Shops & Wares >>

• BEST WINE STORE
  Wolfe's Wine Shoppe
  Jeffrey and Christie Wolfe opened their boutique wine store in January 2001, bringing to the enterprise substantial experience. Christie had been marketing manager for Augustan Wine Imports while Jeffrey had worked as sommelier and general manager at Norman's restaurant. But experience alone... More >>
• BEST SPORTING GOODS STORE
  Play It Again Sports
  Though Play It Again Sports is a chain, the stores are also franchised, so this particular PIAS, owned and operated by Rich Tere, has the Miamian in mind. The store operates on the principle that after you take the first few checks to the upper lip on the rough grass in the field hockey... More >>
• BEST COMIC BOOK SHOP
  A & M Comic Books
  Comic book shops used to have a certain smell to them. It was the oft stale but always pleasant odor of hundreds of thousands of newsprint blotter pages, colorfully inked and full of imagination. But that is seldom the case these days as comic shops have gone to the toys, lining their stores... More >>
• BEST RECORD/CD STORE
  Blue Note Records
  During the Eighties, Miami was littered with record shops. There were no fewer than six independent and a couple of chain stores along North Miami Beach Boulevard alone. Maybe it was the changeover to the higher wholesale prices of CDs or the explosion of the Internet, but now there's just one... More >>
• BEST FLEA MARKET (1 Comment)
  Flagler Flea Market
  A bizarre bazaar -- structurally Middle Eastern, culturally Latin American -- this supersize movable market in the greyhound track's parking lot smacks of Toffler: a futuristic mall that appears each Saturday and each Sunday, then vanishes. The dealers (Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, Costa... More >>
• BEST MALL
  Dadeland Mall
  Even if it were just another bombed-out shell of a strip center at an indeterminate point of the overused, Hummer-thronged dead leaves highway memorialized by the Allman Brothers, the Dadeland Mall would still win the battle of the big boxes for the singular virtue of housing Italianate design... More >>
• BEST VETERINARIAN
  Aussie Animal Hospital of Miami Beach
  The decision to put down beloved pets who are suffering is hard enough without having to remove your fuzzy buddies from their home to spend their last moments traumatized on an examining table. When the time comes for Fang or Fido to pass on, Aussie's compassionate all-female medical staff makes... More >>
• BEST GUN SHOP (2 Comments)
  Pantera Gun and Reloading Center
  Welcome to South Florida's premier weapon world, where you can find killer toys to fit your bang-bang needs that will also match with brown or black Timberlands. For more than fifteen years, Pantera has provided infinite infantry, space-age banana clips, intelligent laser beams (for direction,... More >>
• BEST BIKE SHOP (1 Comment)
  J B Bike Shop
  Tucked away behind a nondescript storefront in North Beach is a gem of a bike store. The employees are friendly and knowledgeable. From outside, the store appears tiny, but walk in and it's much larger than expected. It's well stocked with not only bicycles but parts, accessories, and even a... More >>
• BEST ADULT VIDEO STORE
  Pleasure Emporium
  Rows and rows of carnal knowledge line the biggest adult video chain in South Florida. Pleasure Emporium is a one-stop sex shop for all your horny needs. Not only does it carry a vast array of straight, gay, bisexual, lesbian, and midget porn, it also sells an assortment of dildos, penis pumps,... More >>
• BEST SPANISH-LANGUAGE BOOKSTORE
  Libreria Distribuidora Universal
  Known both on its signage and among Spanish-language readers simply as La Universal, this pale, rounded-corner building that seems etched out of a block of mighty stone contains something more resembling a library than a bookstore. But Carlos didn't care about the gritty architecture or sweet... More >>
• BEST TOY STORE
  A to Z Toys
  Toys "R" Us this R not. But somehow this B way more fun than stores 100 times as big. Also, A to Z Toys seems like it has more toys even though it's only the size of your average Dunkin' Donuts. That's impossible? Nuh, uh. Because stuff iz piled up to the ceiling. Anyway, A to Z has about... More >>
• BEST SHOE REPAIR
  Gables Shoe Store and Repair Shop
  The racks, boxes, bags, and fabric sacks stacked to the doors and ceilings are your shoes that need to be picked up from their refurbishment with new heels, toe guards, or polish. This Gables fixture gets the work done so quickly and inexpensively that it's hard to believe a retail transaction... More >>
• BEST PLACE (FOR DJS) TO BUY VINYL
  Osiel
  Washington Avenue has its share of DJ shops, but there's only one where you'll find the latest from Bpitch, Schematic, and Chocolate Industries. Forget the cheesy trance and tribal tracks; Osiel sells the kind of acclaimed, low-selling music championed by critics and New Times. There's also a... More >>
• BEST SEX TOYS SHOP
  Pleasure Emporium
  Do you know what the worst part about buying anal beads is? No, it's not trying them on. It's the walk to the register. Just when you find the right size, color, and shape, inevitably someone you recognize comes in, and any hope of making it to the counter with your new goodies is as dead as the... More >>
