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Best Dry Cleaner

Kim's Valet Cleaners

It's not often you see your dry cleaner at the opera and she gives you a kiss and a hug. But Kim Coe is not your average dry cleaner. She is a stain-removing savant. And although she's not the cheapest in town, she's worth every penny. Her small store on Biscayne Boulevard handles dry cleaning for several South Beach hotels and even Miami City Ballet. But she will just as happily hand-finish your suit ($14.50), pants ($6.75), or shirt or blouse ($6.25). She even does alterations. But the real reason we keep going back to Kim is that she's like the aunt we never had. When Coe arrived in the United States from South Korea just before Christmas 1970, she had nothing but her daughter and $10. Walk into her store today and you'll see a woman at home in her self-made empire, right down to her dog Sparky and the Girl Scout cookies she sells on behalf of neighborhood kids.

Best Laundromat

Coral Way Lavanderia

While nearby Mary's Coin Laundry and Deli lures students, foodies, and night owls with café con leche, Cubanos, and other culinary perks at its 24-hour lunch counter, the recently renovated Coral Way Lavenderia has made family its focus. The launderette's newly repainted walls are adorned with cute paintings by local kids, while arcade games and multiple TV sets keep the little ones occupied as you separate the whites from the colors. For adults, there's free Wi-Fi and a pair of computers so you can check your email without having to stuff your laptop into your already-heavy laundry bag. Laundry sucks. Luckily, Lavanderia doesn't.

Best Swimwear Shop

Onda de Mar

Every girl needs a great swimmy. It's imperative to the very nature of our femininity. Onda de Mar has our backs every time we stop in. To start, the bathing suits are beautiful and simple. The selection is high-end designer wear (ladies' suits mostly range from $180 to $200), but the store frequently has awesome sales of 50 percent off. The swimwear style is primarily European, which is fantastic because it's a change from the typical tacky, neon prints we see in most other Miami swim shops. Guys, no baggy trunks here. If you want a clean-cut look, this is your place. And ladies, the only decision you'll have to make is which pattern looks better on you: solids, stripes, or polka dots.

Best Psychic

Sandra Cheryl Richardson

Skeptical or not, it's human nature to want to know what the future holds. But the average psychic always says you'll be going on a trip very soon or that the man of your dreams is just a failed relationship away. The more cunning ones will say you need to fork over more cash to get rid of some supposed curse or, worse, the evil eye. That's where Sandra Cheryl Richardson is different. The psychic, author, lecturer, and paranormal investigator isn't looking to deceive you. For $65 for a half-hour or $120 for a full hour, Richardson, a practicing wiccan priestess for more than 20 years, will read you the tarot cards or your aura and give you advice — that's the key difference, advice. She's more counselor than snake oil saleswoman, and perhaps that's why her customers are also her most ardent supporters. Richardson likewise teaches classes on developing your psychic powers and understanding the spiritual world. And you better believe there's an app for that — you can take Richardson on the go with the Wiccan Sabbats app (available in the iTunes Store). And even if you're not interested in a reading, perusing through Celestial Treasures' retail space is a must. There you'll find everything for the avid psychic enthusiast, including books, stones, tarot cards, and a chance to sign up for workshops.

  • 3444 Main Highway, Coconut Grove, 33133 Map

Best Body Piercing

New Age Body Piercing

Ever wanted something pierced? Ever wanted something naughty pierced? We know we're not alone, and so does New Age Body Piercing in the Grove. For 11 years at their Grand Avenue location, artists have been piercing every body part from head to toe. With the cleanliness of the facility, friendliness and professionalism of the staff, and affordable prices, you'll never feel better about fulfilling your masochistic tendencies. New Age Body Piercing has a plethora of body jewelry, from studs to spacers to barbells, so you'll definitely find something to suit your fancy — and to fit your new hole. The average piercing costs about $45, depending upon the jewelry.

Best Tattoo Shop

Salvation Tattoo

Getting new ink is comparable to experiencing a major life event. You're essentially branding yourself with something you won't mind seeing forever. You might have a few stamps already — whether you got them in a drunken stupor one night in college or after having an epiphany, words, shapes, and pictures are all fair game in the tango between ink and skin. The first thing to do after you've decided on a tattoo is to choose a good place. It's imperative that it's clean, licensed, and safe. Friendly — and most important, patient — artists and staff are always a plus. You can get all of that at the finest tat shop in town: Salvation Tattoo on Washington Avenue. With its sultry purple-neon interior, comfortable couches, and topnotch artists, you can ink your body in style. It's only a $50 deposit for your appointment (with tattoo prices varying based on the complexity of the design), so the time is right to finally get that "Mom" in a heart you've always dreamed about.

