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• Best Experts on the Great Outdoors
  Adventure 16 Outdoor and Travel Outfitters
  Hardcore hikers and backpackers typically go to two places for expedition equipment: REI or Adventure 16. REI's stuff tends to be less expensive, but Adventure 16, particularly the larger West Los Angeles location, is the place to go if you want to talk to someone who really knows a Marmot... More >>
• Best L.A. Record Store
  Amoeba Records
  It's a music retail ghost town, yes. We don't need to be reminded. Those were our jobs, and our expense accounts, and our backstage passes, that vanished along with the neighborhood record stores. Gone are Aron's, Sea Level and Tower, ashes to ashes, funk to funky. Last year the Virgin on Sunset... More >>
• Best Fashion and Art Mixtape (1 Comment)
  Ooga Booga
  Wendy Yao, local artist and den mother of L.A.'s burgeoning Chinatown scene, curates her store, Ooga Booga, with all the thought and precision of a carefully selected mixtape made for a longtime friend. Clothes and bags mingle with prints, books, zines and one-of-a-kind items. Sometimes there... More >>
• Best Costco of Thrift Stores
  Lincoln Heights St. Vincent de Paul
  Everyone has their own favorite neighborhood thrift store, the name and location of which they guard with the close-lipped fervor of Allied operatives keeping state secrets from the Nazis. Each store specializes in merchandise subject to the individual whims of its proprietor. Aardvark's Odd Ark... More >>
• L.A.'s best comic book shops: Best Overall
  Meltdown Comics and Collectables
  If you're in a hurry on a new-release Wednesday and don't have the time or desire to make the rounds to the many small suppliers that dot the city, Meltdown is your one-stop shop, the Amoeba of the L.A. comic scene. Walk in and drown in the colors that pour from each rack, the Smiths'... More >>
• L.A.'s Best Comic Book Shops: Fine-Art Comic Store
  Family
  It's a distinction that enthusiasts will probably quibble with — each comic freak is convinced that his genre of choice features the "finest" "art" (well, maybe not manga obsessives, who surely must acknowledge that the majority of its practitioners employ a lesser, more regimented... More >>
• L.A.'s Best Comic Book Shops: Comics Curators
  Secret Headquarters
  In addition to having the best comic-store name, one that captures the mysterious allure of the comics underworld and the warped brains that inhabit it, Secret Headquarters at Sunset Junction is a mighty little store that manages to fit a surprisingly deep catalog into its compact confines. It... More >>
• Best Place to Buy Someone Else's Memories
  Melrose Trading Post (stall #67C)
  Holy cheese, the world is an amazing and horrifying place, and the proof lies in big cardboard boxes in Mark Kologi's photo stall at the labyrinthine Melrose Trading Post. Here are countless examples of the Freak Parade that is the human race. Each box is filled with thousands of little... More >>
• Best Saints for Sinners
  The God Shop Gallery
  There's not much sinning to be done in Burbank. There are more than a dozen churches in the city, and while nearby North Hollywood boasts six strip clubs (even conservative Glendale has a gentleman's club), the only breasts you'll see in Burbank are dipped in batter and fried at the local... More >>
• Best Drinking and Dressing
  Enid & Edgar Vintage
  Dub night at the Echoplex and the DJs are hypnotic, the rappers phenomenal. I don't drink too much, and soak it up afterward with a tofu dog from the street vendor — grilled jalapeños and everything. Then I walk a few feet down Glendale Boulevard into Enid & Edgar, an... More >>
• Best Doggy Lunch Stop
  Pussy & Pooch
  Pussy & Pooch, a chic dog (and, yes, cat) boutique in downtown's Arts District, is the ultimate place to spoil your dog's appetite. The entrepreneurs behind this dog oasis created the "Pawbar," which looks like an ordinary bar, except for the holes cut out in the floor, and the squares of... More >>
• Best Doggy Fashion
  Woof Dog Boutique
  Does Sparky really want to go for a walk and exercise? Or has he been dreaming of trying on a ballerina costume? Treat drama-queen dogs to a fashion adventure at Woof in Atwater Village, where their wildest costume dreams will be fulfilled. Whether it's a pirate hat, pink wig or sailor outfit,... More >>
• Best Men's Hat Store That Isn't Really a Men's Hat Store
  Helping Hand Thrift Store
  Fairfax Avenue's tiny Ethiopian District gets a lot of press for its cafés and the very fact of its continuing survival just south of Mid-Wilshire's ever-expanding luxury housing, museums and eateries. Easy to miss in this tattered shopping district is one quirky store — part junk... More >>
• Best Museum Gift Shop
  Huntington Library Bookstore & More
  The happeningest place at any museum, aside from the courtyard coffee cart, is the gift shop. The one at MOCA in New York is almost as legendary as the museum itself. The shop at Armand Hammer Museum in Westwood has a stellar collection of whimsical toys and modern doodads, and I'd wager that... More >>
• Best Fine Art on the Cheap
  Peter Vanstone Inc.
