Find everything from handmade bracelets to secondhand threads in this top-shelf roundup of Valley products and practitioners.
Dispensary
Sol Flower
Also getting a contact high from our staff-wide poll: Flower Shop, AZ Organix, Sunday Goods. livewithsol.com
Vintage Goods/Furniture
Brass Armadillo Antique Mall Goodyear/North
Phoenix indoor swap meet beats a passel of Melrose District favorites. brassarmadillo.com
Men’s Clothing
Cave + Post
“Stylish lumberjack gear” is how one staffer describes the Midtown haberdashery. caveandpost.com
Women’s Clothing
Amy Atelier, Buffalo Exchange, Charmed, Norde Scottsdale, Purple Lizard (tie)
BOV ladies can’t agree. shopamyatelier.com, charmedboutique.com, nordescottsdale.com, purplelizardboutique.com
Auto Shop
Vinson/Haas Automotive
“Honest, no BS ever,” one staffer promises. mikevinsonauto.com
Nail Salon
Prose Arcadia
Mani-pedi hot spot in East Phoenix “nails” the landing. myprose.com
Florist
Cactus Flower Florists
Scottsdale flower shop owes itself some BOV roses. cactusflower.com
Hair Salon
Firefly Collective
Its location on the Seventh Street dining drag offers plenty of options for an after-cut lunch. fireflycollectivephx.com
Best Street for Thrifting
Bell Road Between Seventh and 75th Avenues
Start at the Savers on 75th Avenue, then head east. This stretch of Bell includes one Deseret Industries, two Savers and more Goodwills than we can count. We can’t explain why every store we love is located on the south side of Bell, but it makes zipping from thrift to thrift even easier.
Best Antiques
Camelback Antiques
In the market for a rattan peacock chair? Or perhaps you’ve been on the hunt for a drop-leaf dessert cart or a 1960s roadmap of Arizona? Rare retro finds abound at this 7,500-square-foot antique mall, which features timeless treasures from more than 50 different dealers and hosts flea markets throughout the year in its spacious parking lot. 2230 E. Indian School Rd., Phoenix, 602-957-7357, camelbackantiques.com
Best Place to Buy Summer Clothes
Purple Lizard
This tiny boutique across from Phoenix College has long been a go-to for Mexican crafts, housewares, jewelry and the best-smelling candles, but our favorite part of Purple Lizard is the selection of breezy linen dresses and separates for women by brands like FLAX and Krista Larson. Open by appointment only. 2827 N. 15th Ave., Phoenix, 602-728-0980, purplelizardboutique.com
Best Place to Buy Vintage Records & Vintage Candy
Candy & Records
The vinyl is vintage at this friendly Downtown music emporium. So is the candy. You can pick up old-school caramel creams and candy necklaces along with Aerosmith or Journey or Sonny & Cher sides. It’s one-stop shopping for having friends over after school. The shop also hosts occasional listening parties. 9402 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, 602-312-4805, facebook.com/candyandrecords
Best Local Shopping Center
Desert Sun Plaza on Grand Avenue
In a city full of big-box retail hubs, this two-story plaza shines as a microcosm of the burgeoning arts district it inhabits. The first floor features a mix of local boutiques, galleries and wellness businesses, while the second floor is home to a series of private artist studios. The plaza regularly hosts community events, workshops and markets – and is particularly poppin’ during First Friday. 1325 Grand Ave., Phoenix, @desertsunplaza
Best 90s-Style Mall
Arrowhead Towne Center
Don’t dig the vibe of the hoity-toity fashion squares in the East Valley? In its 31-year history, this suburban shopping center in Glendale has enjoyed the usual updates and renovations, but it also unabashedly holds onto the hallmarks of classic ’90s malls – huge food court, photo booths, play areas for kids, sweets shop, movie theater, an amphitheater where teens loiter, etc. – without the pretentious vibe of an elite retail hub. So, grab that new Coach bag without judgment. 7700 W. Arrowhead Towne Center, Glendale, arrowheadtownecenter.com
Best Place to Buy Streetwear Straight from Tokyo