Best Flea Market

Flea Market USA

It's Saturday morning. Grab your boo. Jump in the whip. And go get a fade, a weave, a brand-new nail job, and matching two-for-one tattoos at Flea Market USA. Tucked behind a ten-foot-tall chainlink fence, flying a bunch of tattered American flags, and painted faded shades of red, white, and blue, this enormous Liberty City shopping spot and ersatz community center is the epitome of 21st-century American capitalism in action. It's filled with teen loiterers, bargain-starved customers, and hard-hustling small-business people manning bootleg-movie tables, dollar stores, Chinese junk joints, barbershops, beauty salons, tattoo booths, and grub stalls. There's even a bunch of (rarely operational) indoor carnival rides for the kiddies. So whether you just need to stay fresh for Saturday night or your shopping list includes a samurai sword with a flashlight for a handle, a few vials of royal ginseng jelly, Hot Latin Head on DVD, a neon Jesus clock, or a supposedly "platinum" pendant shaped like a set of testicles, this is the place. Welcome to the USA, where ballin' on a budget never stops.

Best Lingerie Shop

Oh la la Cheri

Gentlemen, please listen up. When it comes to buying your favorite lady revealing bedroom attire, do yourself a favor and skip the hoochie stores you might find adjacent to I-95 or the Palmetto Expressway. Show her you appreciate her lovely figure with the most refined undergarments this side of Paris. Headquartered in downtown Miami, Oh là là Chéri adds a sophisticated French flair to its wide array of reasonably priced bras, panties, bustiers, and baby-doll nightgowns, made from the finest blends of lace and satin that will have your fair maiden enthusiastically modeling for your pleasure seven nights a week. And Oh là là Chéri understands that beauty runs from size small to extra-extra-large, so even pleasantly plump sweethearts can feel seductive. "Lingerie is meant to be very special," Oh là là Chéri owner Nicolas Attard says. "A woman wants to feel good and sexy when she puts it on. So I put a lot of passion into our undergarments." Items in Attard's line range from $3.50 to $89.99.

Best Action Figure Store

Man of Action Figures

After operating for the past few years as a family-owned online store, Man of Action Figures decided to buck the e-commerce trend by opening a brick-and-mortar outpost in Cutler Bay. Even if you haven't played with an action figure since your mother sold your Boba Fett at a yard sale (dammit, Mom!), this place is bound to make the kid in you as excited as if he just chased an entire package of Sour Patch Kids with a liter of Mountain Dew. Fight the urge to call Mom to demand a set of X-Men mini-mates, a 25th anniversary G.I. Joe, and the entire collection of WWE Classic Superstars figures. You make your own money now, remember? So calmly put the phone back in your pocket and buy yourself that Boba Fett. You know you want it. You deserve it. Oh, and pick up something for your own kid while you're at it.

Best Hobby Shop

Hobby Pro Inc.

Truly old-school Miamians who loved playing with remote control model toys back in the day probably remember a spot in Allapattah they could always count on. Tucked inside an old bowling alley on NW 36th Street at Ninth Avenue, Orange Blossom Hobbies was packed with people buying the latest RC cars, trucks, planes, and boats. Michael Jones remembers it too. He worked the counter there on and off for 25 years, starting when he was 10 years old. Today, the remote control buff is hoping to re-create the familial ambiance he came to know and love until Orange Blossom closed in the mid-'00s. The Homestead native and his wife Shannon opened Hobby Pro in October 2011 on the second floor of a retail plaza facing the south runway of Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport. The couple stocks a wide array of gas- and electric-powered model vehicles and parts. If it's not in stock, you can place an order via Hobby Pro's website. "We're slowly building our inventory," Shannon notes. The shop carries an abundance of Traxxas brand electric RC toys, including the company's popular monster truck replicas such as Grave Digger, with prices ranging from $200 to $500. You can also pick up models for under $150, and at least once a month Hobby Pro hosts its Sunday Funday, when enthusiasts can play in the parking lot.

Best Of Miami®

Best Of Miami®

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