BEST WAY TO BUILD A GREEN HOUSE 2007 | a.k.a. green | Shopping & Services | Phoenix
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BEST WAY TO BUILD A GREEN HOUSE

a.k.a. green

It's not that easy, being green.

Apologies to Kermit, but truer words were never spoken. (Ribbeted?) We look around the house and think, "Where to begin?" We can barely keep up with the laundry, much less the movement that tells us to use all natural products and rid our lives of plastic bottles. (As if.) That's why we're so glad we found a.k.a. green, a place where, if so inclined (and financially endowed), we could retrofit our house with enviro-friendly flooring, tile and other green products, and get all sorts of advice on how to do it. We think at this point we'd need to raze our 1940s home to truly fit the latest trend — starting from scratch, at the pesticide-laced foundation. (Those damn termites.) And if we ever do that, we'll know where to go.

BEST D.I.Y. REMODEL SUPPLIES

Construction Lots!

Planning a remodel? Looking to replace an old door? Need a new toilet but don't want to flush big dollars down the drain at the usual warehouse home improvement stores? Navigating the construction on Washington is worth it when you land in this DIY-er's oasis for great deals on all things related to remodeling. Construction Lots! gets inventory from builders' overstocks or random items not used in custom home projects, and sells to the public at a fraction of the price.

We found Jacuzzi tubs for less than $500, laminate flooring for 88 cents a foot and all kinds of beautiful floor tile that's nearly being given away if you hunt and peck through the selection stacked up in the parking lot. Some of the items are regular stock and the deals on that merchandise were only so-so, but this is the first place we'd venture out to if needing a new door or front porch light fixture.

Check out the clearance tables; inventory shifts from day to day. The store is well-organized and clean, and the staff is very helpful, not only in answering questions but with loading your car with your purchase.

Watch out, though — upgrading your home can become addictive and with the prices here, you could walk in wanting a new faucet and end up with a whole new bathroom. Now if they just offered cheap labor to take home with the supplies, we'd be happier than Bob Vila at a World of Screwdrivers convention.

BEST PLACE TO CLEAN UP

Sears Parts and Service Center

Have you shopped for a decent vacuum cleaner lately? It's akin to buying a car or real estate (a good canister vac in a specialty store virtually requires a background check and employment verification). Well, shopping for a super-hard sucker doesn't have to suck super-hard. The Sears Roebuck and Company service center at 32nd Street and Greenway offers a wide variety of reconditioned (which usually means someone opened the box and touched the Styrofoam packing), high-quality vacuum cleaners at rock-bottom prices. The service folk are friendly, knowledgeable, and willing to let you take the inventory for a test drive. Extended warranties are available, although at these prices, you may as well buy a new vacuum in the unlikely event that one of these beauties conks out. You can drop a grand on a vacuum at another shop if you want (although several non-traditional sucking options should be available for that kind of money), or you can get a better vacuum at this Sears strip-mall outlet without having to apply for a second mortgage.

BEST PLACE TO BE CHINTZY

Fabric Depot and Supply Inc.

Fabric Depot is the textile industry's answer to a candy store. Unsurpassed in its selection of top-notch fabrics sporting affordable yardage prices, this warehouse puts its competitors to shame with both inventory and service. Bolts are well-organized according to pattern, color, and material, and swatches are pre-cut for the taking, eliminating the need to have an employee snipping at your heels during the entire shopping experience. This is not to say that help is unavailable — Fabric Depot employees are there when you need them and respectful of your personal space when you don't. Do-it-yourselfers will find a wide variety of high-quality hardware and trim for furniture and window-covering projects, as well as flooring materials for completing the look of a room. All good, but what we are really nuts about are the bolts. Of fabric, that is.

BEST PLACE TO CONTAIN YOURSELF

Western Plastics

Since 1968, this family-owned business has been turning out all shapes and sizes of plastic and glass containers for crafty types as well as big businesses. Need some eight-ounce jars for the salt scrubs you've perfected? They've got that. How about cobalt glass bottles for your super-secret perfume blend? They've got that. Large food-safe containers for your million-dollar-idea barbecue sauce? Yup, they've got that, too. Tucked in an industrial area of Phoenix, the showroom is open to the public. Mix and match bottles and tops for the perfect combination to show off your creative genius. If you're extra crafty, they'll even label your bottles for you. Best of all, you don't have to order by the truckload. Bring cash, though. Just because they make plastic doesn't mean they take it.

BEST PLACE TO GET YOUR BEAR STUFFED

A-Z Seivers Mountain Valley Taxidermy

Pardon the pun, but animals of all shapes and sizes are just dying to get into Frank Jimenez's taxidermy shop. Whether it's recently departed desert fauna like javelinas, wildcats, and mountain goats; or such inanimate African animals as rhinos, giraffes, or zebras; the tanned and treated pelts of all of these recently deceased beasts have been skillfully stuffed and mounted with an eye toward quality by the 49-year-old and his five-member crew of taxidermists, which includes his 23-year-old son, Frank Jr.

This north Phoenix skin-schlepping emporium, which has operated at various Valley locations since the late '40s, has also transformed many a member of the family Ursidae into lifelike trophies over the years, including grizzlies, brown bears, and Kodiaks.

