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Shopping in Boston

in 2000

Adult Store

Hubba Hubba

This place has something-a laid-back vibe, an aura of confidence and understanding-that other adult shops aim for but typically miss. This makes shopping here all the easier for those not in the know, whether you’re a first-timer with whips or a veritable chef with body sauces. 534 Massachusetts Avenue

Affordable Antiques

Consignment Galleries

If you’ve tried to furnish your first apartment or looked for that much-needed desk or even a lamp, you know what the prices are. And we’re not even talking period pieces-just something of a certain age, with that certain feel, at the right price. We’ve found a good selection of four-drawer chests between $220 and $450; a mahogany twin-pedestal dining table for $550; a carved oak mirror for $95; an oak china cabinet for $275; and a set of 10 Maddox cups and saucers for $65. If your grandmother did not leave you anything, this is for you. 2044 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge.

 

Art Gallery

Bernard Toale

Toale wins this year not just for his keen eye but for his moxie. When all five gallery owners at 11 Newbury Street were forced to leave in April because of an outrageous rent hike, all but Toale went across the street to 14 Newbury Street. He boldly chose to move to the South End, adding his adventurous style to a handful of galleries that are trying to turn this area into Boston’s version of SoHo. 450 Harrison Avenue, Boston

 

Art Supply Store

Pearl Art & Craft Supplies

From gooey finger paint to the finest in oils, this is the place for artists of all sizes. The store offers multi-colored pleasures, like markers, crayons, and spray paint. The tools of the trade are all here, too, including paint brushes, drafting tables, and portfolios. There is also a wide selection of stationery and greeting cards. The three-story shop even carries Bob Ross brand art supplies and paint. You’ll be making happy little trees in no time. 579 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge

 

Athletic Clothing

City Sports

With so many locations to choose from, City Sports is the best stop for service and selection-sporting equipment from rollerblades to swim goggles as well as end-of-season sales worth waiting for. Check local newspapers for daily coupons. Guaranteed to unleash your inner jock. All locations.

 

Bathroom Fixtures

Splash

You could quite feasibly get lost as you wander from room to room. Wait…there’s the gang-waterfall-shower-stall, so you’re almost back to the front door. In addition to configurations you never dreamed a sink or tub could take (basins hand-painted with fairy tales for the kids; glass cones for mod grownups), there are so many varieties of faucets and knobs that you want to throw in the towel. Just give me water! 244 Needham Street, Newton

Beer Selection, Retail

Downtown Wine and Spirits

Not for nothing the motto, “From beer to eternity.” Downtown stocks more than 650 brews drawn from nearly every continent (at last check, Antarctica was still brewery-free). If you can’t find a particular favorite in stock, give the staff a few days to fetch it for you. 225 Elm Street, Somerville

 

Bicycle store

Belmont Wheelworks

Cycling enthusiasts from across the country-including three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond-pedal to Wheelworks for its competitive prices and great service. Customization doesn’t get better than this: Three-time Olympian John Allis, a partner in the store, helps fit you to a bike or builds you one from scratch. You can even test ride the large selection on a nearby off-road course. Around the corner, Wheelworks Too offers closeouts, older models, and used bicycles at lower prices. 480 Trapelo Road, Belmont

 

Bookstore, cookbooks

New England Mobile Book Fair

Nobody has a more luscious selection of cookbooks than this mammoth warehouse on the Newton/Needham line. Your 15-year-old just became a vegan? Hosting 60 people for Indonesian rijsttaffel? Next aisle. The shelf for French cookbooks alone is 12 feet long; a tour of the 7-foot-high shelves is a foodie’s armchair trip around the world. 82 Needham Street, Newton Highlands

 

Bookstore, General, Urban

WordsWorth Books

Much more than best-sellers and self-help, this complex two-story shrine to the written word stocks and discounts almost everything from Aristotle to Zagat’s. Books are displayed in a way that makes bibliophiles quiver-it’s kind of a cocktail party for readers, with quirky reads scattered throughout the stacks. Bonus: Great people-watching, especially if you’re studying, say, the sociology of the attempted literary pickup scene. 30 Brattle Street, Harvard Square, Cambridge.

 

Bookstore, General, Suburban

Borders

As much as we hate to say it, Borders is elevating the culture quotient in the suburbs. If only it weren’t a chain. Live jazz and book signings, readings by local authors, and generally knowledgeable sales help. The stores are always well laid out, with plenty of room for sitting down and perusing a book you might or might not want to buy (how can they afford so many of us freeloaders?). All locations.

