BEST AFFORDABLE MEN'S FASHION
Syms
3251 W. Hillsborough Ave.
Tampa 813-876-6655
It may have the cold, institutional exterior of a discount store, but inside, Syms has several acres of great duds at mostly great prices. It can be forbidding, these aisles and aisles and piles and piles, but the store is fairly well laid out. As is the case with most cut-rate outlets, the gems are there, but you gotta look for them. (If something's not entirely in style — say seersucker for instance — you're apt to find it here, which is not to say they don't have fashionable merchandise.) Syms is not a bargain-bin rathole that looks like a hurricane just blew through. It's a real store. They have people who come by and tidy up. They even have sales folk who can tell you how a suit should fit or if a color scheme works. From shoes to ties, suits to sportswear, turtlenecks to T-shirts, you can burrow through Syms for a spell and come out looking pretty damn sharp.
BEST AFFORDABLE WOMEN'S FASHION
TJ Maxx
Locations throughout the Bay area
Sing it with us, y'all: Tah-Tah-Tah-Tah-TJ Maxx! On a good day, you can get frocked by Donna Karan, Perry Ellis, Anne Klein, Liz Claiborne and a host of pretty good non-labels. All for a good 30 to 60 percent lower than retail. The store's messy and the clerks are cranky, but if you can get a silk DKNY outfit for under a C-note, that just don't matter no more.
BEST RARE BOOK STORE
Old Tampa Book Company
507 N. Tampa St.
Tampa 813-209-2151
Web sites like Alibris are slowly running rare bookstores out of business. Alibris offers customers a selection of thousands of rare and long out-of-print books at reasonable prices, and without the trouble of hunting through old, dusty tomes. There are also several E-book and print-on-demand companies (Random House, among others) where a publisher with rights and the necessary lab can scan the pages of a surviving copy of a much sought-after book and print out a fresh, clean version in a matter of hours. The prices for such books are extremely reasonable, considering they might otherwise be lost to the world like the ancient library of Alexandria. With such competition, rare book dealers depend on the walk-in book lovers who're shopping without a list and are interested in buying on whim. For this, Old Tampa Book Company, with more than 20,000 quality used and out-of-print books in all fields, is the place to go. Their selections of classics and contemporary literature are particularly impressive. They also purchase book collections and individual books, perform appraisals and conduct book searches. Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday.
BEST USED BOOKSTORE
Haslam's Book Store
2025 Central Ave.
St. Petersburg 727-822-8616
More than 60 years ago, John and Mary Haslam started a small used book and magazine store in St. Petersburg. Since then it's moved four times to accommodate the growing number of volumes and customers, today covering 30,000 square feet with over 300,000 books, the largest new and used bookstore in Florida. It's without a doubt the best place in the Bay area to find everything from vintage cookbooks to state histories to classical literature to glossy fine art books. Haslam's is now run by the family's third generation of storeowners, who've recently expanded to the Web (www.haslams.com), insuring that future generations of book lovers find and enjoy this landmark of local book retail. Hours are 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday and starting in October 12:30-5:30 p.m. Sunday.
BEST ASSISTED LIVING FACILITY IN A HISTORIC BUILDING
Chateau Palms Manor
1679 Tampa Road
Palm Harbor 727-786-8574
If we were going to dump our parents off in some retirement home, this would be the one. Built in 1922, this beautiful old home, formerly known to Palm Harbor residents as Allen's Ridge, emanates a certain warmth. The seven ladies and one lucky guy who live in the house have created their own close-knit family. Though laundry and cooking services are provided, Doris, Faye, Jane and the girls help out with daily tasks. Owner Margot Weber brings love, understanding and compassion to the residents. When asked why she chose this business as a career, Margot said, "They make me feel like my own mother is still here with me." Her gentle touch, genuine smile and kind words blanket these retirees with comfort and security. She genuinely loves her live-ins and, after witnessing how she interacts with them, we have no doubt they love her right back.
BEST TACKLE SHOP
Rodbenders-Channelside
207 11th St. N. Tampa 813-223-7754
Rodbenders-Bayside 5200 W. Tyson Ave.
Tampa 813-902-8849
Don't kid yourself; the fish know what you're wearing. They also know how much your pole cost and whose charter boat you're on. That's why it's very important to seek out the Bay's swankiest fisherman outfitters and guides at Rodbenders. Rodbenders carries a full line of G. Loomis and Star Rods rods, Shimano reels, Costa Del Mar Eyewear and a complete line of fly-fishing and fly-tying equipment. Much of their a vast and unique selection of gear and apparel consists of original products, created and crafted on site by the talented and imaginative artisans of their subsidiary company, Vento Graphic Products. See the Web site (www.rodbenders.com) for a complete list of services, including fishing vacations, corporate fishing charters, seminars and guide services.
