Shopping & Services

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• Best Quick-Stop Museum Gift Shop

  Gracie at Santa Monica Museum of Art

  Museum shops are pretty good places for last-minute gifts — you will find items quirky enough that the recipients probably will not have seen them and definitely will not have purchased for themselves. The Santa Monica Museum of Art has a tiny, super-focused version, called Gracie, its goods stacked neatly in the hallway between the entrance and the galleries. Some… More >>

• Best Gift Shop

  The Library Store at Central Library

  Every group of friends has that one member who reliably delivers cool gifts with cards to match. In our case, said friend was willing to share her source: the Library Store at Central Library. Every nook and cranny of this smallish space is filled with books (of course!), many about L.A. or on themes such as cooking, gardening and literature;… More >>

• Best Store for Street Artists

  33third

  If Los Angeles is the street-art capital of the world, then MidCity's 33third is the scene's Louvre. More gift shop than museum, this art-supply mecca has nonetheless hosted shows by such graf luminaries as Chaka and Revok (who was famously arrested there for vandalism). Although it claims to be the largest street-art supply store in the country, with 2,900 square… More >>

• Best Baby Store

  Giggle

  "Giggle isn't just a baby store," the company literature says, "it's a new parent store." New parent! What did they do with the old parent!? And yet there is a singular transformation that takes place when a prospective buyer steps inside Giggle — it's readily apparent that it's one of the most chic, stylish stores for equipping a nursery in… More >>

• Best Lingerie Store

  Frederick's of Hollywood

  There are many choices for your smut-wear needs, but while you're digging through that 3-for-$10 thong bin, consider the ritual and the anticipation. Long before Victoria had any secrets, the place that started it all opened its doors on Hollywood Boulevard — in 1947! While that flagship moved a few blocks away in 2005, it's still the two-story king of… More >>

• Best Sheet Music Store

  Baxter-Northup Music Co.

  This laid-back Sherman Oaks shop has become a nerve center for garage bands, jazz musicians, classical players and others who work in the music industry — or aspire to do so. Owner Ed Walker is a bass player, and every staffer is a musician. Customers are drawn to the high-quality instruments — generally used, refurbished here and then sold for… More >>

• Best Fashions From China That Look Like Beverly Hills

  Soto/South

  So popular that it has expanded to three locations in the Valley and one in Brentwood, Soto/South is about well-made pieces that shout "Rodeo Drive" but rarely cost more than $65. A gorgeous line of pleather jackets, priced from $59 to a sky-high (for Soto) $88, features pieces such as a formfitting "distressed sand" faux leather jacket with plaid inserts.… More >>

• Best Place to Buy Party Clothes

  The Area

  Glittery, gauzy, short-skirted, bedecked items for dancing, barhopping and dating are the core fashions at the Area, located next to the far more costly Theodore in the Commons shopping center in Calabasas. Spend 30 minutes here and you'll wish you had a party to go to this weekend. At this highly affordable, friendly shop, you can try on 20 outfits… More >>

• Best Place to Shop for Men's Clothing

  Barney's

  Warning: Shopping at Barney's in Beverly Hills can turn into an addiction, but at least you'll always look good. Need an elegant Ralph Lauren business suit? It's there. Want a zip lace-up combat boot by Maison Martin Margiela? You know where to find it. Desire a dashing mock-neck button cardigan by Brunello Cucinelli? It's at Barney's. The prices can be… More >>

• Best Thrift Shop in East L.A.

  Society of St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store

  Located in Lincoln Heights, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store is a 90,000-square-foot warehouse of top-notch "vintage" and used goodies: clothes by Vera Wang and Levi's, vintage women's and men's shoes, bookcases, draperies, linens, refrigerators and more. The beauty about this place is that while you're saving money on quality stuff, your dollars go to the homeless,… More >>

• Best Video Game Store

  World 8

  Everyone loves an independent bookstore, but World 8 is something even rarer: an independent video game store. Opened by gamer geek siblings Monse, Edgar and Israel in August 2011, World 8 stands out in a sea of GameStops. Inside, local kids recline on couches in front of big-screen TVs and happily beat the tar out of each other on-screen —… More >>

• Best Bike Shop

  Orange 20 Bikes

  Few feelings are better than coasting through the streets of Los Angeles via a bicycle. Few feelings are worse than the one you get when your wheel suddenly pops out of its bracket and you find yourself withering under the intense scorn of a standard bike store employee. Enter Orange 20 Bikes. Now in its sixth year, this offhandedly hip… More >>

• Best Children's Bookstore

  Children's Book World

  Kids who begin their reading lives at Children's Book World will have no trouble transitioning to Skylight or Book Soup later on. The curatorial ethic of a good independent bookstore is in place, right down to the staff-recommendation cards dangling from the stacks. The selections range from Huevos Verdes con Jamon up through Catcher in the Rye, and the staff… More >>

• Best Dry Cleaner

  Regency Cleaners

  The super-friendly woman behind the counter at Regency Cleaners is named Jenny Kang. As customers can attest, she is a hugger. She and her husband, Kris, bought the place in 2008. A year later, the shop was destroyed by an arson fire but, after reopening in 2010, it has established itself as a go-to spot for affordable, high-quality dry cleaning.… More >>

