Find everything from handmade bracelets to secondhand threads in the top-shelf roundup of Valley products and practitioners.

Best Art Supplies 
The Art Resource Center

Imagine a warehouse packed with every kind of art supply you can imagine. Run by volunteers, this donation center provides free supplies to teachers, and you can shop, too, for a small donation. You never know what you might find: a loom, a kiln, a stack of frames. Inspirational in all kinds of ways. 910 S. Hohokam Dr., Tempe, 602-828-1987, sites.google.com/view/artresourcecenter/home

Best Hard-to-Find Old Town Shop
Iron Rose Boutique

Hidden behind The Herb Box and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams in the oldest part of Old Town, Iron Rose Boutique is a fun spot to discover everything from beaded purses and Grateful Dead T-shirts to colorful sun dresses and aromatic candles. Snag some swag and then treat yourself to a honey-lavender latte at Berdena’s, just steps away. 7051 E. Fifth Ave., Scottsdale, 425-985-5483, @ironrose_boutique 

Best Artist Colony 
Hive on 16th Street

Tennille Neilsen is living her dream on 16th Street, having gathered a group of artists and creatives in a sweet little complex that celebrates local businesses and community. You can shop for jewelry, vegan purses and vintage clothing; make a necklace; get a dress altered; collage a work of art; or just hang out. 2222 N. 16th St., Phoenix,
602-756-1082, hiveon16th.com 

Best Purse Replacement
The Pochette by Soul Carrier

Soul Carrier founder Jennifer Boonlorn finds inspiration in life’s highs and lows – and she’s here for all of it, in style. Channeling her NYC fashion roots and the creative legacy of her late architect father, she designed the ultimate minimalist statement: a sleek, soft pouch crafted from Epsom leather (the same Hermès uses) and lined with Alcantara, the luxe fabric found in Ferraris. Whether you’re heading to a concert or elevating your everyday look, carry it your way – hip bag, crossbody or clutch. Available at soulcarrier.com and The Arizona Biltmore Retail Shops. 

Best Science Boutique
Curious Nature

After moving around Phoenix over the past few years, this “natural history emporium” has (hopefully) found an ideal location amidst the vintage stores and shops of the city’s Melrose District. After all, transporting its inventory of skulls, plants, and peculiar taxidermy must be a challenge. 4346 N. Seventh Ave., 602-314-4346, curiousnatureshop.com

Best Local Love 
“A Local’s Guide to Phoenix” by Local Nomad

We love nothing more than a good boutique packed with greeting cards, fashion and tchotchkes – unless it’s a boutique that also celebrates the city. From coffee and cocktails to museums and markets, this curated lifestyle guide offered by Uptown shop Local Nomad even includes a few of their competitors. It’s all about community – and we love it. 100 E. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, 602-441-4378, localnomadshop.com

Best Boutique Thrifting
The White Dove Thrift Shoppe

Digging through bins of cast-offs can be fun – and a little gross. If you’re looking for a clean, organized thrifting experience, White Dove is for you. Prices on dishware, clothing and furniture aren’t the lowest but check out the clearance center in the back of the store. Bonus: Proceeds benefit Hospice of the Valley. Multiple Valley locations, whitedovethrift.org

Best Disinfectant Dispensers
Pool Patch Cowboy Floaters

An Arizona native and Western culture fanatic, Pool Patch owner Thomas Lopez channeled serious Wild West vibes while renovating his 1914 United Verde Extension (UVX) miner’s home in Jerome. One byproduct: his amusing floating cowboy hat and cattle skull chlorine dispensers. Made with soft polypropylene and durable ABS plastic, this chlorine tablet dispenser is as rugged as it is stylish – and is sure to make guests in your swimming pool do a double take. Available on Amazon and poolpatch.com.