BEST (WELL BEHAVED) DOG-AND-KID FRIENDLY ANTIQUE STORE
Amanda Austin
365 Main St.
Dunedin 727-736-0778
You don't find many antique stores with signs welcoming dogs. But that's exactly what you find at Amanda Austin. Weimaraners and rugrats, feel free to accompany your parents on a tour through this 5,000-square-foot store featuring the collections of 16 experienced dealers. Set in the heart of downtown Dunedin, this quaint shop is filled with depression-era dishes and china, pottery and lighting. Keeping up with trends in antiques, Amanda Austin boasts a wonderful collection of shabby-chic styles, from painted furniture, vintage clothing, bags and lamps to fabulous architectural salvages. Adding further to the store's uniqueness are the two local artists on staff available for custom paint jobs, specializing in faux finishes, murals and portraits.
BEST BAIT SHOP
Mike's Bait & Tackle
4925 W. Gandy Blvd.
Tampa 813-902-9360
From the nets of about 30 employed boats, Mike's receives and ships 1,000 to 2,000 pounds of shrimp a night to Boston and New York. The nightly catch yields the best live bait in the Bay, which Mike's sells at the best prices around. The cost per dozen shrimp is $2 for regular, $3 for medium and $4 for large. Mike's also carries a choice selection of pinfish, sand fleas, blue crab and fiddler crabs, depending on season and availability, as well as great frozen baits, such as sardines and squid.
BEST FOOTWEAR
http://shoespot.com
or
Shoespot Retail Outlet Store
2017 W. Kennedy Blvd.
Tampa 813-254-2500
Browse any department store and boutique and expect to spend upwards of $75 for brand names. You could blow more than a hundred bucks easily on Dr. Martens, Kenneth Cole and Timberlands at Burdines or Dillards. Well, shoe lovers, we've found a wallet-friendly oasis out in Cyberspace, and it's a site that is locally based too. Shoespot.com offers designer shoes at discount prices because of its "strategic alliances with manufacturers and retailers bogged down with excess inventory." Just check out the home page with its cute Our Gang-boxer-dog mascot (get it? Spot!) and pleasing blue background with doggy bones. On the home page you'll find "Spot's Specials," a variety of sandals, men's shoes, chunky shoes, pumps and other high-quality shoes at prices a third or half of what you'd expect to pay at the mall. The site also offers a subscription option that allows you to request updates via e-mail on availability of your favorite brands. If you don't have Internet access, be sure to visit Shoespot's outlet store in Tampa at the above address.
BEST PLACE TO TAKE THE WATERS
Safety Harbor Resort and Spa
105 N. Bayshore Drive
Safety Harbor 727-726-1161
Everyone knows the human body is mostly water. And nothing relaxes and recharges the body like replenishing that precious substance. Sure, you could hit the beach, get sand in your pants and cocoa butter in your hair. But we'd rather rehydrate in the cool, clear, fresh waters of Safety Harbor's famous spa. The fabulous, labyrinthine old dame of a building sprawls over five mineral springs dubbed Espiritu Santo Springs by Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto, who "discovered" the spot while searching for the Fountain of Youth. (As if there weren't already people there, enjoying the rejuvenative powers of these freshwater jewels overlooking the lovely harbor now known as Tampa Bay.)
Spring water fills the swimming pools, whirlpools, steam room, cold plunge pool, showers and tubs at the spa, not to mention the water coolers and iced herbal tea dispensers throughout the place and the carafes on the tables of the first-rate cafe. A two- or three-day getaway to the spa is just the thing to wash away all thoughts of fluorescent-lit cubicles and that underendowed neanderthal who cut you off on the freeway and then flipped you the bird. And it's surprisingly affordable. Rooms start at $89 in the summer, usually with an extra $10 tacked on for use of the spa facilities, including the aforementioned water features, plus gyms, weight rooms, lockers with keys, towels, toiletries, plush robes and flip-flops. Not to mention classes in spinning, aerobics, Pilates, meditation, yoga, water aerobics and toning, and lots more. That's $50 apiece if you share with a buddy or lover. You could, of course, spend a fortune on masks and wraps and massages and facials, manicures, pedicures and any other princess indulgence you can imagine. Or not. Don't forget to take some jugs for bringing some of that luscious water home. They don't bottle and sell it, but they will give it away. Just don't tell Perrier about this place or they'll buy it, put up a fence and an ugly pumping station, suck the springs dry and sell it back to us in little plastic bottles.