• Best Place to Buy Cheap Pet Food

  Global Pet Food Outlet

  Amazon has already pretty much destroyed the brick-and-mortar bookstore, and now that it has moved into other retail niches, everybody else has to watch their back. But Global Pet Food Outlet seems equal to the challenge, with prices that consistently beat Amazon — not to mention PetSmart and its ilk. The store also boasts tremendous variety, some of it falling… More >>

• Best Magazine Stand

  Book Soup

  Book Soup's magazine stand is so massive that it has to be kept outdoors, with a separate cashier. Its titles spill off the racks onto tables and surround the store's entrance. The impressive variety includes more publications in French than many stands have in total — and 14 different editions of Vogue. At Book Soup, they don't just have magazines… More >>

• Best East L.A. Record Store

  Sound of Music Records and Tapes

  This shop specializes in gangsta rap, be it the traditional English-language kind from South Central L.A. or the Spanish-infused kind from here and Latin America. N.W.A posters are on the wall and you'll find menacing airbrushed T-shirts, Chicano rap magazines and maybe even the works of Lil Eazy-E. But Sound of Music Records and Tapes has something for everyone: NFL-themed… More >>

• Best Place to Find a Unique Watch

  Feldmar Watch Company

  Sure, you could check your iPhone or glance at the clock in your dashboard to make your appointment, but if you're trying to impress, you need a watch that sets you apart. Feldmar Watch Company has the definitive piece that screams, "You're livin' large!" We're talking the Breguet line, exquisite timepieces that since 1775 have graced the wrists of the… More >>

• Best Place to Make an Old Bag New Again

  Shoe Care

  So you've spilled a venti latte all over your very expensive, very chic Italian handbag. Remain calm. Dmitry Aynbinder will take what looks like a cartography project gone wrong and make your fave purse new again. The Shoe Care owner takes his time (be patient, an artist is at work!) and matches your bag's color precisely, re-dyeing it several times,… More >>

• Best Vintage Store

  American Rebel on Melrose

  Unlike some Melrose vintage shops (we're looking at you, Wasteland), no one walks out of American Rebel dizzy from sensory overload — the store has an expertly edited selection of vintage dresses, just-threadbare-enough T-shirts and broken-in cowboy boots. Since taking over Melrose staple SLOW last fall, the owners have channeled Easy Rider–era Peter Fonda in their offerings (think: '70s Laura… More >>

• Best Place to Begin Your Beauty Makeover

  Number One Beauty Supply

  Tired of your old look? Tired of your old self? It could be time for a major redo, and Santa Monica's Number One Beauty Supply has been the area's go-to makeover mecca since 1985. Owners Mercedes and Jacques Tour offer unique, hard-to-find beauty products, including the ever-popular $750 Natura Bissé filler cream, or the all-natural, paraben-, sulfate- and fragrance-free Ren… More >>

• Best Sex Shop

  The Pleasure Chest

  Gone are the days when those who frequented "sex shops" were looked upon as pervy weirdos in trench coats. Now, thanks to Internet porn, sexting, fetish fashion–loving pop stars and XXX lady lit like 50 Shades of Grey, there's no shame in buying your vibrators, lubes and other naughty accessories and accoutrements out in the open. In fact, doing so… More >>

• Best Record Store

  Amoeba

  The past several years have seen smaller record stores such as Vacation, Origami and Permanent Records benefiting from the mounting interest in vinyl. But after going strong for more than 10 years, Amoeba continues to be the go-to spot for collectors of all genres. Not only is the store constantly well-stocked with new and vintage records in everything from house… More >>
• 

  Best People to Call During a Bee Invasion

  Backwards Beekeepers

  L.A.'s Mediterranean climate draws more than just expats and would-be movie stars. It's also perfect for wild bees, which populate the city from the coast to the Valley. Since 2008, Backwards Beekeepers, founded by Russell Bates, wife Amy Seidenwurm and bee guru Kirk Anderson, have aimed to diplomatically smooth over bee-human relations with their rescue hotline, which gets 15 to… More >>

• Best Community Print Shop

  Grow Your Own Media

  Whether you're an amateur interested in getting in touch with your creative side outside your grueling 9-to-5, or you're on your way to becoming L.A.'s next sought-after street artist, Atwater Village's Grow Your Own Media has you covered. Founded by onetime social worker and experienced screen printer Tomas Staub, the 5-year-old company has grown in both square footage and devoted… More >>

• Best Post-Mastectomy Bras

  Laura's Corset Shoppe

  For the 200,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States every year, mastectomies can be an unfortunate reality. Fortunately, the knowledgeable staff, one-on-one care and inviting atmosphere at Laura's Corset Shoppe eases the often traumatic post-mastectomy bra-shopping experience. The store has called Glendale's bustling Brand Boulevard home since 1922 (that's a whopping 85 years, but who's counting?). Current… More >>

• Best Dog Grooming

  La Cañada Pet Grooming

  If you'd prefer that your dog actually enjoy grooming and come home with an adorable, handmade Japanese bow, La Cañada Pet Grooming, owned by Chia Yasumura and Raygan Henley, is the place to go. Touting a philosophy of customized grooming for breeds from Irish wolfhounds to Chihuahuas, and earning the trust of canine clients has earned La Cañada repeat business… More >>

