BEST PLACE TO GO ON SHOPPING SAFARI 2003 | Gold Coast Imports | Goods & Services | Phoenix
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BEST PLACE TO GO ON SHOPPING SAFARI

Gold Coast Imports

If it came out of Africa, chances are this place sells it. With walls of several rooms plastered with artworks -- copper reliefs, paintings, masks, woodcarvings -- Gold Coast is almost more museum than store. Imported from 26 African countries, loot ranges from CDs and sculpture to clothing and musical instruments (the bebo balafon xylophone is handcrafted from wood, gourds and leather). While dolls, drums and jigsaw puzzles provide a playful touch, photos of the artists -- many of them pictured in dreary working conditions -- accompany some of the artworks, putting a human face on creations from half a world away. And by offering one-of-a-kind decorations -- wicker furniture, hand-woven baskets, blankets and bean bags -- Gold Coast frees Arizonans from that ubiquitous kokopelli creature.

BEST DEALS FOR DESIGNER DUDS

Neiman Marcus Last Call

It's easy for locals to lose sight of just how good the bargain shopping is in the Valley, but shopaholics who visit or move here from fashion meccas like Los Angeles or New York are stunned at the amazing markdowns to be found in this area. Other outlets win out on ultra-cheap prices, but without a doubt Last Call has the best, most eye-popping selection of true designer merchandise. Where else can you score outfits by Anna Sui, Michael Kors or Prada for about a third of the regular price? Most important, you don't need to do a lot of digging to find such labels. The shoe department is inspirational as well, chock-full of Kate Spade flats and Gucci stilettos. When the store holds a clearance sale, the price cuts are even steeper, giving people with beer budgets the chance to really indulge their champagne tastes.

Readers' Choice for Best Secondhand Store: Buffalo Exchange

BEST WAY TO GROCERY SHOP FROM HOME

Bashas' Grocery Delivery Service

One day last summer we found ourselves lunching on stale pretzels dipped in months-old raspberry preserves because it was too hot out to drive to the market. This year, we're eating right and staying in, because we're hooked on Bashas' home delivery service. We'll never again have to risk UV burns just to bag some groceries, because Bashas' operators will take orders large and small (there's no minimum purchase) via fax or phone from 8 a.m. 'til 8 p.m. during the week, and from 9 a.m. 'til 4 p.m. on weekends. When we're feeling really organized, we place our order via the air-conditioned comfort of the grocery chain's Web site, which offers online shopping 24/7, and any of these options will allow us to use both our Club Card and cents-off coupons for swell savings. They'll even fill and deliver prescriptions, too. The $10 delivery charge (same-day deliveries are slightly higher) is worth every penny. We may never leave home again.

BEST USED BOOK STORE

Bookman's Used Books, Music & Software

There it was! The first edition we'd been looking for to complete our collection, its dust jacket hardly worn at all and showing almost none of its 33 years. We found this literary treasure at Bookman's, where the prices are always rock bottom.

Sure, other stores cater to the hard-core bibliophile in search of rare first editions (and willing to pay dear prices), but for casual book collectors like us -- and for book lovers in search of no more than a good read -- nothing satisfies like this supermarket of recycled treasures in Mesa.

From the outside, the place resembles a big retail joint, anchoring a strip mall along Country Club Drive. Bookman's is huge, and, even better, the store stays open much later than others -- until 10 p.m. every day of the week.

Naturally, you'll find row after row of hardcovers and paperbacks in all the usual varieties. But Bookman's also has a large selection of magazine back issues (particularly Arizona Highways going way back), used video games, CDs, videotapes and DVDs. Best of all, Bookman's has such a healthy volume of trade-in, you're almost guaranteed to find new items every time you visit.

Readers' Choice: Bookman's Used Books, Music & Software

BEST PLACE TO RENT A SINGING COWBOY AND DANCING HORSE

Gary Sprague

You've gotta love an entertainer who provides a résumé for his "trusty mount," Steel. Here's an excerpt: "Everyone loves Steel. He has been known to go up and down stairs and ride in elevators. He has even done the national anthem on ice for the Phoenix Coyotes hockey team. His ultra-soft coat and gentle personality make him a delightful and welcome visitor." The pretty white horse is just half the act, though, rearing and twirling on command as Gary Sprague croons our favorite songs from Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. Since 1987, Sprague and Steel have been entertaining locals and visitors at area restaurants, and on weekends in Old Town Scottsdale. It's just too fun -- Sprague twirls his six-shooters, plays guitar, and dances with Steel. So we were beyond gleeful to find that we could hire the duo for private performances, too, with Western music, humorous cowboy poetry, funny tall tales and educational presentations. And because Steel (and Sprague, too, we guess) is so well-behaved, we can even have them perform indoors. This is truly the West at its best.