Best Seeds
Phoenix Seed Swap

Even the blackest thumbs are welcome at the Phoenix Seed Swap, a community-run group of gardeners eager to help you bloom what you’ve planted. The idea is to bring seeds to trade, but these folks are just fine if you’re empty handed. It’s a supportive grassroots group at a time we need it more than ever. phoenixseedswap.com

Best Silversmith
Little Fang Silver

Each of Angela Dunbar’s stunning silver pieces – Kingman turquoise rings, white buffalo bolo ties, black onyx bangles, Royston ribbon pendants – starts as raw sterling, which she then saws, solders, stamps and sets into wearable sculpture. Blending ancient artistry and traditional techniques with dainty, contemporary design, Dunbar crafts striking, one-of-a-kind symbols of the Sonoran Desert. littlefangsilver.com

Best Little Boutique in Phoenix
Vida Moulin at The Frederick

For bohemian, California-style beach fashion and “modern-femme style” from top designers, Vida Moulin is a one-stop shop. Browse the eye-catching accessories, try on a dazzling swimsuit or scope out your new favorite dress, from brands that include Beach Riot, Amanda Uprichard and Indah. Need some snazzy sunglasses? Vida Moulin has you covered. 1215 E. Missouri Ave., Phoenix, 602-633-4586, vidamoulin.com

Best Place for a Meet Cute
Book Gallery

Located in Arcadia Lite, this singular bookseller boasts a vast collection of used books comprising strange – and strangely specific – gems. So, it’s the perfect place for finding your soulmate as you both reach for, let’s say, that hard-to-find copy of The Naked Quaker: True Crimes and Controversies from the Courts of Colonial New England. 3615 E. Indian School Rd., Phoenix, 602-508-0280

Best Whimsical Art
Mini Treehouses by Stardust

As a kid growing up near Death Valley, Jim Haubrock dreamed of treehouses, though none existed in his desert town. After moving to Arizona, the artist (aka Stardust) imagined what a Sonoran Desert treehouse might look like – sketching one built into a saguaro cactus. With creative input from his wife, Cheryl, a miniaturist of 50 years, his whimsical cactus treehouses include tiny Band-Aid boxes – because cactuses bite. Supported with a client list that includes local rock god Alice Cooper, Stardust gladly accepts custom commissions (jimhaubrock86@gmail.com) and sells his one-of-a-kind treehouses at Auntie Em’s Miniatures in Glendale. 

Best New Collab
The Joy Bus Diner x Wild Thing Botanicals

With The Joy Bus Diner’s new location comes a bigger kitchen, more seating and the nonprofit’s iconic yellow bus stocked with beautifully arranged and artfully potted plants from Wild Thing Botanicals – exclusively for sale at Joy Bus. It’s like Snoop and Dre dropping a new track, only plants. 10401 N. 32nd St., Phoenix, 602-595-5884, joybus.org; 602-300-2762, wildthingbotanicals.com

Best Indie Record Shop
Candy & Records

Most record shops have some know-it-all behind the counter who waxes on about every obscure album you can imagine. Sunnyslope’s Candy & Records co-owner Josh Golembiewski is the antithesis of that stereotype. He’s always eager to help, even if you’re looking for some Manilow, with an eclectic inventory that is always reasonably priced. And yes, there’s also candy. 9402 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, 602-312-4805, facebook.com/candyandrecords

Best Place for Exclusive Vinyl Records
Zia Record Exchange 

Zia offers more than 250 limited-edition vinyl records you can’t find anywhere else, from Green Day’s Saviors on gray vinyl to a Billie Holliday album on blue vinyl. Most of Zia’s exclusives are limited to 1,000 copies or fewer, so if you want one, better hustle – especially on Record Store Day. Multiple Valley locations, ziarecords.com

Best Resale Shop
Hawk Salvage

Hawk Salvage, a Grand Avenue gallery curated by retired Phoenix Fire Department chief Greg Hawk, is much more eclectic than your typical Goodwill. Here, you’ll find an unusual collection of vintage items, including vintage toys, photos and other oddities. If you’re looking for a conversation starter for your home, this is the perfect place to start. Call ahead before visiting – Hawk keeps irregular hours. 1109 W. Grand Ave., Phoenix, 602-790-8365, instagram.com/hawksalvage

Best Place to Buy an Old Door
Antiquities Warehouse

This place looks like nothing from the outside. Trust us. Go. Make sure you talk the salespeople into letting you past the small showroom and into a gigantic warehouse packed with European imports and tacks of ancient doors with peeling paint and frosted glass – the stuff you just don’t see in the wild anymore. 2025 E. University Dr., Phoenix, 602-584-7576, antiquitieswarehouse.com

Best Place to Shop for the Sinophile Who Has Everything
Hong Kong Gifts in Mesa’s Asian District 

