Best Botánica 2000 | Vierge Miracle and Saint Philippe Botánica | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Miami | Miami New Times
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Best Botánica

Vierge Miracle and Saint Philippe Botánica

For practitioners of Santería and vodou, mystery has always been the vessel of the sacred. Since the days of colonialism, when slaves kept African gods alive by cloaking them with the names of Catholic saints, keeping a secret has meant preserving one's culture. Although the world has changed, practitioners of syncretic religions today are as secretive as ever. Indeed reticence may be the very measure of quality. This year's choice shop for incense, spell-casting oils, and books of the trade is Vierge Miracle and Saint Philippe Botánica. For days the female attendant at this shop kept New Times at bay, refusing to answer even the most basic questions. The store's façade is playfully decorated in purple-painted faux bricks. Ezili Dantó, a mother-warrior spirit depicted as the Virgin Mother with child, is painted high above the entrance doors. Compas music from a nearby record store flows through the incense-scented air inside. Colorful, sequined libation bottles featuring deities' pictures fill the top rows of a glass-enclosed bookshelf. And in a nod to Afro-Cuban culture, you can find candles and perfume staples like Rompe Brujo (spell breaker), Intranquilo (restless), and Ven-a-mi (come to me). For serious ailments of the body and soul, a consultation with owner Elsie Joseph is recommended. If lack of faith puts a damper on your cure, the vibrant colors of Little Haiti street life at NE 59th Street and Second Avenue will chase away those doubt-creating spirits.

Best Art-Supply Store

The Palette

Old school is the way Sidney Kaufman describes his one-of-a-kind arts emporium. Indeed this spacious shop is frozen in time. At the 24-year-old Palette, you can find graphic-arts supplies that haven't been available in most stores since the dawn of the computer age. Transfer type, which was used to do layout before the advent of Quark, can be purchased here. But it won't be around for long. Manufacturers have stopped making it, complains Kaufman, who has been in the business 55 years. The Palette also offers stuff to get you started on blast-from-the-past art forms like screen printing, block printing, calligraphy, and bumper-sticker making. Of course there timeless oil paints are available in every hue imaginable. Watercolors and acrylics abound. And there are fiber-tip pens, charcoal, drafting gear, easels, china markers, artists' pencils, and recycled artist paper. Art students even get discounts at the Palette. "We try to look out for them," says Kaufman with a sympathetic smile.

Best Fantasy Clothes

Oxys Fantasy Co.

Marriage stale? Bored with your boyfriend? Feeling more stagnant than sexy? Before hunting for a divorce lawyer or breaking the monotony with small animals, try Oxys. Almost every clothing fantasy is accommodated in this emporium, which offers wares that make Victoria's Secret's selection seem like Sunday-school attire. In the front room are fantasy outfits like jungle girl or French maid, as well as a wide range of thongs, teddies, nightgowns, crotchless panties, and bustiers. The message is clear: Less is definitely more. The most popular color seems to be fire-engine red. The back room holds novelty items -- whips, vibrators, lotions, and edible undies. "It lets you keep on being creative, baby," says store owner Barbara Houghton, who has catered to adventurous patrons for the past ten years. Oxys is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Best Place For DJs To Buy Vinyl

Yesterday & Today Dance Music

If you want to track down your favorite DJ during daylight hours, head for the row of turntables inside Yesterday & Today, which retains its long-time position as ground zero for the doyens of clubland. The reasons are simple: a friendly and knowledgeable staff, weekly infusions of new releases (including a steady stream of white-label twelve-inchers), and a mellow vibe that's conducive to hanging out and catching up on the latest dance-scene gossip. Best of all, hometown hero DJ Stryke has recently returned to his place behind the counter, and he's spiced up the store's stock with some left-field techno and experimental grooves.

Best Gun Shop

Lou's Gunshop and Police Supply

It's hard to find a knowledgeable gun owner who recommends any place other than Lou's. All the brands are in stock: Smith & Wesson, Sig Sauer, Colt, Beretta, Taurus, Glock, et cetera. And of course all the ammo and accessories are here, too. But that isn't really what sets Lou's apart. It's no secret the gun industry is going through some big changes, and independent stores are having a hard time of it. Gun shows are taking away a lot of business, and anti-gun sentiment is forcing many owners to feel and act persecuted. Substantial numbers of local retailers have closed in the past few years. Lou's, however, has retained a solid clientele by selling weapons for the best prices and providing up-front, honest information about arms and the laws that govern their use. Owner Lou Garcia is a former law-enforcement officer, and his staff knows their product. "Lou's a straight-shooter," unintentionally puns a veteran gun enthusiast and collector. "Good prices. Just go in and buy the damn gun, legally of course.... I would say I've never heard anyone say anything bad about Lou, whereas most of these other [gun dealers] I wouldn't turn my back on."

