Shopping And Services

Best Ties
Dapper + Dash
Bow ties are making a comeback in a hipster/cool/sexy way, and Dapper + Dash has known this for years. Owner Aaron Kimberlin’s Phoenix-based company has been creating upcycled ties out of vintage fabrics since 2008. Find them online or at Frances or Mercantile boutiques. dapperanddash.com
Best Watches
E.D. Marshall Jewelers
Got the time? Here you’ll find dozens of quality timepieces, from Mont Blanc chronographs and Zenith watches to water-resistant U-Boat models and Hamilton pocket watches. 10261 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, 480-922-1968, edmarshalljewelers.com
Best Men’s Haircut
V’s Barbershop
Step back in time at V’s, a throwback shop where you get a barber, not a stylist; where fathers and sons share bonding moments over first haircuts, where hot lathers and straight razor shaves come standard. Founded in Tucson by Jim Valenzuela in 1999, V’s are now located all over the Valley. vbarbershop.com
Best Men’s Clothing Boutique
GROWop 
Set in an old Roosevelt Row house, this haberdasher started as a community garden four years ago. It blossomed into a retro-cool clothing and accessories boutique for both men and women in 2010. The selection for men is both resales of vintage-turned-stylish-again clothing (think tweed jackets) and high-end items from the menswear designer Pendleton. 902 N. Sixth St., Phoenix, 602-714-5256, facebook.com/growopboutique
Best Jeweler
Molina
Molina has been in Phoenix since 1987, though the Molina name has been associated with fine jewelry since the 17th century. Befitting their pedigree, this exquisite jewelry store makes you feel like you should have worn an evening gown simply to walk through its doors, and their designs will blind you with their sparkle. 3134 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, 602-508-1653, molinafinejewelers.com Best Shoes
Muse Apparel
The shoe selection here is tiny but top-notch, whether you’re looking to get pumped with suede magenta heels or go flat with cheetah-print jellies or black velvet Campagna shoes. They even occasionally carry pairs of stylish hiking boots. 742 E. Glendale Ave., Phoenix, 602-749-8880, shopatmuse.com
Best Women’s Haircut
The Roose Parlour & Spa
Walk into this Downtown gem, hidden away in an old house, and you’ll feel all the charm and friendliness a hip salon should have – with zero pretense. Opened in 2010 by LeAnne Scott and AJ Leiby, the shop offers hair and nail styling, facials, makeup and massage. 918 N. Sixth St., Phoenix, 602-274-6942, theroose.com
Best Women’s Boutique
Frances
This quirky yet classy boutique offers an eclectic selection of clothing, accessories and gifts. Where else can you find a gorgeous top from Free People, some glittery Toms, turquoise earrings, beer pong balls and an adorable onesie? One of those things doesn’t belong, and that’s part of the appeal of Frances. 10 W. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, 602-279-5467, francesvintage.com
Best Bags
Just Jane Boutique
Welcome to handbag heaven. More than 10 renowned designers, including Sondra Roberts and Big Buddha, have purses for purchase here, ranging across price points from $56 Hello Kitty pink mini-satchels by Loungefly to $120 Melie Bianco Monica bags. 20830 N. 25th Place, Phoenix, 480-861-4520, justjaneboutique.com
Best Natural Beauty Products
Verde Maison
After Roxana Cooney’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, she recognized the need for organic cosmetics free of parabens, a common preservative in beauty products that’s been linked to tumors. So she opened this classy cosmetics shop and day spa, where “questionable ingredients” are verboten. 15037 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, 480-563-0449, verdemaison.com Best Place to Relive Boomer-era Pre-adolescent Mania
Avalon War Books & Hobbies
The shelves of this unobtrusive strip-mall shop are stocked with boxes of model planes and tanks, and boats from Viking to aircraft carrier – not to mention spaceships and dinosaurs, for those with tastes more pop-cultural than martial – all cast in those little plastic pieces that drove those of us with poor manual skills crazy in our childhoods. “The point isn’t to be good at it,” insists proprietor Keith Pieper. “The point is to have fun.” 1510 N. Scottsdale Rd., Tempe, 480-994-2263
Best Place to Play Dress-up
Boom Boom LaRue’s
A one-stop-shop for gender illusionists, this quirky downtown boutique is also fab for exotic Halloween costumes and spy disguises. Vintage hats, furs, and pleather corsets are among the gems you’ll find here, along with riding crops and Wonder Woman boots for the Amazon inside of you. Wigs are available in every color and style: If you’ve got the dough, Boom Boom’s co-owner will whip up a towering custom coif that would put Marge Simpson’s beehive to shame. 3606 N. 16th St., Phoenix, 602-265-3441, ?boomboomlarue.com Best Place to Buy Athletic Gear:
Runner’s Den
Whether you’re a seasoned marathoner or new to pavement-pounding, Runner’s Den can set you up. This family-owned business, opened in 1978, not only offers shoes, gadgets and Gu (an energy supplement), but also holds a free “Good Form” running class every Saturday morning. 6505 N. 16th St., Phoenix, 602-277-4333, runnersdenaz.comBest Bookstore
Dog-Eared Pages
How fitting that an independent bookshop should behave like something out of author J.K. Rowling’s imagination. Behind a tiny room of mainly popular fiction, Dog-Eared Pages opens up like one of Harry Potter’s tents into a massive library crammed with used and rare books in every genre imaginable. The store’s wizards update their online inventory hourly, so you can be certain the Patricia Cornwell novel or 1957 Don Quixote reprint you’ve been eyeing is still on the shelf. 16428 N. 32nd St., Phoenix, 602-283-5423, dogearedpagesusedbooks.com
Best Florist
Community Florist
This popular neighborhood flower shop’s wisest move was to set up shop beneath the beloved vintage My Florist sign, a remnant of the historical occupants. Stocked with a cooler of brilliantly colored roses, gerberas and callas, the Vera Wang-preferred vendor justifies its name by attracting Downtown’s core of artists and “buy local” movement champions. In addition to FTD bouquets and custom designs, Community Florist offers houseplants, gift baskets and same-day delivery service on many items. 550 W. McDowell Rd., Phoenix, 602-266-6648, communityfloristaz.net
Best Toy Shop 
Toy Anxiety
The excitement of receiving a pile of holiday gifts is nothing compared to the thrills that we experience at Toy Anxiety. Sure, they stock the hottest Avengers and LAPD toys, plus replacement parts, but the cluttered collectible shop in central Phoenix is also a veritable time capsule of childhood faves. Look around and you might spot a mint condition Thundercats Lion-O, a curvaceous ’90s Catwoman doll or a vintage Smurf playset you haven’t seen since you thought boys (or girls) were icky. 13825 N. 32nd St., Phoenix, 602-308-0292, toyanxiety.com
Best Creative Gifts
Celadon Home
Every former Bridezilla knows unique wedding gifts remain elusive unless you turn to the craft cow that is Etsy.com. There, you’ll find custom paper creations like local interior designer Michelle Kann’s adorable photo albums, which feature 3D trees printed with your wedding song lyrics or invitation copy. Trust us: Even the pickiest monster-in-law will love ’em. Kann also handcrafts decorative frames, guest book alternatives and an anniversary wall hanging made with hearts die-cut out of your favorite photos. ?etsy.com/shop/CeladonHomeBest Green Cleaning Services
OrganiCare
Environmentalists have had their panties in a bunch ever since PERC and other caustic dry cleaning solutions came under fire for being unsafe. Rather than go back to beating clothes in the river, we’ll take them to OrganiCare, one of the few dry cleaners in the Valley to offer a completely safe wet method that uses water and biodegradable soap. You can bring in area rugs, horseback riding gear and drapes – basically, almost any fabric item short of a couch. Best of all, they offer complimentary pick up and delivery, so you need never actually go to the dry (or wet) cleaners again. 21050 N. Tatum Blvd., Phoenix, 480-585-3936, organicare.co
Best Tea Shop
Dragonfly Tea Company
Owner and “chief leaf” Holly Hunt makes all the blends at this tea shop in the former Fleur de Teas location. The Dragonfly line includes black, green and white teas; rooibos blends; tesanes; and Oolong and Pu-Ehr varieties. There’s not a bad blend among them, but some of our favorites include the masala chai (black tea with green cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, and coriander), the organic genmacha (bancha green tea with popped corn and hulled rice kernels) and the Pineapple Paradise (white Bai Mudan and peony tea). 5812 N. 16th St., Phoenix, 480-274-5819, dragonflyteacompany.com
Best Custom Tailoring
Danese Creations
From custom designed men’s suits to a wedding gown you’ve sketched on a cocktail napkin, just give third-generation tailor Scylvia Danese Di Cola a sewing machine, and she’ll make it happen. Her shop has been around for 41 years, earning her the title “Fairy Godmother of Fashion.” After she began making custom-fit bras, though, she says some women started calling her “The Boob Whisperer.” 3902 E. Indian School Rd., Phoenix, 602-955-1313, danesecreations.com
Best Facial
Salon Embellish
For a steal of a facial, check out the relaxing environs at Embellish, a salon and wellness studio that offers Aveda facials (whose products are botanical and not tested on animals) starting at only $35. Whether you need a deep cleansing or anti-aging treatment, treat yourself. 3508 N. Seventh St., Phoenix, 602-368-4855, salonembellishllc.com