• BEST ASIAN GROCERY FOR ONE-STOP SHOPPING
  Lucky Oriental Mart
  Grocery list: Grass Jelly Drink, soursop juice, dried whole head-on anchovies, dried headless sardines, fruit of wolfberry, salted duck eggs and fish eggs, salted mackerel (the kind from Thailand), jar of pigs' blood, quail (Golden Jumbo brand), goat meat, frozen shark fin, foxglove root, dodder... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO BUY LATIN MUSIC
  F.Y.E. For Your Entertainment
  Okay, so this place is part of a gargantuan franchise and the CDs are just one facet of the things you'll find (F.Y.E. sells everything related to entertainment units). Still the range of Latin music is extensive. From the Kumbia Kings to David Bisbal, contemporary sounds, sugar factor... More >>
• BEST LIQUOR STORE
  Sunset Corners
  Dubbed the patron saint of brewers and maltsters by Charles IV in 1357, Saint Wenceslas is also the patron saint of the Czech Republic. Maybe that's why the quality of a Czech beer, such as Lev or Knight -- which have been around since the Fifteenth Century -- is unquestioned. And even though... More >>
• BEST PHARMACY (1 Comment)
  Midtown
  Robert Novigrod is nothing less than a hero. America's most grotesque social failure is its healthcare system, among the worst in the industrialized world, especially for those suffering chronic pain. The federal government, with its "war on drugs," has created a nation of spineless physicians... More >>
• BEST USED-CD STORE
  Uncle Sam's Music
  A stroll through the packed aisles of Uncle Sam's used-CD bins gives weight to that old adage of one man's trash being another man's treasure. Surely that stack of Steely Dan titles wasn't sold off by the same person who divested himself of a half-dozen Tupac Shakur CDs? No matter. Don't waste... More >>
• BEST USED BOOKSTORE
  Book Barn Book Exchange
  Designed like a shoe store, the Barn features unvarnished wood shelves lining every available inch of wall space, stocked end-to-end with more books than some libraries. Simple ceiling-high shelves also divide the store into aisles for Detective (purchase: the unintentionally funny The Corpse... More >>
• BEST PERCUSSION STORE
  Resurrection Drums
  You are a spastic animal. You must bang on surfaces at all times. You drive your co-workers batty. You make people sweat by your demeanor. Like it or not, you are a drummer, and it sounds like you need something to bang. At Resurrection, located next to that temple of all things Miami, Bird... More >>
• BEST LEATHER
  Leather World
  Bright blue or yellow leather purses, slim brown leather wallets, cavernous leather luggage, silver-tipped leather belts, and leathery ostrich-skin ashtrays: These and more can be purchased at Leather World. The colors and sleek shapes attract the eye first, but the divine smell draws you... More >>
• BEST NEWSSTAND
  Worldwide News
  Yes, you've heard it before: Worldwide News is the best newspaper and magazine shop in the county. But before you cover your eyes, consider this: Where else are you going to get Sunday editions of the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle on a Wednesday? What other store is bold enough... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO GET A USED BIKE
  Community Family Thrift Store
  You never know what you'll find at the back of this thrift store on Washington Avenue in the heart of South Beach. One day it's a well-worn 24-inch Huffy, the next it's a vintage model so solid it looks like it came straight from the set of The Bicycle Thief, complete with leather satchel under... More >>
• BEST REASON NOT TO GO TO COCOWALK
  Los Mojónes
  Mojónes is Spanish slang for "little shits." Who are the mojónes? They are those little underage turds who litter the streets of the Mayfair and crowd the sidewalk by Wet Willie's, trying and failing to get in. They plant themselves on the fountain trying to inhale the Russian... More >>
• BEST DIVE SHOP
  Aquaknots Dive Center
  The attitude of the owners of Aquaknots toward their dive classes is indicative of why they do so well: They just want everybody to join them and get wet. They run their scuba certification classes at cost; $200 buys you the two-week course (two nights a week), including equipment use and two... More >>
• BEST CAR WASH
  Sun Glo Car Wash
  This is one of those old washes in Westchester where your car changes hands between rag-wielding immigrants stationed on either side of a tunnel, where the lathering takes place. The quality of the wash is top-notch, as it should be for a business that's been operating continuously for 30... More >>
• BEST JUNK
  Shoppie Seconds
  Unaffected, in every way, by retro hype, Shoppie Seconds prices its wares, displayed in jumbled, Raiders of the Lost Ark warehouse-scene infinity, as if it realizes that some of this stuff is actually not very valuable. You can, nonetheless, snag authentic Atomic Age plastics, mad housewife... More >>
• BEST BOOKSTORE
  Books & Books
  Special bookstores are few and far between. If you merely wanted an infinite selection of books or endless browsing you could just go online or to the library, but then you'd miss out on what continues to make Books & Books the literary draw in South Florida: There's a sense of community -- of... More >>