• Best Knitting Store

  The Little Knittery

  With back-to-back walls of colorful yarns, a cozy location and an inviting tagline ("You want to make things, we want to help"), it's hard to resist the Little Knittery. This charming shop is more than just a supply store, offering classes and private instruction in knitting, crocheting, needle felting, macramé and, perhaps most enticingly, drop-in project help anytime you think… More >>

• Best Robertson Boutique

  Jami Lyn Women's Clothing

  No need to worry about paparazzi blocking the parking lot or seeing your new threads on a Kardashian in next week's US Weekly when you shop at Jami Lyn Women's Clothing. Equal parts no-nonsense mother willing to offer an honest opinion on an outfit and time-saving personal stylist with designer items hand-curated as if she were shopping for herself, Jami… More >>

• Best Cheap Nail Salon

  Leann Nail Salon

  Ah, the first-world conundrum of choosing a nail salon: Go with something high-end sure to have choice colors and expert service? Or double down on a cheaper spot and risk chips, cuts or worse? Leann Nail Salon is the rare inexpensive option that's consistently worth the bet. For around $25, they'll trim and shape finger- and toenails into something more… More >>

• Best Place to Shop for Women's Clothing

  American Rag Cie

  This La Brea Avenue institution is probably best known for its denim bar (everything from Hudson to Adriano Goldschmied, so long as you like yours skinny) and racks of new, midrange designer stuff: Rag & Bone, 10 Crosby by Derek Lam, T by Alexander Wang. But American Rag Cie is far more than that -- a curated sort of one-stop… More >>

• Best Signing Store

  OK Store

  The signing gift is one of those necessary evils of the entertainment industry; a way for those on the talent side to thank their agents and managers for helping them land a job — that's in addition to the 20 percent cut from the paycheck. It's a tightrope walk of finding something original and memorable, yet (depending on the gig)… More >>

• Best Bookstore -- Downtown

  The Last Bookstore

  It's easy to roll your eyes at the self-righteousness of the name of The Last Bookstore. Cynicism about the state of printed word is all too easy, you may think. But walk past the oversized couches in the ground-floor atrium and head up to the new top floor, where every title is a dollar, and the rooms of books go… More >>

• Best Place to Buy New Vinyl

  Origami Vinyl

  Wedged between a pizza shop and a clothing boutique on Sunset Boulevard is Origami Vinyl, a little record store with a big heart. The high walls are lined with wine crates stacked with new and used vinyl, chosen lovingly by the staff. You can ask them about pretty much anything that's packed in that tiny room and they'll give you… More >>

• Best Place to Shop for Handbags

  Clare Vivier Los Angeles Flagship

  One part classic French glamour and two parts casual L.A. cool, Clare Vivier handbags are the epitome of warm, luxe minimalism. As of this summer, Vivier, who used to share retail space with Kathryn Bentley's Dream Collective, now has a brick-and-mortar store of her very own: the Clare Vivier Los Angeles Flagship. Vivier's unfussy, unadorned leather totes, cases, wallets and… More >>

• Best Jewelry Store

  Dream Collective

  Kathryn Bentley's luxury, folk-inspired Dream Collective line of jewels and handbag designer Clare Vivier's minimalist purses used to be roommates in the same retail space. But this year, both moved out into shops of their own, two doors down from one another — giving L.A.'s "it girls" two places to raid when their closets are feeling empty. Bentley has said… More >>

• Best Bra Shop for the Busty

  Jenette Bras

  When Jenette Bras busted onto the Los Angeles lingerie scene a couple years ago, large-breasted ladies across the Southland took heart. Finally: a chic, modern place to buy D-cup (and above) bras that don't look like they were designed to withstand a nuclear blast. Proprietress Jenette Goldstein, whom you may remember as the ass-kicking Private Vasquez in the movie Aliens,… More >>

• Best Geek Bookstore

  Mysterious Galaxy Books

  If it bleeds, creeps, crawls, chomps on brains, invades from Mars or thrills you with the promise of a dark and stormy night, Mysterious Galaxy Books has it, in book form. Specializing in mystery, fantasy, science fiction and horror, the Redondo Beach shop wisely focuses on genre literature in the wake of the great economic collapse that felled many a… More >>

• Best Antique Store

  Olde Good Things

  Containing the detritus of the modern and not-so-modern world, downtown's Olde Good Things is like the Phantom of the Opera's living room. Salvaging stuff from old buildings that are about to be demolished is the company's specialty. So here you will find all manner of large, exquisite, dusty or just plain weird decor items: a pair of stone panthers, school… More >>

• Best Parfumerie

  Strange Invisible Perfumes

  No animals were harmed in the making of the scents at Strange Invisible Perfumes, although a bunch of greenery did give up the ghost. Each bottle of Black Rosette or Musc Botanique smells as if the very soul of the plant and flower has been harvested. Clients refer to the shop's perfumer, Alexandra Balahoutis, as an "olfactory poet," and what… More >>

• Best Cruiser Bike Shop

  Chubby's Cruisers

  Chubby's Cruisers in Culver City is for people who are into their bikes, which is not people who are into cycling, necessarily. What's the difference? Accessories. A whole crapload of colorful rear racks, and front racks, and fenders, and skull-shaped valve caps, and wicker baskets, and tiki coconut cup holders, and twisted Apehanger handlebars, and white leather quilted saddles with… More >>