The Ghost Vintage
More than 5,500 physical miles separate the streets of Tokyo from the Phoenix desert, but The Ghost Vintage is reducing the figurative distance to zero – at least where fashion is concerned. Hangers showcasing ’90s fashion finds sourced straight from Tokyo cover the walls of this Midtown vintage staple, right next to T-shirts decorated with the faces of streetwear gods like Eazy-E and, um, Tweety Bird . 4700 N. Central Ave., Phoenix, @theghostvintage
Best Bet to Find a Billy Joel Tape and Tour Tee
Mod Desert + Cactus VHS
Now here’s the retail mash-up we needed. In 2022, Peoria vintage furniture and knickknack store Mod Desert shacked up with Cactus VHS (which specializes in vintage Western clothing and, you guessed it, VHS cassette tapes) under one roof. In 2023, the two-headed concept moved to Historic Downtown Glendale and celebrated its 1-year anniversary. Together, Mod owner Kendall Linderman and Cactus founder Matt Young have created a beautifully curated space for folks to shop, hang out, and enjoy watching movies on a vintage TV – just the way the ’80s gods intended it. 7011 N. 58th Ave., Glendale, 623-332-0754, cactusvhs.com, moddesertaz.com
Best Gift Shop
Frances
When Frances founder Georganne Bryant sold this beloved boutique four years ago, locals worried that she’d take the curated, down-home vibe with her. But new owner Jade Noble has maintained the same unique collection of cool clothing, jewelry, home goods and artisanal gifts that put Frances on the map. Several local vendors, including Madalyn Nault Accessories, Vim + Vigor Candle Co. and Buckaroo Flower Co., sell their wares here, too. 10 W. Camelback Rd., Phoenix, 602-279-5467, shopfrancesboutique.com
Best Leather Goods
Lifetime Leather Co.
Twenty years ago, while recovering from a zip-lining accident, Ty Bowman found a leather couch by the side of the road, and the rest is accessory history. Self-taught Bowman now teaches others to craft wallets, dopp kits and just about anything his customers can dream up. Lifetime Leather truly creates heirlooms – our new leather bag is going to last forever, and it smells so good! Move along, vegans. This one’s not for you. Online only. lifetimeleather.com
Best Weirdly Located Adult Shop in Phoenix
Groove on 12th Street and Glendale Avenue
With a pizza joint and a frozen yogurt shop, the Village Shops strip mall is where North-Central Phoenix families celebrate a good report card. Just enter from Glendale Avenue to avoid questions from your kids about the lubricants and fetish gear sold inside at the Groove facing 12th Street. 1149 E. Glendale Ave., Phoenix, inthegroove.com
Best Night Market
Little Cholla Market
Anchored by coLAB Studio co-founder Matthew Salenger’s multifunctional “art canopy,” this weekly night market at Culdesac Tempe is taking a summer hiatus but will return in the fall with more live music, food trucks, local vendors and themed events. Located across from the light rail in the Valley’s only car-free community, Little Cholla Market offers $5 rebate tokens to guests who arrive via alternative transportation. 2001 E. Apache Blvd., Tempe, @littlecholla
Best Resale Boutique
High Society Resale Boutique
This Scottsdale resale shop lives up to its swanky name by offering the likes of gently used Chanel and Fendi handbags, Gucci T-shirts, Stella McCartney dresses, Jimmy Choo sandals and David Yurman jewelry up to 90 percent off original prices. Owner Beth McRae and staff will help you “create the wardrobe of your dreams.” 10805 N. 71st Way, Scottsdale, 480-951-2506,
highsocietyresale.com
Best Maps
Wide World of Maps
No, we’re not talking about the navigation system on your phone. Remember maps, the giant paper sheets your parents would open on road trips and never manage to fold correctly? For a bit of nostalgia and a geography lesson, check out this three-location Valley chain, run by noted cartophile James Willinger. Bonus points if you spot the Gandalf lookalike featured on the shop’s website. Multiple locations, maps4u.com