Attention, ladies: When you see a man carrying an Arrive shopping bag, it's safe to say that he just might have more style than you do. As one of the hippest clothing stores on South Beach, Arrive modestly touts itself as "the premier lifestyle destination for the ever-growing young and travel-minded jet-set consumer." When you walk through the glass doors, you better have cash or plastic. Or both — because looking good can hurt so bad, at least in the wallet. We're talking $250 to $480 for Y-3 tennis shoes. It can cost the same to clad your torso with ¨ber-cool labels like Chip & Pepper, Evisu, Nicole Farhi, Alexander McQueen, and the store's own line of essential luggage pieces. Arrive has a selection of women's wear, too, but clearly, this is a man's world.

Located in a green building in the middle of a residential neighborhood booming with new condos, Green's has been around since 1954. It originally belonged to Henry and Sam Green, but since 1982 the Triana family has continued the tradition of automotive repair. Says Orestes Triana: "We fix it right the first time," which must be why Wackenhut and Supra Telecom trust the place with their fleet work. "We've been here so many years that the trust we have with our clients, it's beyond anything else. We take the time to explain your options, why we should do certain things." Say you drive a Toyota and need your brake pads and rotors refaced. Expect to pay $120 to $140, or about $200 if you drive a Ford Expedition. A complete A/C check, including dye to spot leaks and a Freon top-off, will run you $80. Students and University of Miami employees get a ten percent discount. Whyç Because, Triana says, "I've seen grandfathers, fathers, third-generations bring the cars to us." And Green's Garage wants to keep it that way.

Conveniently located next to the Bottoms Up Strip Club on Southwest Eighth Street, Miami Police Supply has been satisfying gun lovers since 1989. Check out the Glocks, AK-47s, and semiautomatics on display. "Everything that a government agency would need, we have," says the store's owner, Javier Alonzo. Stun guns, batons, gas masks, Tasers, and other military weapons designed to protect you from terrorists are available here. Need an armored, covered vehicle with bulletproof windows and sirens? How about a trained police dog? Or maybe just some pepper spray? This is the place. Of course, you are not allowed to try out the Glock before you purchase it; there is a five-day background check; you must be a U.S. citizen; and it is illegal to impersonate a cop. But again, Bottoms Up is right next door.

In a town where stray bullets are a major problem, there appears to be only one solution: a four-pound revolver that fires shotgun shells. That's right, shotgun shells.The Thunder 5 (named for its five-round capacity) is manufactured by three old fellas up in Piney Flats, Tennessee. But John Lindahl, the only guy who distributes the Thunder 5, lives (where else?) right here in South Florida. It's too big for stickup men. Too short-ranged for drive-bys. But it's just right for the guy trying to clear out his hallways in the middle of the night without having to worry about killing anyone in the next room. It costs $545, plus $15 for shipping and handling. But wouldn't you expect to pay that much money to be able to fire shotgun shells out of your handç

If you lack fond memories of your dad taking you down to the crick to shoot cans with an old .22, don't despair. Every Thursday night a quasi-, semi-paramilitary band of folks gathers to shoot. They don't pussy around either. They run, hit the dirt, and switch hands. And if you have the cash, you can join 'em — and even take an all-day course: How's about tactical carbineç Or shotgunç Or learning how to waste would-be carjackers from behind the wheel of a rental carç Well, it'll cost you $150 a day for each class, but how else you gonna learnç The Tactical Firearms Academy was started by a captain of the Broward County Sheriff's Office sniper team, Dave Sanders, but has since been taken over by his disciples John Gardner and Andy Blaschik. They're nicer than you'd expect them to be. All in all, it's good times at the academy — unless you're a convicted felon. Then you can't play. Otherwise you just need a valid concealed weapons license.

A car wash that got a nod from Gourmet magazineç If it serves tapas, wine, beer — even raspberry lambic — why notç Karma's well-designed waiting room is decorated in soothing shades of indigo and has copies of gossip magazines and the New York Times. If you're getting your car detailed during breakfast, they have espresso and pain au chocolat. In the afternoon and evening, enjoy a plate of olives and cheese with a Belgian beer while your car is getting shiny. After 8:00 p.m., the car wash closes but the bar stays open as a lounge, with a DJ on Thursdays. Washes start at $17 and can go as high as $149. There's also a 25 percent discount for hybrid cars.

Lurking behind a nondescript sign advertising "Videos and DVDs" and a window full of highly descriptive accessories is Sensations Video. It's a friendly store where clerks won't ask you what you are looking for or pester you with sales pitches. Nobody wants to know how your day was or what size and color you need. You're free to peacefully roam the aisles looking at butt plugs the size of funerary urns and pictures of wholesome-looking girls wearing strap-ons. Should you want to view a video, there are booths in the back where not a single person wants to know whether it was a thumbs-up or thumbs-down in there. Yes, it's a great little store where it's best to ask as few questions as possible. Though it would have been nice to know if that item we bought was a bong, a dildo, or both.

Have a few beers before heading into this place. Once you're in, you'll be privy to one of the largest selections of weird porn the world over. You can't beat the tranny collection: They have Asian T-Girl Latex Nurses AND Teenage Transsexual Nurses 2. You'd think the Internet revolution would have wiped a joint like this off the face of the Earth. But it's odd and nice to know that it didn't. "Make sure to put that David Machado is the best employee," requested a pale, pony-tailed clerk from behind the counter. Machado's mother and father are no doubt glad they freed their son David from Castro's iron grip at the tender age of seven. Had he remained on the island, he might have never had the liberties and opportunities he has here. Could someone ring that motherin' Liberty BellçMachado mostly works nights, helping customers with their queries. Most people keep to themselves, however, especially during the morning shift. The "video store," he sighs, will go the way of the "record shop." It's all about the DVD these days. And Adult Video Connection is in the process of selling off its VHS stock. So if you're hangin' on to your VCR and you love porn, now is your time to strike.

From its small storefront on Washington Avenue, Grooveman has weathered the supposed deaths and rebirths of South Beach as well as the supposed deaths and rebirths of dance music. One death it won't accept, though, is that of the twelve-inch. Sure, CDs and MP3s might be convenient, but for the faction of DJs who worship at the altar of the wax slab, Grooveman is a temple. The whole spectrum of dance and electronic music, as well as a smattering of quality hip-hop, is represented here, with singles neatly lining the perimeter of the store's white, minimalist interior. The stock is easy to navigate, with records filed by genre and record label. A bank of turntables in the middle provides plenty of listening stations where you can preview potential purchases. And to keep the spinning smooth, there is also a small but well-curated selection of decks, cartridges, and other DJ accessories.

This roomy record shop packs in everything from classic Spanish zarzuelas to vintage Argentine tangos within the walls of its Calle Ocho locale. In Miami for more than twenty years, Casino bills itself as "the paradise for record collectors," and it's got the musical goods to prove it. Limited-edition box sets of rare Spanish folk music from groups like Los Chavales de España abound, as do discs by acts from hard-to-find genres such as folklore Andino (Andes folk), Latin spoken-word poetry, and Sixties Latin pop. If an item isn't in stock, you can order it on the premises, by phone, or through Casino's Website (it's in Spanish). The shop also carries an extensive DVD collection that covers perennial live concert favorites such as Celia Cruz and the Fania All-Stars in Africa and an assortment of foreign films, particularly from the Italian and French cinema (all dubbed in Spanish, of course).