Best Retail Bliss 2009 | Domestic Bliss | Shopping & Services | Phoenix
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Best Retail Bliss

Domestic Bliss

The plush linens, vintage baubles, and flirty sundresses at this chic boutique practically sell themselves, but owners Kristin and Dan Alber and their creative staff really want you to get "blissed out." They've got craft kits and supplies for domestic divas to make everything from felt cupcakes (these make adorable pincushions!) to fun printed aprons, and the store's Blissful Living Studio offers classes on jewelry-making and sewing romantic fashions. The blissful spirit is also contagious on the store's blog, which highlights romantic accessories and store sales and offers tips for a happier life. There's even a Blissfully Traveled magazine and an annual Fall Blissfest street fair with live music, antiques, and craft vendors. All this blissful branding is enough to give guests a serious retail high, without any pharmacological assistance.

Best Retail Co-Op

Pink House

Don't let the cutesy name fool you — this fun shop is aimed at the tattooed, tough-as-nails set who adore vintage threads and elbowing each other on the flat track. Pink House started out as a furniture shop, but gradually transformed into a funky fashion-forward boutique with about a dozen vendors, including Happy Hippie Resale, Harley Quinn & Ivy, and the deliciously awesome Pink De­Ville, whom you'll find pimping hair flowers and retro aprons with pink kitties at roller derby bouts and on First Fridays. Love Sailor Jerry? The shop's selection of vintage tattoo prints is awesome, and they're not just on baby T's. Look for silky embroidered tattoo dresses, cool A-line skirts, and tight, polka dot tube dresses from Elegantly Wasted that'll have you channeling your inner bombshell in no time.

Best Reason to Shop in a Down Economy

Bag Dayz at Rowdy Boutique

We just assumed, based on the chic little cocktail dresses in the window of this two-year-old central Phoenix clothing shop, that Rowdy Boutique would be a bit too chi-chi for our tastes. Thank God for second impressions: A friend told us about Bag Dayz, and we've been regulars ever since. Buy something at Rowdy, and you'll get a free canvas tote — and that tote will serve as your entrée to once-monthly Bag Dayz, where not only are the sales to die for, but you get a free accessory (one month it was super-cute gardening gloves!) to boot. Free stuff? What could possibly be a better reason to shop?

  • 4717 N. 7th St., Phoenix, 85014 Map

Best Shopping on Roosevelt Row

MADE Art Boutique

Ever notice how some boutique shops rotate stock so infrequently that their selection is as stale as a week-old doughnut? That's why we love MADE, whose fresh stock has yielded new treasures every time we've popped in for First Friday. This artsy little shop offers a unique collection of accessories, including huge bejeweled rings and vintage magnets that make us giggle. There also are photo books, handmade soap, and cool wall panels by the likes of Roy Wasson Valle and Cyndi Coon. On recent visits, we scored a box of elegant monogrammed note cards (for the handwritten letters we've been meaning to write) and a handmade bowl for a birthday present (big hit!), as well as items from the small but significant selection of books and magazines. To ensure you don't perish of shopping ennui, MADE's stock changes seasonally — incorporating rows of stockings and glittery ornaments during the holidays and random travel finds from local art consultant Ted Decker throughout the year.

Best Shopping on Grand Avenue

Devious Wigs & Things

Devious Wigs & Things is like the Cheers of vintage shops — after a couple of times pawing through their unpredictable selection, the entire Devious family knows your name and can point you to the leather bomber or Steve Madden purse your heart desires. The front room features a large selection of primping goodies — from jeweled eyelashes to quality china-doll wigs in alarming shades of neon pink and electric blue, at about 40 bucks a pop — while the back is packed with vintage threads for dudes and dames. You never know what shopping holy grails you'll find at Devious. An $8 vintage skirt. Cool striped stockings. Or maybe some glittery butterfly hair clips, as owner Anna Marie Gutierrez has a personal weakness for the winged critters. It may take an hour or two to complete your quest, but there's plenty of opportunity for a break — you can Twitter your finds from the pay-per-minute Internet desk or plop down on the vintage chairs to watch a retro flick on videocassette.