• Best Place to Find Cult L.A. Brands

  Church Boutique

  A 5,000-square-foot warehouse for apparel and art, Church Boutique may be situated on a busy section of Santa Monica Boulevard, but it retains a mystique, owing not only to a lack of signage but also to the fact the entire building is swathed in ivy, lending it the feel of Fred Segal by way of The Secret Garden. Inside is… More >>

• Best Vintage Game Store

  Vintage Arcade Superstore

  The word "nerd" gets bandied about quite a bit these days by hip folks trying their hand at cool-kid marketing buzz. But real nerds like Gene Lewin, owner of Vintage Arcade Superstore, don't flex — real nerds don't have to. Real nerds, in fact, own 17-year-old vintage arcade stores and can turn busted electronic game cabinets into functioning fun boxes… More >>

• Best Indie Flea Market

  Silver Lake Art Craft & Vintage

  Shopping outside the box? Goods at L.A.'s weekend flea markets and pop-up craft fairs rival the one-of-a-kind finds of the celebrated bazaars in Paris, Rome and Brooklyn. In Silver Lake, on the second Saturday of each month, the independently run Silver Lake Art Craft & Vintage brings an arty and eclectic set of vendors together on the Micheltorena Street Elementary… More >>

• Best Framing Shop

  Ted Gibson's

  Its unassuming location between a beauty salon and a discount clothing store on Koreatown's bustling Third Street belies the history and reputation of Ted Gibson's as an expert frame shop, one that first opened in 1946 near the once-posh MacArthur Park. Now run by Ted Gibson's son, Richard, the shop serves artists, collectors, dealers, galleries, museums and locals — some… More >>

• Best Taste of the Philippines

  Eagle Rock Plaza

  The Eagle Rock Plaza façade is unremarkable. Street-level stores — Chuck E. Cheese, Macy's and Target — suggest your predictable American mall. But much of the hidden lower level is devoted to goods and services from the Philippines. Locals call it "Manila Mall" after the Philippines' capital city and consider it an anchor of L.A. Filipino culture. (Although Historic Filipinotown… More >>

• Best Place to Buy Incense in Bulk

  Govinda's International Imports

  Just above Govinda's Natural Food Buffet, adjacent to the Bhagavad-gita Museum in Culver City, Govinda's International Imports is the retail arm of the L.A. center for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Among the vegan cookbooks and imported clothing and accessories, you'll find exotic soaps and other sundries, including lots and lots of incense. These days, it seems nearly every… More >>

• Best Hot Sauce Selection

  Light My Fire

  Tucked inside the Original Farmers Market, between a French restaurant and a jewelry store, there's a tiny retail space that sells hundreds of varieties of a single condiment: hot sauce. Light My Fire also sells gift sets and snacks, along with a few other related items such as mustard, salsa and BBQ sauce. But hot sauce is the shop's specialty,… More >>

• Best Bookstore — Eastside

  Skylight Books

  When you compare those big, cavernous chain bookstores to a quaint, personalized spot like Skylight Books, it's no surprise that the former have mostly been shuttered, while the latter continues to flourish. Stroll by and you might catch the strains of a group playing Talking Heads tunes in between Jonathan Lethem's reading of his book on the band. Join one… More >>

• Best Backyard Chicken Supplies

  Malibu Feed Bin

  It's not just Portland; finally, backyard chickens are gaining the cult following they deserve in Los Angeles, too. Not only will these multifunctional fowl lay the most delicious, guilt-free eggs you've ever had, they'll also keep garden pests under control, eat kitchen leftovers and make great pets. Ready to get started? Head over to Malibu Feed Bin just off PCH,… More >>

• Best Place to Get a Facial

  Kate Somerville Skin Health Experts

  After just one facial at the chicly appointed clinic of Kate Somerville Skin Health Experts, you will be radiant; if you keep going back, you may actually feel immortal. To that end, this Melrose Place clinic offers "Skin Gym," a workout program you'll actually look forward to. Forget elliptical machines or free weights: The staff helps patrons achieve healthy, glowing… More >>

• Best Place for Cheap Vinyl

  The Last Bookstore

  Downtown's The Last Bookstore is an oasis of all kinds of dusty culture. Its newly opened, sprawling, second-floor dollar book room can steal hours of your life. On the first floor, closer to the street, are just as many records. Tens of thousands of LPs and 45s are meticulously stacked by genre, alphabetically. It's a stunning achievement that the space… More >>

• Best Cheap Gel Nails

  South Pasadena Beauty Salon

  Forget 50 Shades of Grey: Finding a decent nail salon that doesn't cost an arm and a leg is every girl's fantasy. South Pasadena Beauty Salon is a no-frills, Vietnamese-run, full-service salon that offers everything from hair care to facials. But what separates it from its peers is the fact that you can get a Gelish brand gel manicure (a… More >>

• Best Taste of Mexico

  Plaza Mexico

  Traveling east on the 105 isn't the most scenic drive, but about midway between LAX and the 605, Plaza Mexico rises up from beyond the endless neighborhoods lining the highway, a pastel-colored beacon with its Spanish conquistador–influenced colonial architecture. This is a place that probably will remind you of past touristy trips to Mexico, replete with peaceful, gurgling fountains and… More >>