 

Bookstore, Specialty

Globe Corner Bookstore

This is the place to satisfy literary wanderlust, from Boston to Bangladesh to Beijing. Seating makes longer browsing more comfy. And the staff doesn’t seem to mind, even when you pull out a pad and take notes on hotel and restaurant phone numbers. Now, if they’d just install a phone for making the reservations. 500 Boylston Street, Boston

 

BookStore, Used

Boston Book Annex

Signs of authenticity in the book world: the musty smell of old paper and bindings; the creak of the wooden floorboards; a house cat lounging on the counter as if she owns the place. Add seemingly endless warrens of well-organized books and you have the prototype for the perfect used bookstore. Room after room has been organized here into such eccentric but irresistible categories as “Polar Exploration” and “Disasters.” The store also offers recent releases and first editions. (A larger collection of rare books is in the company’s 705 Centre Street branch in Jamaica Plain.) 908 Beacon Street, Boston.

 

Career wear, Women’s

Tess

The store may be next to Urban Outfitter’s, but the sensibility is more uptown than downtown. For serious career women who eschew the trendy and transient, there’s a great selection of classic suits and dresses, shirts, and accessories from Italy. Salespeople keep a general list of what repeat customers buy each season. 20 Brattle Street, Cambridge

 

Cashmere sweater

Alan Bilzerian

With cashmere making an impressive showing on big-name designer runways this year, the once-snooty yarn has shaken its stuffy twin set and pearls image. Alan and Be Bilzerian have been addicted to designing and manufacturing cashmere sweaters since Be found out she was allergic to wool. Alas, while cashmere has broken free from the land of country clubs and debutantes, the prices still require a trust fund or two. 34 Newbury Street, Boston 617-536-1001; 1241 Centre Street, Newton

 

Casual Wear, Women’s

agnes b.

There is an art to dressing down, but most people usually head to the nearest Gap or Banana Republic. Throw the flair back into casual Fridays with a visit to agnes b. The place is a gold mine for fashionable yet fuss-free clothing. Signature pieces like fleece cardigans with snaps, well-cut T-shirts and simple dresses, pants and skirts fit nicely into a working gal’s wardrobe and her budget. 172 Newbury Street, Boston

 

CD Store, New

Tower Records

No babel in this Tower, but a vertical, sensible, well-delineated selection of everything you’re looking for, whether in the roomful of world music or on that rack of local bands. Can’t decide? Ample sampler booths stand at the ready, a necessary pleasure when the staff knows less than it should. 360 Newbury Street, Boston

 

CD Store, Used

Disc Diggers

A wide selection of prices is as important as a solid choice of music, and Disc Diggers has both. It also has CDs as low as $0.99, plenty of jazz, discounts on new music, a full shelf of used videos, and probably even that disc you’re looking for. What you won’t find here is the claustrophobic clutter so common to secondhand shops. 401 Highland Avenue, Somerville

 

 

Children’s Clothing, Casual

The Red Wagon

A fun and funky kids clothing store is long overdue, and The Red Wagon fills the bill, whether you’ve got a newborn or a kid wearing up to size seven. The store is toddler friendly and run by local moms-usually with their kids in tow. 26 Common Street, Charlestown

 

Children’s Clothing, Special Occasion

Kenzie Kids

Pssst, admit it. Half the pleasure of having kids is dressing them up. The recently expanded Kenzie Kids (grown from one storefront to two) has a party dress section guaranteed to satisfy any little princess and proud queen mother. A section for the boys decks them out like miniature prepsters or young Eurodandies in natty vests, navy blazers, Italian wool Bermuda shorts, seersucker suits, and collarless shirts. The Mall at Chestnut Hill, 199 Boylston Street, Chestnut Hill

 

Children’s Shoes

Varese Shoes

This is the place for parents tired of chain stores and brands, logos, and swooshes. For more than 40 years, Mario Corsaro has been buying classic, supple leather Italian shoes for children. His staff is trained in the art of fitting small feet-they will not sell you a shoe that does not fit. Just don’t expect any sneakers with flashing lights. 285 Hanover Street, Boston

 

Coats, Men’s

Burberry’s

This is Burberry’s? If you are wedded to the image of Burberry’s as catering to a stiff-upper-lip, sensible shoe-wearing clientele, think again. Sure, you can still buy the classic trench, but the store is moving away from its ultra-conservative roots and getting a little hipper. The men’s overcoats range from traditional toppers to wool and cashmere overcoats, shearlings and leather jackets-in short, something for everyone. 2 Newbury Street, Boston

 

Coats, Women’s

Akris

Luxurious double-faced cashmere, the basis of an Akris coat, keeps out the cold and looks great in the process. (A novel concept in fashion: practicality.) The coat collection here is all about fabric and tailoring, exquisite wraps for the consumer who lives and buys by the maxim quality, not quantity. As one faithful customer pointed out: “They’re forever.” Better be, at these prices. 16 Newbury Street, Boston.

 

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