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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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Material Issues
Head Shop
Readers’ choice: Fantasy Imports, 6663 Camp Bowie Blvd
Staff choice: A Step Beyond, 7601 Jacksboro Hwy between Lake Worth and Azle
Straying off the beaten path this year, we chose a wildcard — this funky little shop is located between Lake Worth and Eagle Mountain Lake in an old rock building. It may be the only head shop around that offers drive-through window service, including from midnight to 4:20am on weekends.
Place to Run Up Credit Cards
Readers’ choice: Neiman’s
Staff choice: ”Little Austin,” I-30 & Hulen St, FW
The Chapel Hill shopping complex is dominated by Central Market, already a mecca for Fort Worth foodies. That’s not the only place to go, however, with World Market, Borders Books & Music, several boutiques, and a couple of fine restaurants accessible from the same parking lot.
Customer Service
Readers’ choice: Eclectic Soul Salon and Dayspa, 213 W Main St, Arlington
Staff choice: Carmax, 8400 Anderson Blvd, FW
For those of us who rate shopping for a used car right behind searching for a job or an apartment on the list of stress-producing activities, there’s finally relief. The Carmax web site allows you to locate the vehicle you want, compute a monthly payment you can afford, and even figure out how much you’ll get in trade on your old clunker. The salespeople are remarkably low-pressure. Overall, one helluva retail experience.
Barber Shop
Readers’ choice: 7th Street Barber Shop, 3218 W 7th St, FW
Staff choice: Shelton Givens Barber Shop, 512 Main St, FW
A great barber shop is about more than a haircut. It’s an island of calm in a sea of troubles, a familiar place where you can relax, read a magazine, hear a story, get some advice, Shelton’s remains such a place. Some customers have been coming there since they were kids. Downtown office workers can even call ahead for a chair.
Hair Salon
Readers’ choice: Eclectic Soul Salon and Dayspa, 213 W Main St, Arlington
Staff choice: Goldwaves, 2525 Ridgmar Blvd, FW
Still providing the best in customer service, well-trained staff, and various forms of pampering, from toes to head and — with a massage thrown in — most points in between. Plenty of guys get their locks lopped here, too. Owner Judy Mangum continues to re-do and add on to her place.
Ski Shop
Readers’ choice: C D Ski & Sports, 5070 S Hulen St, FW
Bike Shop
Readers’ choice: FW Cycle & Fitness, 3315 Cherry Lane, FW
Dive Shop
Readers’ choice: Scuba Sphere, 6703 Camp Bowie Blvd, FW
Health Club
Readers’ choice: Soul Fitness, 1901 Montgomery St, FW
Thrift Store
Readers’ choice: Thrift Town, multiple locations
Staff choice: Worth Repeating, 2722 W Berry St
You can always find something you need cheap in the aisles of this clean, well-organized, cleverly named second-hand shop. Few things are priced over $5 and many go for much less. Features a wide selection of clothing for men, women, and children — plus knick-knacks, books, appliances, and furniture. Proceeds go to the Women’s Center of Tarrant County.
Enviro-friendly Business
Readers’ choice: Half Price Books, multiple locations
Staff choice: The T
Continuing a conversion it began in 1990, the Fort Worth Transportation Authority, a.k.a. The T, now has about 90 percent of its fleet of city buses running on compressed natural gas, helping reduce the street-level ozone that is so dangerous to children and other living things. Last year it brought us the Trinity Railway Express, taking even more autos off the highways. Next on its progressive agenda: electric streetcars!
Computer Geeks:
Readers’ choice: Fry’s Electronic, multiple locations
PLACE TO BUY:
Books
Readers’ choice: Barnes & Noble, various locations
New C.d.’s/Records
Readers’ choice: Best Buy, various locations
Staff choice: Record Town, 3025 University Dr, FW.
Walking down University Drive by TCU, it’s easy to miss Record Town altogether. Take just one trip inside, and music lovers of all types will have a hard time ever missing it again. Tucked between Stage West and Flash, Record Town has been doing business from the same location since 1957. With their abnormally large jazz, blues, and local music sections, there is little reason for Record Town not to be around for another 50 years.
Used C.d’s/Records
Readers’ choice: Dead heat to Half Price Books and CD Warehouse, both multiple locations
Staff choice: CD Warehouse
Perennial readers’ favorites, CD Warehouse has gotten more corporate over the last couple of years, but the truism holds: If you don’t find it here, just wait awhile, and it’ll show up. Hardcore music junkies can rationalize spending the rent here by saying, “But it was even cheaper than Best Buy!” It’s also great for those of us who don’t buy c.d.’s but rent them (e.g., college students, musicians, freelance music journalists).
Vintage Clothes
Readers’ choice: Thrift Town, multiple locations
Staff choice: Antique Sampler Mall, 1715 E Lamar Blvd, Arlington
If your fashion sense is stuck in the 21st century, you might need to go back a few more decades to update it. Several dealers here specialize in vintage clothing from the ’60s, ’50s, ’40s, and earlier (mostly for women and kids; sorry, guys). We loved the ’50s sequined pink prom dress, but figured to get more use from the ’50s silk mocha-colored dress, a rah-rah red varsity sweater from the ’40s and some paisley scarves that would make Austin Powers drool in your hair. Browse a few aisles and you can put together an outfit that’s the bees’ knees, or just plain groovy, baby!