• Best Record Store — Valley

  CD Trader

  Located in a strip mall in the San Fernando Valley, CD Trader mixes the best of all worlds for music listeners. The store may not look like much from the outside, but you enter through the single glass door and you'll find yourself in a room full of goodies. Whether it's that old CD with too many scratches on it… More >>

• Best Soda Pop Shop

  Rocket Fizz

  Your sweet tooth has not seen a confectionery store with so much liquid candy since Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory — although, fortunately, at Rocket Fizz there are no creepy Oompa Loompas. Instead there's a superior collection of novelty soda pop in such tempting varieties as Buffalo Wing Rootbeer, Snooki's limited-edition Wild Cherry Soda and Cock's Cola (as in the rooster,… More >>

• Best Place to Make Your Own Jewelry

  Leanna Lin's Wonderland

  Few things are as much fun as making your own jewelry, and Leanna Lin's Wonderland is beading central for grown-ups and little ones alike. Owner Leanna Lin has stocked an impressive array of new and vintage beads, ranging from sophisticated mid–20th century styles to hyper-cute modern doodads. Beading workshops are available for individuals and groups during business hours, and prices… More >>

• Best Toy Store for Adults

  Toy Art Gallery

  There's more to the world of art toys than custom vinyl figures. The curators of Toy Art Gallery pull together an impressive collection of toys that aren't meant for playtime. From Lladró collaborations with artists like Tim Biskup and Devilrobots to Francesco de Molfetta's porcelain figure of President Obama in a Gundam-style giant robot suit, the gallery features some seriously… More >>

• Best Surf Shop

  Spyder II

  A staple of the surfing community since 1983, Spyder Surf is a South Bay mainstay. While its PCH flagship store is a 7,000-square-foot monster of a shop, it's Spyder's second location in Hermosa Beach, Spyder II, that's the real gem. Located just feet from Hermosa Beach Pier, Spyder II's proximity to one of L.A.'s most iconic surf spots is less… More >>

• Best Gamer Refuge

  Gamer Doc

  At Gamer Doc in Highland Park, the walls are covered with murals by L.A. graffiti artist Dytch66, and bits of crumbling cement pillars protrude between flat-screens. The specialty here is console repair, but you can also rent, buy, demo and trade in your gear. The store matches Amazon's prices, giving locals online savings with same-day gratification. It also offers local… More >>

• Best Waxing

  Flirt Salon

  An appointment at Flirt Salon feels more like a girls' night in with your BFF than a trip to the aesthetician. Stepping into the space between Sheridan Gardens and Blast From the Past, you're immediately greeted by warm interiors and a rad staff. Every member of the Flirt staff has years of experience, as well as a sixth sense that… More >>

• Best Fiat Customizations

  Fiat Madness

  The latest incarnation of the Fiat 500 was an overnight success, and waiting lists grew before there were enough dealerships locally to handle the demand. Now there are several Fiat dealers in L.A., and the tiny car is zipping off lots. Part of the joy in owning a Fiat is its quirkiness, and many drivers take that individuality further with… More >>

• Best Hairdressers

  Gorgeous

  At Gorgeous, every client's haircut is an homage to rock & roll. Owners Cazzie and Rayzor are audacious Australians, completely unafraid to make the big cuts — a boldness that frequently gets them booked for video and photo shoots. They've worked with Megadeth, Velvet Revolver, Stone Sour, X Japan and more. Every appointment at Gorgeous is like a visit with… More >>

• Best Air Plants

  The Juicy Leaf

  Felix Navarro was a vice president of finance when the credit crunch hit in 2008. He started making arrangements of succulent plants, pairing soothing white sand with colorful pebbles in glass containers for a striking presentation, and selling them at the Orange County swap meet. His store on Abbot Kinney, the Juicy Leaf, has now been thriving for nearly four… More >>

• Best Place to Shop Like a Rock Star

  Junker

  When you want to take your look beyond simply disheveled to full-throttle rock & roll, or up the ante to Tank Girl–style apocalyptic bad-ass, you call Junker. These designers combine top-quality leather with recovered denims, sometimes using animal — and, yes, human — bones for the finishing touches. TOD and Giuliana are available by appointment only to view existing selections;… More >>

• Best Bridal Shop

  Lovely Bridal Boutique

  Shopping for a wedding dress is supposed to be fun, but it can seriously suck. So many places are full of crazy dresses that all seem to blend together, don't feel good to the touch and have prices that seem to have been pulled out of the (very expensive) air. That's why we love Lovely Bridal Boutique. Tucked into the… More >>

• Best Place to Buy an Autographed Memoir Dedicated to Someone Else

  Counterpoint Records & Books

  Clean and bright Counterpoint Records & Books features broad aisles stacked with desirable volumes and vinyl. It's also reasonably priced. Recently we've scored volumes of some seriously great American literature from the 1930s and '40s — Agee and Algren, Chandler and Hemingway — at no more than $5 a pop. You will find current titles, too, as Hollywood Hills creative… More >>