One example of their artistry was a particularly fearsome-looking Arizona black bear that became a terrifying hunter's trophy placed on a makeshift rock setting. It's so lifelike we're a little scared it could come back alive at any moment and take a swipe at us like some psychotic version of Gentle Ben.

BEST PLACE TO GET YOUR TEDDY BEAR STUFFED

Dolls Bears & Surprises

The first time (and, okay, the second and third) we walked into Dolls Bears & Surprises, we thought we'd stumbled into the toy store time (and organization) had forgotten. To our plebeian eyes, the shop was nothing more than a mishmash of far-too-real looking dolls, particularly babies, crammed onto every available surface, staring at us. Our instinct: run. But our 5-year-old was enthralled, so we stuck it out (much the way we'll now sit through a circus, grinning at the scary clowns) and realized, on subsequent visits, what a treasure trove this little shop is.

It's located in the Strip Mall Time Forgot — probably not for long, given the hipster encroachment from the north (Postino, et al.) and east (The Vig). There's a drugstore a friend refers to as That Scary Drugstore and Secret Post Office (it's true, there's a post office in the back, very old-school) and a coffee shop actually called The Coffee Lady, who got pushed out at 40th and Campbell when La Grande Orange set up shop.

Okay, back to dolls and bears — and surprises. We had come to love this shop even before the aforementioned 5-year-old happened last Christmas to ask the mall Santa for "a bear with a suitcase with clothes from other countries." (Don't ever let your kid see a toy catalogue, unless you intend to earmark and save it.)

We were completely stumped. No amount of Internet research yielded an answer. In a panic, we called Dolls Bears, and — of course — the proprietor, Mark Besler, had the answer. "Yes, that's Muffy Vander Bear," he said. "And that ensemble would run you several hundred dollars; it's from FAO Schwartz." He waited patiently for us to put ourselves back together, then said, simply, "Come in. I'll take care of you."

That he did. He sold us Muffy and several sets of clothing, for well under $100, advising that we find a little suitcase elsewhere. (We scored one at Cost Plus.) Our kindergartener was thrilled, and so were we.

Who knew? Those creepy dolls staring at us have the right to have an attitude. Dolls Bears & Surprises sells high end collectible dolls including Madame Alexander, Effanbee and Goetz, as well as our beloved Muffy. And, it turns out, Mark Besler's not just a salesman, he's an artist. There's a whole page on his Web site showcasing the glass eyes he puts in collectible dolls, and more than once we've watched him repair an antique teddy bear. We hope he's in business for a long time — Muffy is already looking a little the worse for wear.

On a recent visit, we noticed a sign in the window warning that no new repairs will be taken 'til 2008. Hang in there, Muffy.

BEST SHRINE TO TODD MCFARLANE

McFarlane Toys Store & Showroom

Everyone deserves to have their own trophy room. You know, a swank little space to display one's awards, spoils of victory, and other mementos of personal glory. It's kind of a staple of comic book heroes, as both Batman and the Justice League of America each have their own hidey holes. So it's kinda fitting that Valley comic book impresario and toymaker Todd McFarlane has built a personal palace of plunder devoted to himself adjacent to his company's warehouse and corporate offices in Tempe. Serving as a combination showroom and retail store for his company's various lines of detailed action figures — featuring characters from myriad TV shows and movies like The Simpsons, Aliens, and Lost — the 15,000-square-foot joint is also a "Temple of Todd," with countless souvenirs of his success.

In between numerous prototypes and double-sized display models of his company's toys hang different awards he's received from Wizard magazine and the Comic Buyer's Guide, as well as clippings from Variety about himself. McFarlane is also a fan of both rock and jocks, so photos of the Spawn creator with folks like Yankees slugger Jason Giambi and Kiss are mixed with sports memorabilia and signed guitars. McFarlane just opened a second store over in the Westgate City Center in Glendale, and while it'll be more of a retail-type deal, we're hoping he'll be showing off more of his personal goodies.

BEST STORE FOR JUGGALOS

The Monstar Shop

The Dark Carnival calls you, young Juggalo, so you'd best show proper devotion to Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope (a.k.a. the wickedly infamous horror-core rap duo Insane Clown Posse) by getting outfitted in style. Before you don your evil-clown makeup and head off to the annual "Gathering of the Juggalos," head for the Monstar Shop, a West Valley boutique specializing in the band's merch. All six of ICP's major albums (or "Joker's Cards") are available for purchase, as are their T-shirts, thongs, hoodies, stickers, DVDs, and posters. ICP's homies and fellow Psychopathic Records labelmates, like Twiztid and Boondox, also have schwag for sale, alongside T's for other ghetto-fab artists like Snoop Dogg. You're gonna frighten your parents, for sure, but you'll impress your fellow Juggalos.

BEST TOY STORE FOR BIG KIDS

Red Hot Robot

Red Hot Robot opened its doors earlier this year, and with that, the northwest corner of Camelback Road and Central Avenue officially reached critical mass. Alongside Stinkweeds (music), Frances (fashion) and Halo (piercing), a toy store for big boys (and some girls) was the perfect thing to round out the edgy corner. Our favorite part? Along with toys designed by nationally-recognized collectible toy designing guys like Gary Baseman and Joe Ledbetter, there's a strong emphasis on celebrating the local guy, which is why you'll see the work of Mike Maas and Roy Wasson Valle (two New Times faves) on display, too. Let the collecting begin!

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