Best T-Shirts

Brand X

There's a screen-printed shirt inside Brand X on Mill Avenue that says "Custom T-Shirts Are the New Mix Tapes." We have to agree. In an era where it's all too easy to pop out a personalized mixtape or Photoshopped greeting card, getting a T-shirt printed still seems like a genuinely thoughtful gesture. No one does them better than the hip perfectionists at Brand X, who seem to treat every job as if were their last, creating screen-printed art that'll impress the most discriminating T-shirt aficionados. From house offerings that are much better than the vintage-look stuff you'll find online — like Brand X's series of light-rail shirts, a clever take on the ubiquitous transit-themed souvenirs you'll see in London and New York — to their ability to perfectly print any pixilated image you hand them, Brand X is well on its way to becoming a local institution.

Best Ruffles

Contagious Boutique

If you enjoy being a girl, this trendy clothing boutique in downtown Mesa is a must-visit. Step in the door and you're instantly transported to a frilly wonderland of pink. Everything is under $50, and though you won't find brand names like Guess or Bebe here, you can score a designer look without the huge price tag. On recent visits, we've spotted glamorous faux-crocodile belts, ruffled sundresses, sparkly hair flowers, and nail polish in glam shades of silver, neon blue and hot pink. The kids' side is even more girly, if that's possible. There's not a faded denim skirt or baby T in sight that isn't splashed with rhinestones, bows, or, yes, more pink. Contagious may ruffle a few tomboy feathers, but for girly girls, it's a sweet find.

Best Kid Boutique for Moms

Loveland

Yes, Loveland — a new little boutique in that strip center at Mill and Baseline that we've always thought looks a little bit like the set for The Music Man — has adorable children's clothing. Appliqued T's, handmade tutus, teeny-tiny kiddy luggage and barrettes, and a few choice toys. But the real appeal for us was the women's section — where we found an equally cute selection of tanks, dresses, and even diaper bags. We were actually able to check out the merch, even with our kid in tow, because — get this — Loveland has a lovely little windowed room with a gate, with toys and a big television and movies. Brilliant! We can shop long after the little one's 30-second attention span has run. Next time we make plans to go shopping, we're skipping the babysitter and bringing the kids along to Loveland to spend our sitter money.

Best Resource for Phoenix Parents

Raising Arizona Kids

So many decisions, so little time, so much advice from possibly shoddy sources. What's a parent to do? Pick up a copy of Raising Arizona Kids. From schools to camps to where to throw your kid's birthday party, the monthly parenting magazine has your back. RAK recently celebrated its 20th anniversary — a feat in the journalism business — and has become a staple in pediatricians' offices Valleywide. Editor Karen Barr would probably prefer you buy a subscription. We highly recommend you do, as much for the insightful articles by local writers like Vicki Louk Balint and Debra Rich Gettleman as the annual guides that make you feel like a member of the best parenting club in town. Anyhow, you don't want to get caught stealing a copy from the doctor's office. Not in front of your kid.

Best College Aid

College Depot

Arizona legislators (and governor!), take note. We're got a living, breathing example of just how much good a little bit of public money can do for students. Housed in a beautiful new center in the Burton Barr Central Library, designed by the library's original architect, Will Bruder, College Depot houses two full-time college counselors, 25 computers, a conference room, and a series of workshops on every college entrance exam imaginable. It's everything that you need (short of cold, hard cash and bedding) to get yourself to college — whether you speak Spanish or English and are 16 or 60. Oh, and it's free. Deborah Dillon, director of education programs, came up with the idea and spent three years raising $1 million to fund it. She got a $550,000 grant from the city of Phoenix; the rest came from various charitable organizations. Talk about a power player. With a central location in the library — already an after-school hub, with a teen center — College Depot has the chance to become a major force of change for low-income and Latino students in the Valley. This is a place to come use the Internet when you don't have a computer at home, or get help deciphering the bureaucratic blather on a financial aid application when your parents don't speak English. (Or, for that matter, when they do.) It's a program we hope others will study closely.

Best Of Phoenix®

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