• Best Vintage Store for Bargain Hunters

  Jet Rag

  Vintage clothes shopping is a lost art. Between eBay, hyper-organized corporate outfits and overpicked Goodwills, the pre-grunge heyday of panning for gold in vintage stores is over. Still, you can get the thrill of the hunt at Hollywood's Jet Rag. People go to Jet Rag for one reason: selection. Vintage Sta-Prest, brightly colored leather jackets and old suits compete for… More >>

• Best Shoe Store

  Andre No. 1 Shoe Design

  Family legend has it that Frank Sinatra walked into the Kazanchyans' original shoe repair shop wearing a torn pair of kicks. Grandpa declared the shoes beyond repair — but announced that he could make another pair, molded perfectly to the shape of Sinatra's foot. Ol' Blue Eyes was so happy with the results that he sent all his friends there,… More >>

• Best Shoe Repair

  Paris Shoe Repair

  Adolfo Granados has been repairing shoes for more than half a century. The native Colombian was just 6 years old when his sister gave him his first job, work she'd brought home from the shoe factory that employed much of their South American town. After moving to Southern California, Granados bought a small West L.A. shop from a retiring Italian,… More >>

• Best Target That Is Not a Target

  The Outlet

  Located roughly between the iconic and long-defunct Frank's Highland Park Camera storefront and Fashion 21 (the first Forever 21 retail location, which is still very much in business, with its original moniker intact) is The Outlet. Appropriately inscribed "The Clearance Aisle" on its façade, the store inside is a little-known Highland Park gem that primarily sells overstock from Target but… More >>

• Best Local Jeweler for Women Who Don't Like Jewelry

  Rossmore

  Named after the art deco buildings that line the eponymous street in Hancock Park, Rossmore is an artisanal, small-batch jewelry line crafted and created by L.A.-based jeweler Suzy Lequeux. The hand-hewn pieces are both sleek and modern — and perfectly imperfect, much like L.A. itself. Lequeux, who was born and raised in Newport Beach, designs for a woman who is… More >>

• Best Place to Buy a Piñata

  Piñata District, Olympic and Central

  Olympic Boulevard and Central Avenue may seem like a drab intersection, mushrooming with nondescript warehouses. Yet all of those warehouses have colorful delights inside — and they have them in bulk. Lining the endless shelves and hanging from the ceiling are dozens of piñatas, everything from soccer balls, beer bottles and tractors to dragons, princesses, superheroes and almost every cartoon… More >>

• Best Shop for Sex, Luck and Curses

  Million Dollar Pharmacia

  Located next to Grauman's Million Dollar Theatre, this pharmacy will sell you aspirin, Tampax and other basics. But, as you might guess from the window displays, which include religious icons and a display devoted to the Grim Reaper, Million Dollar Pharmacia's main trade is the mystical: candles, potions, powders, packets and trinkets that will "bring her back," cure your aching… More >>

• Best Well-Designed Housewares

  A+R

  The slogan for A + R is "Global Design. Edited," and that about sums it up. This Venice shop carries the sort of well-designed, utilitarian, fun-to-use items that you'd find in the Museum of Modern Art gift shop. Visual puns abound, such as JumpFromPaper's "2-D" purses, which are really 3-D; the acrylic Dropp Bowl looks like that Harold Edgerton stop-motion… More >>

• Best Card Shop

  Jonathan Wright & Co.

  The interweb may be doing its best to kill the fine art of snail mail, but Jonathan Wright & Co., a quirky little shop in Fairfax, is fighting back. In back, two original, 19th-century letterpresses are rolling away, and seekers of style and whimsy can see Mr. Wright himself to discuss embossing, engraving and stamping their custom invitations, announcements, cards… More >>

• Best Cheap Tops

  Bumble Bee

  The perfect pair of jeans? You've got that covered. Several pairs, in fact. But occasionally, especially at the change of seasons, a quick scan of your closet reminds you that you've got nothing to wear with them. Worse yet, your budget for a wardrobe update is minimal, so those $80-a-shirt places are out. (Cough, cough; Sorry, Anthropologie.) Amen and hallelujah,… More >>

• Best Place to Shop During Your Two-Hour Wait for Gjelina    

  Firefly

  Make the most of the inevitable long wait for Gjelina brunch by walking down the sidewalk to Firefly, a sweet little shop with a beachy vibe, filled with carefully selected clothing, art and architecture books, kitchen and home goods, cards, jewelry, gifts and other knickknacks that epitomize Abbot Kinney cool. You don't think you need a heating pad with a… More >>

• Best One-Stop Shop for Local Artists    

  Handmade Galleries - CLOSED

  One part Etsy, one part Fred Segal, Handmade Galleries is 5,000 square feet of space that houses more than 100 mini "shops" where artists, many local, have set up to sell their goods. With fine jewelry, vintage clothing, handbags, holiday decorations and odd little figurines, there is something here for everyone. Handmade Galleries also is hip to supporting its Sherman… More >>

• Best Place to Shop for Your Pet

  Rock Dog & Cat

  The "Rock" in this store's name may refer to the surrounding neighborhood, but it also references the attitude of owners Peter Berman and Teresa Apollo. Rock Dog & Cat is a place where pet ownership "rocks," where both pets and their owners can enjoy a sense of style, health and general well-being. That means a carefully selected assortment of toys,… More >>

