serene, book-filled hideaway that comes with an all-important bonus when you're trying to keep up with the kids on a lazy (hah!) weekend morning: in-house caffeine. A full-service espresso bar with juice and pastries will keep you busy while the kids browse and watch Skooter... More >>
• BEST COMIC BOOK SHOP
  There's not a comic book collector alive who doesn't think the virginal, sublimely condescending comic shop owner on The Simpsons is funny--and sure enough, there's a cardboard cutout of the character on a shelf of D.C. graphic novels at this store. But Big Brain proprietor Michael Drivas is so... More >>
• BEST DOG TRAINING
  In the interest of family harmony, every pooch needs to learn his Ps and Qs (especially his Ps). Manners make the dog, and at Twin Cities Obedience Training Club, trainers have been helping dog owners instill those manners since 1945. TCOTC is a nonprofit organization and was the first... More >>
• BEST DVD RENTAL
  Their nifty new digs at the edge of the Wedge haven't curbed their enthusiasm for the platters that matter: ultra-rare DVD gems such as Antonioni's The Passenger, Oscar Micheaux's Within Our Gates, Lars von Trier's The Idiots, and many others you simply won't find anywhere else in the state.... More >>
• BEST ELECTRONICS (AUDIOPHILE)
  Seems to us that those in the highest tax bracket--the ones easily able to afford the A/V gadgets from the most rarified local dealers of hi-fi perfection--have been getting all the goods the past four years. So while we do understand that audiophilia doesn't and shouldn't come cheap, we wanted... More >>
• BEST ELECTRONICS (PROLETARIAN)
  Our gadget-loving buds at Best Buy have dominated the penny-pincher's knob-twiddling category for years--but another homegrown corporation has shrewdly pumped up the volume. Did you know that Target stocks the all-important Monster Cable these days? Did you know they sell Napster and iTunes... More >>
• BEST FLORIST
  This local start-up, featuring two of the Twin Cities' most creative floral designers, already has created a buzz in its first few months off the ground: Sarah Lambert and Sarah Brunsvold do the funky weekly floral arrangements for upscale bistros A Rebours and Pane Vino Dolce. Their daring... More >>
• BEST GARDEN CENTER
  This neighborhood garden center in south Minneapolis is Mecca for garden gurus and novices alike. Here, the botanical-minded can find everything they need to create their very own oasis: wooden wind chimes that won't drive the neighbors batty, unique annuals that will make the same neighbors... More >>
• BEST GIFT STORE
  Whether you're searching for the perfect gift for a soon-to-be-married couple that has a collection of one-of-a-kind tchotchkes from around the world, or that fickle mother-in-law who grimaces at last year's pink, or the precocious kid who is bored by common toys, Patina is your one-stop shop... More >>
• BEST GOLF STORE
  Golf is a game tailor-made for obsessives. The late, great Ben Hogan is said to have examined each of his golf balls twice for imperfections: first, in a buoyant bath of Epsom salts, and then beneath a magnifying glass. And these were his practice balls. On any given day at Golfsmith, one can... More >>
• BEST HAIRCUT
  Unlike most trendy salons in the Twin Cities, Olive Salon makes clients feel at home--rather than feeling they were unceremoniously plopped into some ultra-cool wannabe New York salon run by snotty hipsters recently fired from Urban Outfitters. Located in Loring Park, this salon also is a mini... More >>
• BEST HARDWARE STORE
  This joint is small, but it packs a punch, and it's well-stocked with every sort of nail, screw, wrench, seed, or fertilizer you can name. Sure, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, and Lyndale Hardware remain hardware heaven, and we could spend an entire weekend lost in their miles of aisles, browsing... More >>
• BEST HEAD SHOP
  Hard against the Hilltop trailer park community sits My Tobacco Store, a friendly beacon amid the strip malls and asphalt that constitute southern Anoka County. The storefront's hand-painted sign proclaims, "Tobacco: Now and Forever." In truth, the shop appears geared toward all manner of... More >>
• BEST HOTEL
  Once upon a time, the St. Paul Winter Carnival was started to prove to outsiders that Minnesota was indeed a habitable place. That didn't exactly work, did it? Over a century later, we're still living in what is regarded as flyover territory by many, despite all our efforts to attract... More >>
• BEST MAKEOVER
  True, MAC is no mom-and-pop war-paint shop, but do you really want to look like Mom? MAC's products, developed for professional make-up artists, are renowned for their rich pigments, varied finishes, and balls-out glamour (the latter effect often literal, as adoring drag queens can attest). The... More >>
• BEST MALL
  Next year the oldest mall in Minnesota--indeed, some insist the nation--turns 50. And may we just say that in our opinion, Southdale has matured quite nicely. Yes, there's the big hollow husk that used to be Mervyn's, but who shopped there anyhow? We've always preferred the rest of the mall:... More >>
• BEST PAWNSHOP
  Pawnshops reek of desperation. Nobody puts their valuables in hock in exchange for a short-term cash infusion unless they're just a sawbuck or two away from skid row. This means that to find the "best" pawnshop you've got to zero in on the places where financial pipe dreams die. It's all about... More >>
• BEST PET ADOPTION
  Face it: You need a new (or another) best friend. It's time to fill that space in your life that's impossible to ignore. But where do you go to find that furry or fluffy or feathery pal? The Twin Cities metro has an admirable number of quality animal shelters, including the Animal Humane... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO BUY FANCY MEN'S CLOTHING