Best Bookstore

Books & Books

Courtesy of Books & Books
After so many years it's reassuring that owner Mitchell Kaplan sometimes answers the telephone at Books & Books. Aside from their many tangible qualities -- a great selection, regular readings by nationally and internationally known authors, and a cool kids' section -- the stores are distinctive because they have improved and evolved while retaining their essential charm. Last year Kaplan took the cyberspace plunge. And coming in October: a new home. Kaplan plans to move the Gables store from its present location to the Mediterranean-style historic building (265 Aragon Ave.) across the street. The move will double the size to more than 6000 square feet and allow for a courtyard cafe. All is not copacetic, though. Kaplan's smooth monotone belies his anxiety. "It's a risky time in the book business," he volunteers. It's another big investment in a literate community, whose support, the bookseller is quick to point out, has allowed his business to survive.

Best Spanish-Language Newsstand

Guido's Stand

Although he's only worked here for thirteen years, Guido Dominguez claims a newsstand has been on this corner for forty-three years. If that's true the place is almost half as old as the City of Miami. As the number of bilingual citizens has grown, so has the quantity of reading material in languages other than English, Dominguez says. Four decades ago there weren't many Chileans around to buy the newspaper El Mercurio, which today figures prominently in the racks. In bygone days soccer didn't register as a sport in Miami; today soccer magazines El Gráfico and Don Balon are fast-selling items. Long ago Brazilians rarely visited downtown Miami; now Brasileros often grab O Estado de São Paulo. There also are entertainment magazines such as Caras (kind of like People's Spanish-language edition) and the famous TV y Novelas (sort of like Soap Opera Digest but with more flair). News magazines such as Año Cero also abound. For the less serious reader, there's El Condorito, a comic-book series featuring guess what bird.

Best Design Firm That Doubles As A Record Store

Plex

Look closely at the most creative flyers touting the barrage of DJ events in Miami, and you're sure to spot the Plex credit. The firm is the creation of graphic-design team Steven Castro and Rick Garrido, who have done some gleefully twisted stuff. Less well-known is the appointment-only record store the duo operates out of their Lincoln Road office. The selection isn't voluminous but the accent is on quality, not quantity. They peddle vinyl that's truly underground (and otherwise impossible to find in this neck of the swamp), from off-kilter artists such as Detroit's neoelectro tweaker Ectomorph, Minneapolis idm creepy-crawler Jake Mandell, and Berlin's dubbed-out Chain Reaction crew.

Best Flea Market

Opa-locka/Hialeah Flea Market

Entering this flea market seems like a trip to the Caribbean. Meandering among the throngs of customers that cram the hundreds of stalls every weekend, one can hear a Jamaican lilt, Haitian patois, and Dominican-accented Spanish. The blaring music is equally eclectic; it ranges from gospel to salsa. You can buy almost anything here, from palm readings to power tools. The most frequently proffered items, though, seem to be toiletries and children's clothes. At the southeast end's bustling food market, you can purchase fruits, vegetables, fish, and meat. Or you can enjoy fresh-squeezed orange juice and coconut milk. Settle back. Take your time. You're in the islands now.

Best Bike Shop

Broken Spoke Bicycles

If you're a yuppie, this may not be the place for you. It's not in hip South Beach. Not even in kinda-hip South Miami. It's on NW Seventh Avenue, in an area some might charitably call industrial. And hey, there's not a lot of Lycra here, but there is a 1973 Orange Crate stingray, which sells for $2200. Owner Chris Marshall has rented bikes to movie and television producers, including the hipsters who made There's Something About Mary. And Broken Spoke is one of Florida's oldest cycleries, having opened nearby in 1944; it's been in its present location since 1976. The store has a few road bikes and a solid collection of off-road models at decent prices. Marshall, who sponsors a team of off-road racers, was instrumental in setting up a cycling course in Oleta State Park, and he's advocating for another at Miami-Dade's Amelia Earhart Park. What's more important, Marshall fixes flats for kids who need help, just like neighborhood bike peddlers of yore. "We are a family shop," Marshall says emphatically.

Best Of Miami®

Best Of Miami®

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