  There's a funny little stretch of Sunset that climbs the hill just east of Silver Lake Boulevard to a place where the war between immigrant shopping strip and Echo Park hipster hangout has not, and might never be, settled. And it's here, along a dusty curb and behind an alluring store window... More >>
• Best Steals and Deals on Robertson: Boutique for Bratz
  Kira Plastinina
  Even before Robertson Boulevard topped Rodeo Drive as the most star-studded street in the universe, it was a steady style stop for babes with big bucks. The Ivy's $30 salads aside, celebs come to the street for stores like Intermix and Curve, whose well-edited selections of seasonally chic... More >>
• Best Steals and Deals on Robertson: Keeping Up With the Rich Bitches (2 Comments)
  Kitson Outlet
  The most famous store on Robertson, Kitson, obviously isn't a place for the frugal to flock — it's all high-end brands or overpriced stuff you can get much better deals on elsewhere. The Kitson Outlet down the street is another story. Shockingly, the discount space hasn't received a lot of... More >>
• Best Steals and Deals on Robertson: Slacker Streetwear
  WESC
  The fiercest fashion for the fellas can be found at WESC (which stands for "We Are the Superlative Conspiracy" ... whatever that means). Jason Lee is the mascot or something, but don't expect white-trashy Earl looks here. Sophisticated slacker streetwear describes these duds, and while they... More >>
• Best Steals and Deals on Robertson: Makeup Samples
  M.A.C Cosmetics
  For those of us more concerned with looking like a star than looking at one, there's M.A.C Cosmetics. (We actually did spend all our allowance on M.A.C lipsticks when we were teens!) These days the tempestuously hued lipsticks go for 14 bucks a pop, but you can get one for free at the Robertson... More >>
• Best Steals and Deals on Robertson: Tee-Totaler
  American Apparel
  American Apparel's selection is as expansive as its list of locations, but even for a store that is all but ubiquitous, opening a Robertson post was a risk (the rent must be ridiculous). Or was it? With Robertson's more recognizable regulars seen almost daily on the gossip blogs and TV, the area... More >>
• Best Invisible Magic Shop
  Magic Apple
  Capital of the illusion (i.e., film and TV) industry, home to the Magic Castle and more magicians than you can shake a wand at while wearing a tuxedo, Los Angeles is the best city in the world to buy the everyday staples of magic. So it makes sense that there are many magic stores in Southern... More >>
• Best Eastside Fashion: High-Low Style
  Sirens and Sailors
  Sirens and Sailors made the E.P. a wardrobe-stylist pit stop almost a decade ago, back when nobody actually lived there. Now that the entertainment-industry types and connoisseurs alike have invaded the area, Sirens endures as a post for high and low chic, with punky designs from local... More >>
• Best Eastside Fashion: Block Party
  Show Pony's Monthly Art-and-Fashion Pony Show
  Show Pony, the fashion and art installation space, has been around nearly as long as S&S, and its laid-back artsy vibe is akin to rummaging through an eccentric pal's closet (and her acid-trip art explorations). Owner-artist Kime Buzelli not only has great taste, but she also has great... More >>
• Best Eastside Fashion: Indie-Rock High Fashion
  Front St.
  The edgy yet highly wearable designs of Endovanera have their home base right next to the Echoplex under the Sunset Boulevard bridge at designer David Hershberger and Mitch Moseley's shop Front St. The store often becomes a slackerama during the Echoplex's bigger shows, but the designs offered... More >>
• Best Eastside Fashion: Recycled Retro
  Lemon Frog Shop
  Chock-full o' cuteness, the little charmer of a boutique called Lemon Frog Shop has the best selection of recycled retro on the Eastside, if not all of L.A. There's only one way to make absolutely sure you don't end up in the same frock as that headband-sporting (not) hottie at the Echo or the... More >>
• Best Eastside Fashion: Best-Edited Sample Sale
  The Circle
  There's always lots of new stuff to love at the Circle, which bills itself as an "indie-designer outlet." Imagine a bunch of different designer sample sales all under one roof, and you get the idea of this style sanctuary. There's tons to plow through here, including lots of under-the-radar... More >>
• Best Eastside Fashion: Handmade Fashion
  Matrushka Construction
  Dressy bessys who aren't stereotypical S'Lake waifs should check out Matrushka Construction, where each piece is handmade right there on the premises and tailored to fit if needed. The superflattering dress designs go for a little more than $100, but an equally fetching look-at-me T-shirt can be... More >>
• Best Place To Tee Up Change
  Clothing of the American Mind
  On a cool late Friday afternoon at Clothing of the American Mind in Echo Park, Carly Miller is explaining what makes for an effective political T-shirt. "First of all, you want it to be something that people want to wear," says the New York native who helped her friend, COTAM's founder Caitlin... More >>