  Spending a thousand bucks or more on a suit is probably a sign of extreme vanity, mixed-up priorities, and, of course, too much disposable income. Then again, people find all sorts of dubious ways to spend their money, and smart gentlemen know that it's better to show up for a date or job... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO BUY VINYL
  In 10 or 15 years, maybe everyone except the elderly, the impoverished, and a few assorted Luddites will have all their recorded music on computers and tiny digital boxes. Then again, folks pronounced the album dead in the early '90s, and it's still going reasonably strong. You can still get... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO FIND A PET SITTER
  Here's what nobody tells you when you get a pet: Your friends and relatives aren't particularly interested in caring for it when you have to go out of town. So what do you do? You hire a professional. Yes, there are people who make sure you don't have to worry about Fido while you're off on... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO RENT FOREIGN FILMS
  The connoisseur's purveyor of world cinema for the home retains its long-held title the old-fashioned way: by accumulating more and more and more titles. It still pains us to note that some of the tapes that melted in the fire here a few years back may well never be replaced, as even the... More >>
• BEST SHOE STORE
  Ask any normal child about her most recent outing at JC Penney and you'll reach the same conclusion: Shoe shopping is not everyone's idea of a wake-the-neighbors, sound-the-alarm good time. But if a shoe-aholic absolutely must drag a shopaphobe anywhere, let it be Heavenly Soles. The stock at... More >>
• BEST SOCCER STORE
  This Twin Cities mini-chain is a soccer geek's dream. The two area locations offer a top-notch collection of merchandise for active players, neophyte coaches, and armchair enthusiasts. In terms of basic pitch accessories--cleats, shin guards, shorts, socks, balls--you won't find a better... More >>
• BEST SPORTING GOODS STORE
  Baseball mitts, like frying pans, are most effective and enjoyable only after they've been thoroughly broken in. Wrapping your putter around the nearest tree, while temporarily satisfying, dents the savings account over the long haul. And if you buy your children hockey equipment, cross-country... More >>
• BEST TATTOO PARLOR
  "Bold will hold," the ink-slinger's adage goes, and the eye-popping work at Uptown holds up on every level. Located above Bob's Java Hut, this appointment-only shop (the occasional walk-in welcome) on 27th Street and Lyndale Avenue is for serious tattoo aficionados--if you're jonesing to get a... More >>
• BEST THRIFT STORE
  While not exactly unique, as there are two affiliated stores in the western suburbs, this Rice Street behemoth has the rest of the Twin Cities competition beat. Name a nondisposable item you need, Unique has it. (And even some perishables, like--why?--used lipstick.) For cheap, simple... More >>
• BEST TOBACCONIST
  The main problem at Golden Leaf is finding enough room for all the plaques the shop wins year in, year out. Clearly, these folks are doing something right. We think it has something to do with their exhaustive selection: As always, you'll find a wide array of cigars, pipes, and loose tobacco.... More >>
• BEST TOY STORE
  At Creative Kidstuff you can walk in, grab a sweet, rosy-cheeked clerk, and say, "I need a board game for a smart ten-year-old, a rocket safe enough for a three-year-old, outdoor dollhouse furniture for the seven-year-old with everything, and a unicorn suitable for a preschool-aged boy." Twenty... More >>
• BEST USED CLOTHING (KIDS)
  Here's a fact: Babies and kids outgrow the chichi clothes (the Hanna Andersson, the Zutano, the Marimekko) and the solidly made middle-brow stuff (the Baby Gap, the Carters, the OshKosh) just as quickly and inexorably as they do the stuff from Target. The difference is that parents with a stash... More >>
• BEST USED CLOTHING (VINTAGE)
  If half the fun of shopping is the hunt, Theater Antiques is a two-week African safari. With several dealers sharing a space that's overflowing with odd little bits of Americana, treasures hide out in the damnedest places. Looking for a pair of shoes? Scan the floor of the entire store... More >>
• BEST VIDEO RENTAL
  Much as we'll always cherish and continue to support the Cities' independent video stores, we have to admit that it's awfully hard for them to compete with a chain-owned Uptown outfit whose parent company recently anointed it as a "flagship store." In other words, the second-largest... More >>
• BEST WAXING
  Who would have guessed that the Twin Cities' best waxing salon is in a strip mall on the Bloomington/Richfield border? Faces and More has the same upscale products and comforting decor one finds at salons in tonier neighborhoods, but their prices are well below the Uptown and Edina norm. Waxing... More >>
• BEST WOMEN'S CLOTHING STORE
  After overdosing on pan-ethnic hippie swag at Calhoun Square, seek refuge at Heartbreaker and revel in the unapologetic trendiness of their merchandise. Sometimes you want to wear a scarlet tunic with leg-o'-mutton sleeves, sometimes you want to wear a fitted tee emblazoned with "Diamond... More >>
• BEST YARN STORE
  There are a couple of dozen stores in the metro area where one can wander and fondle the mohairs and the super-light bulky-weight wools. A lot of these stores are come-latelies, riding the stitch-n-bitch wave of knitting popularity. But the old guard is still where it's at: The Yarnery has... More >>