• Best Place for Gaming

  Emerald Knights

  If the thought of hordes of rabid fantasy gamers roaming the streets, wild-eyed and hopped up on complex medieval and sci-fi scenarios, scares you, then thank kind-hearted owners Julian Rodriguez and Jason Wemouth for providing said nerd herd a safe, comfortable place to get off the streets and into a vicarious adventure. Emerald Knights is the premier, live-table-gaming venue in… More >>

• Best Bookstore — Valley

  Iliad Books

  With approximately 125,000 books in a laid-back, 5,000-square-foot space, North Hollywood's Iliad Books is the kind of store where a bibliophile can get lost in a comfortable couch for hours, perusing volumes both ancient and modern. Previously located several blocks away on Vineland, next to Odyssey Video — yes, its name was a playful riff on the adjacent porn store… More >>

• Best Comic Book Store

  Galaxy of Comics

  A great comic book store, one trusted by hard-core collectors, wouldn't work with an absentee or indifferent owner. Sure, it'd be a place to pick up the latest issue, but it wouldn't satisfy expert readers whose questions and collecting needs go much deeper. Warren Jaycox at Galaxy of Comics is clearly a comic fan himself, and his cheerful little store… More >>

• Best Taste of Great Britain

  Oh Fancy That!

  There's a perverse logic to the existence of such a solidly authentic, uncompromisingly British food and novelties store in the far west San Fernando Valley. Many of the most conspicuous displays of Anglophilia occurred in far-flung colonies, halfway around the globe from the United Kingdom. So why not a slice of Great Britain in sunny, exotic Tarzana? From the strings… More >>

• Best Guitar Repair Shop

  Eric's Guitar Shop

  The off-street circle of stark white, barely marked semi-industrial storefronts where Eric's Guitar Shop is located seems like a place where Walter White and Jesse might go to score a meth precursor, and the sign on the door is tiny. But that's where you start to suspect this place is the real deal. The requisite intercom buzz, followed by a… More >>

• Best Vintage Furniture in Long Beach

  Warehouse 1333

  Mainly midcentury wares without the Melrose markup await you at Warehouse 1333. It's a collection of sellers offering everything from an old cash register to modern handmade jewelry, from unusually shaped salt and pepper shakers to Danish modern dining room sets. The outdoors section has tons of backyard furniture. Merchandise dates mostly from the past 100 years or so, with… More >>

• Best Taste of Japan

  Japan L.A.

  One of the funnier recent Saturday Night Live sketches featured a youthful white American duo who dressed up and talked like overexcited Japanese nerds, so immersed were they in the subculture of anime, Hello Kitty and Pokemon. That subculture is very real, among both Japanese immigrants to the United States and natives who love the aesthetic's wide-eyed innocence, sleek modernism… More >>

• Best Candy Store

  Jack's Wholesale Candy & Toy Company

  We're told not to smoke, snort, shoot, inhale, pill-pop or drink to excess in search of a pleasurable escape from life's aches and worries. Fine, but they're not taking away our candy! Sugar treats are a perfectly reasonable and defensible indulgence — nay, necessity! — in this demanding life, and Jack's Wholesale Candy & Toy Company will hook you up… More >>

• Best Darts Shop

  Darts & Things

  Darts is a fantastic game for anyone who wants low-key enjoyment in a parlor or pub setting: It's a sport that combines the cool nerves and precise eye/muscle coordination of, say, billiards, with the bad-ass sensation of throwing a dangerous weapon within close proximity to other humans. Whether you're a regular darter or a novice, Darts & Things stocks a… More >>

• Best Running Shop

  Run With Us

  The first thing you notice upon entering Pasadena's Run With Us, other than the colorful displays of running shoes, is the phalanx of at least four uniformed employees standing yards ahead, all smiling and eager to help you, the newly arrived patron. Contrast this with your average overcrowded chain sporting goods emporium, where you're lucky to grab one employee who… More >>

• Best Place to Buy Cowboy Duds

  Boot Barn

  Boot Barn on Topanga Canyon Boulevard is part of a chain, but it stands above its sister stores in the region due to the expertise of its staff — and, too, its customers. It's just minutes from old-time horse country in Chatsworth, home to the famed Cowboy Palace Saloon, where locals still arrive on horseback and tie up at hitching… More >>

• Best Yoga Outfitters

  Karabel

  Not many L.A. specialty shops have expanded in the aftermath of the recession, but Burbank's Karabel is so expert at providing high-quality activewear to discerning yoga adherents, dancers, ballerinas, performing arts students and TV special effects people that it has thrived — enough to open another shop, this one in Sherman Oaks. At any given time there might be a… More >>

• Best Place to Shop Like a Pinup     

  Varga

  Pinup girls adorn the walls at this boutique, which has locations in Santa Monica, in El Segundo and in the heart of Hollywood. Started by twins Rosie and Renee Tenison, two former Playmates and pinup girls themselves, Varga caters to a fashion-savvy crowd looking back to a time when women dressed like women. With pencil skirts, silky blouses and tailored… More >>

• Best Korean Spa

  Olympic Spa

  Olympic Spa has been catering to women seeking all-natural rubdowns and relaxation for 30-plus years. For a $15 entrance fee (more for spa treatments), it's is the best spot in L.A. to realign your qi. Start by disrobing — yes, it's fully nude — then hop in the shower. Switch between the Jacuzzi, cold plunge and a mugwort tea bath.… More >>