BEST HOLDOUTS FROM CORPORATE INVASION
The shops and restaurants on Central Avenue,St. Petersburg
With sparkly, corporate BayWalk beckoning yuppies to the northeastern tip of downtown St. Pete, it becomes more and more necessary to credit the shop owners along Central Avenue. They've managed to stay open and sell fun, kooky and affordable goods, despite a virtual shunning from St. Pete honchos. While BayWalk sells overpriced ladies' apparel, shoes and Hawaiian shirts, and — God help us — driftwood sea gulls, on Central you can find used indie-label CDs; ingeniously decorative, sweet-smelling soaps; original artwork; hip labelwear, jewelry and accessories; and cheap thrift items. Plus, the restaurants and bars can't be beat, even if BayWalk has a couple of popular eateries and watering holes. Central has got The Garden, Redwoods, Grand Finale, Ovo, Tamarind Tree Cafe and Perch — some of the most critically lauded restaurants in the entire Bay area. Now that's coolness that doesn't require an ex-NFL quarterback's logo.
BEST LINGERIE STORE
Victoria's Secret-Centro Ybor
1600 E. Eighth Ave.
Ybor City 813-242-0662
The quality of Victoria's Secret lingerie and sleepwear speaks for itself, but what makes this store special is a combination of the sales staff and their displays. The store sits on a back corner of Centro Ybor, inviting visitors with vibrant presentations of its most current lingerie in tall display windows that wrap around the side of the store. The store is a flagship of Victoria's Secret, so they carry the latest in Vic's lingerie, offering lovely new pieces and sets at great prices. It's easy to get carried away once you're in the store, dizzied by the array of color and design, romanced by Vic's signature fragrances faintly wafting through the store. The manager, Lori, and assistant managers, Kim and Beth, are wonderfully helpful, whether you're shopping for yourself or selecting a gift. They're equally gracious in measuring a customer for a bra as they are in explaining to a helpless boyfriend what a bandeau is, and really that's what makes for such a pleasant trip to the store.
BEST NEWSSTAND
News Central
Tampa International Airport
5507 Spruce St.
Tampa 813-396-3977, exts. 278, 282
Not that you'd actually go to the airport to pick up a newspaper or magazine, but as you're passing through the third-floor concourse level of TIA, visit the two News Centrals — where you'll find that it's almost impossible not to pick up something to read. Perhaps the attraction lies in the romance of seeing fully stocked rows of papers and glossy magazine covers, oddly like in the movies, when strangers meet under the gray awning of a news rack on a rainy sidewalk in New York. Or maybe it's the restlessness of being in an airport — the anxiety of flying, the waiting — that lends itself to our wanting to displace our thoughts and focus on, well, how the Buccaneers are doing or the latest trend in fashion. At any rate, the TIA newsstand has it all, from the rarefied information of Brill's Content and the literary content of Harper's, to the easily digested infotainment of Time and Rolling Stone. The only publication you might have trouble finding is Bride, which is understandably among the most popular travel reading. Another great thing about the newsstand at TIA is that, like the airport, it's never closed.
BEST BODY ART IN A COFFEEHOUSE
Starlight Mehndi Studios
in Joffrey's Coffee Co.
1616 Seventh Ave. E.
Ybor City 813-248-5282
We've all been there. Ybor City on the weekend and, seven Woo-Hoos and four Screaming Orgasms later, brilliance strikes: "Les' go git tat-twos!" Halt, fool! Get thee to Darla Nunnery, lest the morn bring regret! Seriously, man … we love tattoos as much as the next overly trendy person, but we don't recommend getting them on the fly, especially when alcohol has a choke hold on our otherwise good senses. But a quick visit with Darla at Joffrey's and $5 to $25 later, you'll have a gorgeous, intricately detailed, temporary henna tattoo to admire for the next week or so. An artist by trade, with a B.F.A. in painting and video from University of South Florida, Darla also just happens to be an all-around pleasant woman. While in her capably talented hands, you'll be so engaged in lively conversation that your tat' is done before you know it. But the best part is not waking up the next morning to find "Fondle With Care!" emblazoned on your (insert various body parts here). P.S. Darla also spends a lot of time at The Globe in St. Pete. Visit www.gurlpages.com/darlahood for her schedule.
BEST BONG SELECTION
Purple Ringer
4505 Park Blvd.
Pinellas Park 727-548-7464
WARNING: You will be refused service for saying any of the following: bong, weed or pot pipe; coke spoon; straight shooter; crack pipe; shaker vial; tooter or any other illegal reference. All items intended for legal use with tobacco only. If you don't know what to say, point!!!
