Best Global Grab Bag

Located next door to Tobacco Road and run by long-time Road denizen, music promoter, and eccentric-man-about-town Mark Weiser, Brickell News is the most ecumenical array around, short of a flea market. And this stuff is all new. Well, a lot of it is. It's as if Weiser's brain exploded all over the shop. "People come in all the time and ask what kind of store this is," says Lou Shackleford, a friend who helps mind the place. "I say, 'Look around; whatever you see is what it is.' Try and put it into words, I wish you luck." Says Weiser: "It's just stuff I like." Oh well, labels are so confining. Among the stock are incense, instruments, CDs, and teas. There's English mustard, Louisiana hot sauce, and African art. There also are used books, sarongs, earrings, and bongs. There are photos, including a framed and autographed shot of I Dream of Jeannie stars Larry Hagman and Barbara Eden. There are carved masks, candlesticks, kimonos, wind chimes, hammocks, and a green iguana named Mia, who is not for sale. Monday through Thursday the store is open noon to midnight. On Friday the hours are noon to 1:30 a.m.