Jewelry
Readers’ choice: Zales and Haltom’s, multiple locations
Staff choice: Stockyards Gold & Silver — SW Gallery, 112 W Exchange Av, FW
A western city deserves a jewelry store that reflects its heritage. This veteran Exchange Avenue business offers a selection of western and native American jewelry to fit most pocketbooks. Some of the store’s more spectacular pieces match southwestern silver craftsmanship with exotic stones from South Africa like gaspeite and azurite.
Used Sporting Goods
Readers’ choice: Play It Again Sports, multiple locations
Staff choice: Play It Again Sports, multiple locations
Don’t go looking for leotards and matching sports bras in this no-frill shop. What it does have is used hockey, baseball, golf, and weight-lifting gear.
20th-Century Relics
Readers’ choice: Montgomery Street Mall, 2601 Montgomery St, FW
Staff choice: Omaha’s Surplus, 2413 White Settlement Rd, FW
This cavernous shop is filled with gear from various services and wars. But given the current state of the world, it’s a pretty somber place. Our most fervent wish is that, in the not-too-distant future, this stuff will indeed be only quaint relics of a darker time. We didn’t see any swords to beat into plowshares, but we’d like to see the day when all the ammo boxes will be turned into cigar humidors (as one of our friends has already done) and helmets become solely the stuff of Halloween costumes. In the meantime, what in the heck are those purple and white camo shorts supposed to camouflage you from?
Cool Gifts
Readers’ choice: Earth Bones, multiple locations, and Pottery Pad, 4818 Camp Bowie Blvd, FW
Staff choice: National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, 1720 Gendy St, FW
From pillows to beaded purses and wonderful sombreros, Western-themed tableware, and tooled-leather everything, the place offers great gift ideas for your cowgirls, cowboys (get him a shot glass rimmed with ranch brands), and cowkids. Some of our favorites: the 21st-century cow figurines, from Mooooonwalk (wearing an astronaut’s helmet), to Discow. Our only request: more books on the history of the women the museum celebrates.
Western Wear
Readers’ choice: Cavender’s, multiple locations
Staff choice: Maverick’s, 100 E Exchange Av, FW (sale rack)
For authentic cowboy gear, from chaps to quirts, we’d have to recommend Horseman’s Supply in Weatherford. For sheer beauty of beadwork and butter-soft leather, for denim and silk interpretations of Western fashion, we’d love to recommend Maverick’s. But, geez, the prices freeze the part-Scottish blood in our veins. So we’ll recommend the sale rack, full of lovely vests, shirts, and other reasonably priced items, last time we looked. Just step around the tourists.
Men’s Clothing
Readers’ choice: Neiman’s, multiple locations
Women’s Clothing:
Readers’ choice: A retailers-a-trois tie among Sears, Banana Republic, and Dillard’s
Clothes to Go
Clubbing In:
Readers’ choice: Forever 21, 2060 Green Oaks Rd, FW
Men’s Shoes:
Readers’ choice: Larry’s, multiple locations
Women’s Shoes:
Readers’ choice: DSW Shoe Warehouse, multiple locations
Adult Toys
Readers’ choice: Priscilla’s, multiple locations
Staff choice: Backwoods, 3212 Camp Bowie Blvd, FW
Who says adult toys have to involve whips and edible undies? Backwoods gets our vote for the toys — gear for backpacking, fishing, climbing, camping, traveling — that let adults take on the real world in exhilarating ways. You can still pack the edible undies. The fish might enjoy them.
Cheap Ciggies
Readers’ choice: Cheapest Cigarettes, 5148 E Belknap St, Haltom City
Staff choice: Smokes For Less, 916 Roberts Cut-Off Rd, FW
The price of premium cigarettes stayed at about $2 to $2.50 a pack through most of the 1990s, until sweeping anti-tobacco measures shoved it up to nearly $4 a pack in Texas. People who had sworn to quit rather than pay more than $3 were in a quandary — make good on a silly vow or find cheaper cigarettes. Smokes For Less offers cartons of premium-brand ciggies for as low as $25.99 — about $2.60 a pack. Discount cigarettes range from about $17.99 to $21.99.
Staff Only:
Books Not On
Best-Seller List
Half Price Books, multiple locations
The phrase that pays is Remainderama. A clerk at Borders slips with the box cutter, and the whole box of books goes back for resale. You’ll find books that are still listed as new on sale here for a third or less of the retail price, as well as the used, obscure, and rare volumes.
Place To Buy A Last-Minute Party Dress
Steinmart, multiple locations
Your best friend’s date just dumped her, and she’s lassoed you into going to a fancy party. Quick — where to go for the perfect outfit? Head to Steinmart, the off-price-on-the-upscale-side department store. We found the Camp Bowie Boulevard location well stocked with party dresses a third or more off retail, plus racks marked down another 30 to 50 percent. That’s reason enough to celebrate.
Freebie
City of Fort Worth Environmental Collection Center, 6400 Bridge St
In addition to recycling hazardous household wastes at this East Side facility, you can find a variety of common home and garage products for free. Here, one person’s trash is literally another’s treasure — if you value cleaners, paints, and automobile fluids.
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