We dare you to find a more dizzying selection of Chinese bric-a-brac in the Valley. Delicate lanterns. Tabletop jade sculptures. Stuffed pandas in all sizes. Teeny coin purses in shades of pastel. Windchimes, bamboo plants, yarn dragons, hanging scrolls and Chinese fans framed behind glass. It’s a wormhole straight to Hong Kong. 66 S. Dobson Rd., Mesa, 602-328-0969, lucky88panda.com

Best Inappropriate Gifts
Carvings By Dan

The holidays are right around the corner. And who wouldn’t love a hand-carved ghost flipping the bird, a leering pumpkin or a dominatrix ornament to adorn their tree?  Should you prefer to keep your gift-giving G-rated, artist Dan Nunes also fashions fountain pens and mechanical pencils. 510-393-5606, @carvings_by_dan

 Best Way to Send the Arizona Sun
Linley Wood Arts

Half the fun of living in Arizona is bragging about our winter weather to friends and relatives back East. You can double down on that pastime by shipping off a representation of our glorious Arizona sun, handmade by Mesa craftsman Mike Linley in wood and suitable to grace the walls of homes in sun-starved states. 775-750-1015, linleywoodarts.com

Best Hand Sanitizer
Olivespa Clean Hands

In the COVID era, we’ve become hand sanitizer hoarders. Trust us when we say this is the best. With olive oil, vitamin E and aloe, it actually lives up to the promise of being a moisturizing sanitizer. And its essential oil blend – eucalyptus, lavender and orange – makes it antiseptic, antibacterial and antifungal, while also making your hands smell like they just got a spa treatment. We’ve even been known to dot some behind our ears for a perfume effect. 2701 N. 24th St., Phoenix, 602-607-5473, olivespa.com 

Best Vintage Furniture
Then Again AZ

A perfectly preserved Eames molded fiberglass armchair. A fully functional Art Deco RCA floor radio with original knobs. A Broyhill Brasilia coffee table with tapered legs. It’s all here at Then Again AZ – owned by antiques enthusiast Kevin Bendure, who recently added 1,000 square feet of vintage furniture to his emporium of old-world wares. Bendure also offers an impressive collection of vintage toys, Western items, kitchen appliances, art and rare books. Happy hunting! 11222 N. Cave Creek Rd., Phoenix, 602-903-4922, facebook.com/thenagainaz 

Best Soap
Strawberry Hedgehog

It’s been a decade since we crowned Strawberry Hedgehog founder Tracy Perkins Vegan Beauty Queen in the late Movers & Shakers section of Best of the Valley. We still think her small-batch handmade soap – free from parabens, sulfates and artificial fragrance – is the bee’s knees. You can find her core line at Whole Foods statewide, but for seasonal specials like summer’s Desert Rain, which beautifully evokes the intoxicating aroma of the monsoon, you’ll have to pop into her adorable Phoenix shop. 1501 W. Thomas Rd., Phoenix, 928-637-6270, strawberryhedgehog.com

Best Way to Wax Eloquent
Superstition Candle Company

Need a gift for your creepy goth cousin? Have no fear. SCC offers candles in the image of horror icons from Jason to Chucky to Jack Skellington, skulls, brains and coffins. For milder tastes, there are cute Halloween ghosties and owls. For bachelorette parties, there are anatomically correct, if optimistic, educational candles. superstitioncandlecompany.com

Best Resource for Home Cooks
Kitchen Switchen

Someone who lives on takeout gets a Le Creuset for Christmas. They use it once, put it on a shelf for years, then one day decide to sell it. They list it on Kitchen Switchen, a high-end cookware resale site founded by Phoenix entrepreneur Amy Powers and her daughters Brittney and Emma Valentine. You, an avid home cook on a budget, add the Dutch oven to your cart and buy it for a fraction of the cost of a new one. Everyone is happy. Brick-and-mortar store coming to Phoenix this year. kitchenswitchen.com

Best Place for a Refurbished Mid-Century Record Console
Twigs & Twine

The approach at this used-furniture shop is sourcing well-made vintage pieces from estate sales and other vendors, then polishing and painting them for a stylish new life. Can’t find exactly what you seek? Owner Jill Roberts will offer to call you when she unearths your desired treasure, from Mad Men-esque end tables to the turntable setup of your dreams. 3335 N. 24th St., Phoenix, 602-625-5527, twigsandtwine.com