BEST BONDAGE BOUTIQUE

Tuff Stuff Custom Leatherware

Tuff Stuff leather is one of the few remaining original custom leather stores in the country. Offering custom chaps, vests, jocks and more for 20 years, Tuff Stuff fabricates much of its inventory on the premises. Craftsmen make a sleek and affordable line of leather floggers, which helps maintain the store's philosophy of making bondage available to everyone. For less than $100, customers can purchase a complete starter restraint package, perfect for individuals and couples curious about the lifestyle but not yet ready to invest in an $1,800 leather body bag. Owner Bob De Jardine also emphasizes that, apart from the cock and ball toys, nearly all Tuff Stuff's items can be used by men or women. De Jardine carries a full line of harnesses, cock rings, art, whips, hoods and blindfolds, as well as racks of more traditional leather vests and pants for more formal occasions.

BEST BREW-IT-YOURSELF SHOP

What Ale's Ya?

From pale ale to the ale pail, if beer production requires it, these "home fermentation specialists" have it. While beginning brewers may find the inventory overwhelming -- siphons, stopcocks, yeast, hops (whole and pellet), malt extract, blueberry flavoring -- liquid courage is easy to come by. Beer-brewing and wine-making kits pack all the necessary equipment (booklet, bucket, hydrometer, thermometer, etc.) into a single box. An initial investment of $108.50, plus a month's worth of patience, turns five gallons of water into 53 bottles of happiness. So pick your poison -- American cream ale, cerveza-style amber, Irish stout, Weizenbier -- and just brew it.

BEST MAKEUP SELECTION

Sephora

Many makeup junkies gladly made the pilgrimage to the Las Vegas Sephora until the European beauty chain finally set up shop at Scottsdale Fashion Square earlier this year. With a sleek, spotless black-and-white interior, no-pressure staff and aisle after aisle of high-end products, Sephora is laid out like the proverbial candy store. Best of all, the items aren't locked inside glass display cases -- everything is out for perusal, ready to be tucked into handy shopping baskets. Testers are available for everything, from Cargo lip gloss to Stila blush to bold eyeliners from Sephora's own complete line of cosmetics, and plenty of cotton balls, disposable applicators, alcohol and makeup remover are on hand for shoppers' adventurous beauty experiments.

BEST BOOKSTORE

Changing Hands Bookstore

Local bibliophiles have an almost cultlike affection for Changing Hands, and rightly so. From the carefully arranged tables of new books on display to employees' thoughtful comment tags for favorite titles, it's obvious that this place genuinely celebrates reading. It celebrates the authors, too, hosting top names such as Anthony Bourdain and Garrison Keillor, while also showcasing local and young writers. With the Wildflower Bread Company adjoining it, there's hardly any reason to leave the store; visitors can fuel up on frittatas and pastries, then participate in a book group, take in a lecture or workshop, or simply head back to the stacks for blissful browsing.

Readers' Choice for Best Bookstore -- New Titles: Borders Books & Music

BEST PLACE TO HOBNOB WITH KNOB EXPERTS

Clyde Hardware Company Inc.

We went looking for kitchen cupboard door handles and came up wanting. Finally, a contractor pal sent us to Clyde, an off-the-beaten-path treasure trove we'd always thought was only open to tradespeople. In fact, Clyde has been selling knobs and toilets and sinks and a hundred other household fixtures to do-it-yourselfers since 1967. Its gallery of things to screw onto drawers and cupboards and doors left us gaping: Literally hundreds of shiny tugs and knobs and hinges beamed out at us from carefully organized wall mounts, categorized by rooms where they might belong and tidily numbered for quick ordering ease.

Crystal octagonal knobs? Pewter library pulls? Hand-painted ceramic handles shaped like wee soccer balls? Our decision was made easier by knob-savvy staffers who can recite knob styles and dole out warm advice about what to buy. The friendly, knowledgeable staff treated us as if we were old friends who'd dropped in with good news. We had: We found our thrill with Clyde, and can't wait to return.

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