Best Shopping on Grand Avenue 2010 | Kooky Krafts | Shopping & Services | Phoenix
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Best Shopping on Grand Avenue

Kooky Krafts

New Times
Grand Avenue arty types can't get enough of Beatrice Moore's chenille wreaths and wildly colorful piñatas, so it's a good thing Moore has opened this zany art gallery/boutique/vintage craft supply shop in an old pharmacy. In addition to Moore's famously faboo Styrofoam wedding cakes, Kooky Krafts offers for sale work by other craft-centric local artists, all chosen by Moore herself. Bob Adams is offering a line of rubber dolls with real pubic hair; Tony Zahn, Moore's life partner for the past 20-plus years, is selling assemblage pieces made from vintage ceramic planters and chunks of colored cement. Artist Tom Cooper has created a number of brightly hued tikis made from toilet paper rolls. There are elf-face-studded wall hangings and macramé baby heads and sculptures made from old shopping carts and, well, everything kooky at this cool craft shop, including supplies to make your own.

Best Shopping on Roosevelt Row

MADE art boutique

Shopping at MADE isn't just retail therapy — it's a community happening. Cindy Dach curates a small but meaningful collection of crafts, books, and stuff you never knew you needed, along with a magazine rack filled with hard-to-find art mags. In so doing, she has made this little old house a magnet for Roosevelt Row mixing, mingling, and merchandising. Whether it's ornaments handmade by kids at the holidays or a show of artist-made mobiles, it's all affordable and irresistible and our only wish is that there were places just like MADE all up and down RoRow.

Best Place to Find Local Fashion

Local Talent

We hear it all the time: buy local buy local buy local. But, darn, those local wares can be hard to find in these parts. So we're awfully glad Shannon McRae — a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising — had the idea to start a business in Old Town Scottsdale showcasing the work of local fashion designers. This summer, we fell for Angela Johnson's "Inspired" recycled T-shirt dress and BriBridge's custom corsets, and we can't wait to see what fall holds in store. Literally.

Best Mid-Century Everything

Retro Ranch

Okay, shop owner Indigo Nielsen, you've gone and wrangled a roomful of vintage wear (Look! A pink plaid circle skirt! Hey! Are those mint-in-box saddle shoes?) that has us yearning for 1957 all over again. And you've reminded us, with your gracefully displayed boomerang table and nylon frieze sofa set, that the '50s weren't just about kitsch. And you've given us back our childhood by selling us the very same leather-strapped lunch pail we had when we were a kid. Now what? Do you want us to genuflect? Because we will. We love your shop, and we can't seem to stay away from it.

Best Robots

Red Hot Robot

You know that Red Hot Robot has awesome designer toys. You know it's got a wide selection of vector art. It's not short on tiny trinkets, either. One of our favorite things to impulse-buy is Japanese busts hidden in cardboard boxes. Which Gundam robot will you get? Is it a Zaku Warrior? Is it a Force Impulse Gundam? You're going to have to buy one and open the box to find out. For those of you with a mind for engineering (or at least figuring out how to put stuff together) you'll appreciate the fact that each box of parts must be pieced together to make the full bust.

Best Subversive

Sebastien Millon

Sebastien Millon had us at "hello." Really. As in his etsy shop greeting: "Hello! My name is Sebastien Millon and I draw bears (and because of my amazing artistic versatility, I sometimes draw other things, like rabbits and squirrels). Big-time news! I'm expanding into tote bags . . ."This guy — who hails from the Valley, lucky us — is funny, right? And you can wear his heart on your chest, in the form of his polar bear T-shirts, now available at MADE art boutique and Red Hot Robot. Our favorite is a child-size shirt with a big bear breathing fire while juggling several little kids. But that's just us. You might prefer Millon's other images — equally cuddly-looking, at first glance. There's always a subversive message behind them, and that's just fine by us. Keep an eye out for some dastardly lemurs.

Best T-Shirts as Greeting Cards

Brand X

We love the fact that there's a friendly, reliable business in town that will print for us a batch of T-shirts for a school event or a sports team. But what we like even more is that the folks at Brand X give us the same wonderful custom service even when we just want one T-shirt. Prices are reasonable and the choices are plentiful — the staff consults with you on all details of your design, whether you're looking for old school iron-on letters or you've got a digital photo you've just got to see plastered across someone's chest. Best of all, for us, is the instant gratification factor. In the time you can say, "I'll just be across the street at Urban Outfitters," your order is practically done.

Best Alternative to Sending Flowers

Fairytale Brownies

What girl doesn't love getting flowers for a special occasion? A girl with severe allergies. When our best friend told her new sweetie that roses send her into a sneezing fit, he begged us to find an allergen-free alternative that wouldn't break the bank. After a little mouth-on research, we found our answer: Fairytale Brownies. The store has adorable mini-brownies called "Sprites," offered by the dozen in flavors including chocolate chip, peanut butter, and caramel. We sampled every flavor and were hooked by the salty-sweet toffee crunch decorated with huge pieces of candy that look like amber stained glass. You can order a gift online or by phone and have it delivered to your sweetie. Or you can pick one up at Oakville Grocery, Duck & Decanter, or other local spots. (Call or check Fairytale's website for retail locations.)What did we discover from our little tasting adventure? Flowers die. Fruit spoils. But a chocolate brownie is forever — on your butt, anyway.

Best Florist

Community Florist

We knew we were going to love Community Florist when we spotted the shop's cat purring away near the cash register. But when we phoned in an order during a busy Mother's Day weekend, and one of the floral artists called back later to ask how Mom felt about snapdragons, we were really sold. Who makes that kind of effort anymore? The folks at this aptly named place, that's who. We like how the floral arrangements are created right out in the store itself, at a long, low table where we can watch and get some ideas for what we might like to send or display at home. The coolers are always stocked with completed arrangements, for people on the go who need a quick hostess gift, and loose flowers are available for a make-it-yourself bouquet. We prefer to work with the talented staff in creating a wild centerpiece, and we wonder what they're putting in the water that makes these flowers last longer than most. We bet it's a Community secret.

Best Independent Nursery

Baker Nursery

Let's face it: Most gardeners fight a losing battle in the war against Phoenix weather. We throw some gravel down, stick a barrel cactus or two next to a boulder, and call it a day. But Baker Nursery always seems to beat the heat. With an ever-changing selection of lush annuals, sturdy perennials, and a healthy supply of heat-tolerant shrubs, walking through Baker's acreage feels more like a trip to a botanical garden than a landscaping chore. And the helpful staff offers more than just sound advice and friendly service. They offer hope — an exit strategy for those of us who have uprooted our last crispy gardenia.

Best Of Phoenix®

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