—Signs posted all over Purple Ringer.
Having said that, ready? Here we go: Glass bongs; acrylic bongs, plastic bongs; ceramic bongs shaped like Scoobie Doo, skeletons, middle fingers, etc.; five-and-a-half-foot bongs; hookahs; Chills glass; Jerome Baker glass; Graffix glass; Kaos glass; Chameleon glass; and interchangeable bong bases. And, for good measure: hundreds of glass pipes; hundreds of metal pipes; wood pipes; electric pipes; Aqua pipes; honey bear pipes; fimo pipes; ceramic pipes; meerschaum pipes (with custom cases); gas masks; steamrollers; all manner of bowls, stems, grommets, mouth pieces and other easily lost parts; scales; cloves; papers, papers, papers; candles; incense; door beads; body jewelry; pipe cleaners aaaaaand — pistachios and chocolate-covered raisins in the candy machines. Can you say, "Heaven?"
BEST COMIC BOOK STORE
Millennium Comics
115 Brandon Blvd. Suite A
Brandon 813-655-7838
This place is a comic-book lover's dream. You walk in the door and see two things; comic books and couches. Sure there's other stuff, like toys, T-shirts, video games, posters, a pet cat (Selena) … but the focus here is the comics. Pick a copy of whatever you want and have a seat. The owners, Scott and Raven, don't hover over your shoulder or demand payment first. Instead, they encourage you to flip through the books, and they keep up with all the titles enough to know what's going on. What really works for us, though, is that Millennium Comics hardly feels like a store at all. The atmosphere is more like hanging out at someone's house. Not buying anything? No big deal. If you sketched a really cool Wolverine, Scott will hang it up on the wall, even if it sucks. And while at the register, Selena may nose up next to you while you pay. In short, this place is cool. And worth the drive.
BEST METAPHYSICAL BOOKSTORE
Oak Trail Books
1219 Florida Ave.
Palm Harbor 727-785-1960
We'll use any excuse to visit the endearing historical district of Palm Harbor, especially if it means a stop for portobello pizza at Sutherland Cafe. But now we have another reason to sing the town's praises: Oak Trail Books. Anyone in need of a mind, body or spirit boost can feel instantly uplifted upon entering this charming, clapboard building that houses a small but more-than-adequate metaphysical shop. Oak Trail's got you covered with a well-rounded stock of new and used books on every New Agey-topic, as well as music, jewelry, clothes, crystals, cards, incense and the like. And just to be thorough, a variety of special services educate you on everything from belly dancing to reflexology.
BEST CD STORE
Vinyl Fever
2307 S. Dale Mabry
Tampa 813-251-8399
Anyone who has taken the time to look knows that the Bay area holds more than its share of independent record stores, and that, by and large, they're all pretty good. It's a very tough call; however, Vinyl Fever's expansive, eclectic selection of used CDs, staff knowledge and stock of sundries (T-shirts, hard-to-find posters, videos, magazines, etc.) makes it the most likely place for most people to find most of what they're looking for. Sure, if you're looking for an obscure grindcore 7-inch or out-of-print blues LP, you might not find it, and genre purists or collectors might carp about a dearth of rare material. But still, the shop offers a golden mean for everyone, and is definitely the best place to go when you're not particularly sure what you want, but you know you want something.
BEST PAWN SHOP
Pawn Row, All of 'Em'
Nebraska Avenue between Hillsborough and Waters avenues
Tampa
True conversation that took place in Seminole Heights near Pawn Row on June 20, 2001:
"How ya doin' this afternoon, sir?" the guy says. He's inappropriately loud, has a face full of facial hair. I'm pushing a stroller. His skinny friend is pushing a BMX bike.
"Good. How you doin'?"
"Great. I've been hitting the pawn shops all day, up and down Nebraska," he says with a regal sweep of his arm.
"Yeah?" I say, my interest piqued despite my new daddy instincts saying strangers in the hood might mean trouble.
"Got myself one of them scooters with a motor on it," he says, and sort of motions like he's letting the throttle loose. It's an endearingly dorky action.
"Where?" I asked.
"All of 'em. Up and down Nebraska," he answered.
"Even got myself a climbing harness."
Climbing harness?
"Great," I say, and push the stroller faster. What kind of weirdo buys a climbing harness?
Obviously, the kind who does his shopping at pawn shops.