• Best Home-Cook Kitchen-Supply Store

  Bargain Fair

  There are all sorts of places to outfit your kitchen. There are the epicurean temples, selling every conceivable gadget and device you most likely don't need; there are broader home-supply shops like Target and Bed Bath & Beyond; and then there are professional-catering supply stores. Most neighborhoods in Los Angeles have one of the latter within spitting distance, but our… More >>

• Best All-Purpose Gardening Center

  Marina del Rey Garden Center

  Kohuhu, grevillea, bougainvillea — oh my! Marina del Rey Garden Center has numerous varieties of those colorful, drought-tolerant plants and so much more. This is the sort of garden center one usually finds occupying vast tracts far inland, where land is cheap, not on more than 2 acres just off the 90 freeway in Marina del Rey. Wander the grounds,… More >>

• Best Tailor

  Gustavo Tailoring

  Gustavo Segovia is a brilliant tailor. He hems, repairs and reconfigures clothing with machinelike precision, an artistic eye and a true understanding of construction. When fixing the length on your jeans, he doesn't just pin them up, he removes the original hem and realigns it, saving the shape and tricking the eye. Bring him anything in need of updating and… More >>

• Best Florist

  Mulberry Row Floral

  Every morning, floral designers Robin Weiner and Alicia Tomlin head downtown to L.A.'s flower market in search of the freshest and highest quality seasonal blooms. They keep an eye out for special items such as powdery yellow craspedia (aka Billy ballns) or whimsical scabiosa (aka pincussion flower). Their pretty boutique in Sherman Oaks, Mulberry Row Floral, caters to walk-in customers… More >>

• Best Lighting Store

  Practical Props

  In Tinseltown, lighting is everything. And Practical Props, a starring member of North Hollywood's young arts district, is the solution to every lighting nerd and Hollywood set master's pursuit of perfection — a maze of a mini warehouse dripping in crystals and cold basement bulbs and candelabras, from the gorgeous to the fascinatingly hideous. The store is especially famous for… More >>

• Best Tights

  Beverly Hills Hosiery

  Tights are back. And because Forever 21's limited selection won't be enough to put you ahead of the trend, you owe yourself a trip to downtown's Fashion District, a wondrous land of bejeweled undergarments and quinceañera crowns. On the northwestern end, inside a big pink building stamped in girly Bewitched font, waits a catalog of every color, stripe and lace… More >>

• Best Animal Shelter

  SpcaLA Hawthorne

  We know, we know: All shelter pets are created equal. But the rescues at the Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' two L.A. locations are a little quieter, a little cuddlier and a lot less stressed-out than your average Tramp. Unlike overstuffed, undiscerning city or county shelters, SpcaLA Hawthorne picks its pets off the streets of such cities as… More >>

• Best Celebrity Spotting

  Whole Foods Venice

  Hollywood's edgiest brave ugly, gritty Lincoln Boulevard for a cameo at Whole Foods Venice, the chain's least gentrified L.A. location — where a fringe crowd of beach bums and circus freaks, and the occasional gang shooting out back, adds a pinch of street cred to Lindsey and Scarlett's shopping circuits. The upscale grocery is likewise popular with actor's actors (Tim… More >>
• 

  Best Custom Terrariums

  TerriPlanty

  Color-bursting succulents, pebbles and wood bark are peppered with Ping-Pong games, nude massages and zombie attacks in the glass-enclosed worlds that artist and designer Bianca Quilez D'Amico creates in terrarium form. "I really love the collaborative process of working with people. I'll work off an anecdote or a story they give me," she says, "and create a way for them… More >>

• Best Cheap Deep Massage

  Pampered Foot Spa

  Located in a bland strip mall in Studio City, Pampered Foot Spa offers a serious, one-hour, full-body massage for the crazy-low price of $25. The rules are far different from a pricey massage palace: You wear your own loose clothing throughout, and only whispering is allowed. They'll seat you on a massage bed in an open, darkened room with tinkling… More >>

• Best Optometrist  

  Dr. Adam Goldstone

  Tarzana optometrist Dr. Adam Goldstone works all week plus Saturdays, and if you're the type who needs special attention, this laid-back, affable expert is the guy to see. Recent customers included a woman who came to him because she could not stand the slightly crooked way her glasses always sat on her asymmetrical face; a guy who ordered a rosy-red… More >>

• Best Outdoor Wedding Spot

  The Oak Grove at Ribbit Tree & Plant Nursery

  Hold your nuptials in an ancient California Live Oak grove just 40 minutes from Hollywood, on picturesque Old Topanga Road. There, the owners of Ribbit Tree and Plant Nursery have created a charming amphitheater in their 1.5-acre private woods. Set with rough-hewn hardwood benches and stool-like sanded stumps, it's a perfect bucolic backdrop for couples tired of overdone city weddings.… More >>

• Best Bookstore — Westside

  Sideshow Rare Books, Art & Curiosities

  This is the kind of bookstore you'd open yourself if you had the chance. Owner Tony Jacobs' labor of love, Sideshow Rare Books, Art & Curiosities, is a packed and compact used-book store festooned with hefty art books, ringed with underground comix and Mad Magazine paperbacks, and filled to capacity with more stars than there are in the literary heavens.… More >>