• Best of the Fashion Free-For-Alls
  New Mart and Kukuly's
  Comprising more than 90 downtown blocks, the Fashion District can seem daunting. But if you can manage to find a parking spot — and walk away without a ticket — the day can be a resounding success when you know where to go. When the knock-offs start to make you delirious, head to the... More >>
• Best Boutique (on the Super Ghetto Cheap)
  Fashion Bank
  You've got a date to hike Runyon, you hate your wardrobe and you're broke. Don't panic. The little shop next to Trader Joe's on Santa Monica Boulevard at Fuller sells a decent selection of American Apparel seconds, among other various cotton-jersey wares, for a fraction of American Apparel... More >>
• Best Shops for Breaking Melrose Montony: Shopping Beyond 
the Grave
  Necromance
  Once the city's ultimate cutting-edge shopping mecca, Melrose Avenue has become more akin to downtown L.A.'s Santee Alley and Hollywood Boulevard over the past several years, a hodgepodge of hoochie wear, bongs, bellybutton rings and gaudy Ed Hardy gear. Higher-end designers like Marc Jacobs,... More >>
• Best Shops for Breaking Melrose Montony: Best Hard Heads
  Headline Records
  Headline Records deserves props for both its tenacity (staying alive while every other indie record store has died) and its consistently killer selection of punk, ska, rock imports and independent releases. There's also spiked and studded stuff for punk stalwarts, many of whom still hang outside... More >>
• Best Shops for Breaking Melrose Monotony: Quickie Baubles
  So Good
  Go to So Good for the biggest and best selection of sparkly, cutesy and cheap costume jewelry. Yes, you can find a lot of this stuff priced even lower elsewhere, but when you need a quickie piece to add pow to an outfit (look for rhinestone hoops, enamel fruit pendants, giant bangles, crystal... More >>
• Best Shops for Breaking Melrose Monotony: Exotic Baubles
  Maya
  For a more exotic selection of baubles, as massive in scope as So Good, plus an amazing array of carved Asian and African masks, Maya is still a must. Its cases of silver charms, chains and hoops are always chock-stocked.—Lina Lecaro More >>
• Best Shops for Breaking Melrose Monotony: Club Dressing
  Joy Rich
  Fashion-wise, there's not a lot in the area that transcends the club-clone look (flimsy Lycra dresses and sequined halters), but Joy Rich's colorful garb is a happy exception. Pieces from Brian Lichtenberg, Grey Ant, Unif, Arti Nero, Blank and the store's bold 'n' busy eponymous line (love the... More >>
• Best Shops for Breaking Melrose Monotony: Living the Lifestyle
  
De La Barracuda
  Being hip, of course, isn't just about what you wear, it's about lifestyle. And no store in L.A. encompasses the culture like De La Barracuda. The 5,000-square-foot space offers unique street wear and T-shirts (its L.A.-logo shirts have become staples for skaters and ravers alike). But it's... More >>
• Best Shops for Breaking Melrose Monotony: Low-End Label Whoring
  Wasteland
  The easiest way to have your own unique style is to go vintage, and despite its sometimes bizarre — and bitchy — buying habits (ya gotta be really thick-skinned to sell your old clothes here these days), Wasteland still offers a good selection of used apparel, especially high-end... More >>
• Best Feel-Good Accessories
  Evolution Jewels
  Sacred geometry may be the new black, but how does the discerning metaphysical enthusiast integrate all those angles and dimensions and ratios into her daily life? Evolution Jewels provides high-end, gender-neutral jewelry designed according to sacred geometric principles. The beautiful gold,... More >>
• Best Stuff de France
  Charme D'Antan
  Thinking of adding a rock-hewn reflecting pond or moss-covered John Wayne-meets-Zen horse trough to your Hollywood bungalow side yard? Trying to soften the harsh, right-angle feel of your suddenly way-too-modern 1960s retro loft? Jacques Marque, the most affable Frenchman west of Anisette, can... More >>
• Best Literary Mine
  Book Cellar
  Tucked along the far backside of the Santa Monica Mountains, there, among the native oaks and tall ash trees, just off a freeway frontage road that looks more like a state scenic drive, is the greatest and hardest-to-find used bookstore in Los Angeles or Ventura counties. Book Cellar, hidden in... More >>
• Best Place To Dress Like Miss Universe
  Tadashi
  Located in the South Coast Plaza shopping mall, just outside the upstairs corner of the fanciest Bloomingdale's this side of the Mississippi, is the unassuming Tadashi dress store. Blink and you'll miss it. That would be a big mistake, because Tadashi's are that rarest of dress breeds —... More >>
• Best Cheap Indian Stuff
  Govinda's
  Do you need to remove some obstacles, refresh your incense supply, deodorize your pits (without chemical additives), buy a beach cover-up and a housewarming gift, and eat, all for less than 50 bucks? Govinda's boutique, housed inside the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in West... More >>