• BEST PLANT NURSERY
  Santa Barbara Nursery
  In 1984 Harvard biologist Edward O. Wilson hypothesized the existence of biophilia, an "innately emotional affiliation of human beings to other living organisms." Parks and wilderness areas make people happy because of the abundance of life, according to Wilson's theory, and this holds true of a... More >>
• BEST BOTANICA
  Lucumi Botanica and Pet Shop
  Ay, Shangó! The business card for this metaphysical shop says it all. It depicts a cute little sand-colored kitten with a red handkerchief around his neck accenting two innocent green eyes. In big, bold Spanish letters the card says the shop has all types of animals for religious... More >>
• BEST BIRD SHOP
  Sinbad's Bird House
  You can't miss Sinbad's when driving down Bird Road thanks to its colorful mural of a rain forest on the side wall, but if it's a squawking, feathered friend you're looking for, you'd probably find your way to Sinbad's anyway. It's simply the biggest and best bird shop around. Not only is almost... More >>
• BEST VINTAGE STORE
  Sasparilla
  Old designers sure knew how to make clothes. Even 50 or 60 years later, dresses drape as if scientifically created to make women beautiful. Halston, Pucci, Gucci, and Gaultier are all philosophers of form. The only thing is, the women back then were a lot smaller. So a size 8 in vintage clothes... More >>
• BEST PLACE TO GET DREADLOCKS
  Happy 2 B Nappy Boutique
  Queen Goddess, owner of the Happy 2 B Nappy Boutique, can fix the limpest white boy's tresses into a nappy dreadlocked crown worthy of a prophet. She uses her own secret concoction of shea butter, aloe, herbs, and oils to nurture the hair and scalps of her clients while forming the ragamuffin... More >>
• BEST HEALTH FOOD STORE
  Wild Oats Natural Marketplace
  This particular outpost of the national chain is housed in the space formerly occupied by a Publix -- the giant, upside-down chevron sign still marks the entrance -- and its vast stock takes advantage of an uncluttered, well-lit ambiance not generally found in granola world. Organic produce and... More >>
• BEST VIDEO STORE
  New Concept Video
  For serious cinephiles looking to feed their home video jones, there have always been only two choices. Those living in the Coral Gables area flocked to Lion Video (thankfully resuscitated after some financial troubles), while Miami Beach-ers hit New Concept Video. For those residing somewhere... More >>
• BEST FLORIST
  Ruben's Flowers
  Small and unassuming (and totally outdoors), Ruben's flower stand is a landmark in the rapidly changing blood frenzy known as Coconut Grove real estate development. A tranquil, colorful oasis on the corner of Bird Avenue and Indiana Street (and across diagonally and directly from two looming... More >>
• BEST COSTUME SHOP
  Prop Central/Stylehaus
  Visiting film crews and local television commercial producers alike know Prop Central as their one-stop shop for period costumes. Every Halloween, however, Prop Central throws open its doors to the general public, outfitting a steady stream of firemen, marines, pirates, Twenties-styled flappers,... More >>
• BEST JUICE BAR
  Athens Juice Bar
  Athens is a fructose-drenched local landmark. For 62 years the same family has been squeezing, chopping, and crushing the succulence out of local produce (for the most part) and serving it in a variety of healthy ways. Vegetable and fruit juices, smoothies, and luxurious fruit salads festooned... More >>
• BEST PAWNSHOP
  I-95 Pawn
  True story: Vacationing Miami Beach homeowner returns to find house ransacked. Not much missing except one thing -- valuable painting, lifted off the wall and hustled away. Chances of recovery approach zero. Weeks later, somewhere in California, man purchases laptop computer via eBay. Receives... More >>
• BEST BARBERSHOP (1 Comment)
  Cutz
  A clean crop is very important among the increasingly metrosexualized male population. Even the ghetto-fabulous hip-hop sect is all about looking so fresh and so clean these days. But that doesn't mean you have to leave behind your gansta' flair for a fine fade. Cutz, located on Biscayne... More >>
• BEST DISCOUNT MEN'S CLOTHIER
  National Apparel
  Some people say the measure of a man is best assessed by the clothes he wears. In Miami, where physical appearance often outweighs substance, that sentiment rings true. But a well-dressed man doesn't have to break the bank to sport dapper duds. And you can forget the sales rack at Burdines. In... More >>
• BEST SOCCER SHOP
  Soccer Locker
  Ask a soccer mom around these parts about the best place to get a pair of Mitre spikes, Umbro apparel, or Diadora soccer balls for any young, happy-footed athlete who hopes to be the next Pelé or Mia Hamm, and her answer will always be Soccer Locker. That's why the place continues to win... More >>
• Personal Best
  Mario Ginoris
  While references to scuba diving plus spearfishing equal cinematic half-hallucinations from Jaws and The Deep for many, truth is that diving, like its unrefined cousin swimming, is a skill that can be learned as well as taught. The teaching part is where Aquaknots comes in -- the dive shop has a... More >>