While electing "All of 'em" The Best may seem, to an idiot layperson, like a copout, the Pawn Guru certainly has a point. When in the market for, say, a scratched Kenwood Stereo and a dented Black and Decker circular saw, you're not gonna just go to Cash America, the mother of all the other pawn shops at the corner of Broad and Nebraska. You're gonna hit Valu-Pawn and a few others too.
When the li'l woman lost her wedding band after another one of those epic weekend benders, we took a stroll down Pawn Row until we found one that fit and wasn't tarnished. So can you. Some people get their exercise on Bayshore, and others buy climbing harnesses along Nebraska. Say what you will about Ybor and Historic Seminole Heights and preserve this and restore that, but you know this to be true: Tampa would not be Tampa without Pawn Row.
BEST PORN SHOP
Borders Books and Music
909 N. Dale Mabry
Tampa 813-874-5722
and
12500 N. Dale Mabry
Carrollwood 813-265-8455
and
6901 22nd Ave. N.
St. Pete 727-381-8890
"Every guy looks at porn," the man said during lunch. The rest of us nodded without looking up from our porn mags. Just kidding, but he did say it. Try repeating that to the wife after she's browsed through your Web site cache. Porn is the great big consumer secret, and it shouldn't be so shameful that we can't derive pleasure from looking at the stuff. And to you right-wingers out there still poring over the Meese Report, bear in mind there are all kinds of porn, which for purposes of this discussion means any medium you could easily live without but for some crazy reason it makes you feel tingly and sexy as it teases you silly about the many things you are living without: Consumer publications, gadget-culture mags like Stuff, financial mags, fashion mags, extremely glossy extreme sports publications, surfing mags with beautiful tan bikini girls on exotic beaches. Look at it all! It's a world of porn gone mad, and major bookstores are some of the biggest purveyors of cultural smut to tease and titillate our ids. FHM, Maxim and all those acceptable guy mags are just porn-lite, as is Sports Illustrated's one useful issue per year (which is never in the doctor's office, for some reason). If you're browsing in Borders and some other guy has gone to the trouble of tearing the plastic off of Penthouse and stashing it behind the British edition of FHM, you owe it to him and yourself to have a look-see. It doesn't mean a thing, baby, and hey, look, there's Playgirl, Cosmopolitan and a sea of fashion mags. Porn for everyone! Yea!
BEST SIGN
Sham Auto
3701 15th St. N.
Tampa 813-241-2152
Oh, there are some beauties out there. As long as we have to live with billboards, marquees and other signs, signs, everywhere signs, it's nice to know that there are always some funny ones, intentional or not. Under intentional, we always like those witty church ones saying how God works on Sunday, how everyone's flocking at church, how we're goin' to the chapel and we're gonna get saved. Oh, all right, those are ones we made up, but you've seen the actual funny ones. Almost enough to get you to go to church, no? But, funniest of all: the beautiful irony, the green grocer's apostrophies, the odd names that pepper the town like little gold gems. Events writer Cooper Cruz is a fan of T & A Auto on U.S. 19 in New Port Richey. And how about DL&C Tire Shop and Rib Shack on Nebraska Avenue? Copy editor Kelli K.'s tickled silly by the "Same Day Golds" signs around Tampa proper, advertising, of course, gold fronts the same day you go in to get them. No wait! Same day! Golds! But taking the gold this year is Sham Auto on 15th Street in the heart of Tampa. Man, did we laugh. God is that one good. Thank you, Sham Auto.
BEST TRAFFIC INNOVATION
SunPass
SunPass Tampa Regional Office
4920 W. Cypress St. Suite 109
Tampa 1-888-TOLL-FLA
www.sunpass.com
SunPass is the Florida Department of Transportation's innovative Electronic Toll Collection System. You've no doubt seen the logo at toll plazas throughout Pinellas and Hillsborough and thought to inquire about ordering one of the devices, if you haven't already. Electronic Toll Collection, put simply, is a system that allows drivers to pass through toll plazas while a device in their car, the SunPass transponder, registers the toll amount and deducts it from a prepaid account. The system can save drivers time, money and the hassle of keeping change at the ready. However, the transponders are known to overcharge drivers, with certain tollbooths causing more frequent glitches than others. The toll plaza at Suncoast Parkway's exit ramp, for instance, has overcharged as many as 5,000 drivers in July alone. So although SunPass is a great innovation, it still has kinks to work out. Nevertheless, SunPass (if you monitor your account) makes sense if you commute along any of the Bay area's high-traffic toll roads. The cost of a transponder is $26.50 ($25.00 + $1.50 sales tax) plus an initial prepaid balance of $25. Orders can be placed and accounts replenished both online and through the SunPass offices.
This article appears in Sep 20-26, 2001.