Best Mower Honer 2008 | Casey's Lawn and Garden | Best of Dallas® 2020 | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Dallas | Dallas Observer
Navigation
Support Us
Search

Best Mower Honer

Casey's Lawn and Garden

There's no point making salad out of your lawn with a dull mower blade. Take that blade off and take it to Casey's, where they will sharpen it while you wait for about $7.50. Be sure to ask how to put it back on (don't ask us how we learned this lesson the hard way). Better yet, take the whole lawnmower to them and let them mess with it. Then take it home, crosshatch the grass and sit back to admire your work.

Best Old Bags

Zola's Everyday Vintage

Their racks of mod Twiggy frocks and granny dresses are cute, but the best buys at this Oak Cliff vintage shop are the accessories and handbags handpicked for sale by store owners Annette Norman and Diedra Sutton. They have keen eyes for quality. Best of all, they keep the markup low, meaning collectability is possible on a budget. From fringy hippie shoulder bags of the 1960s back to the tiny gold meshes of earlier decades, the handbag assortment will keep you pawing over the choices for hours. Recent finds include a 1920s gold evening purse for $36 and a girly-girl Whiting and Davis clutch, circa World War II, for $75. And you know that silver lamé number went home with us for $20. That's the sort of vintage bargain you just have to bag.

Best Package Peddlers

Go Green Couriers

By applying more than 25 years of know-how in Dallas-based delivery services, two brothers (Tony and Robb Hormillosa) and two friends (Alex Ham and Robert Lelievre) are changing the future of the courier industry with Go Green Couriers. By using only hybrid vehicles and bicycles, officing remotely and turning to online billing/ordering systems (read: paperless and therefore waste-free), the company aims to reduce its impact on the environment while still providing the standard four-hour, two-hour, one-hour and immediate delivery services companies rely on to get business done. And not only are they reducing that nasty carbon footprint, but they can also provide research and notary services too. We can only hope that other delivery companies will turn over a new leaf and follow in the low-emission tracks of DFW's first "green" couriers.

Best Pet Sitter

Park Cities Pet Sitter Inc.

In business for 16 years, Park Cities Pet Sitter does more than walk your dog. Available year-round, with a supervisor on call around the clock, they will water your plants, pick up your newspapers, even sleep over with an anxious pooch. Prices are somewhere between not-cheap and fair, given that this place carefully screens its caregivers and sends out only animal-loving sitters who treat your pet with love. Home visits run from $18 to $24 depending on how many pets you have. Overnights are $75 to $85. If you have ever faced a choice between joining friends for a great vacation or staying home to comfort a lonely pup who's prone to kennel cough, you know the value of a good pet sitter. Whatever the price, it's worth it to trust the paws who pat your pooch.

Best Petside Manner

Richard Scroggin, DVM

It's emotionally trying when a loved one is diagnosed with a potentially terminal illness. Some experts acknowledge that when that loved one is a furry innocent with four paws, it can be even tougher to deal with. It takes talent, skill and strength to treat our best four-legged friends, and a calming, reassuring disposition to deliver the diagnosis to pet owners. Dr. Richard Scroggin and his team of Veterinary Specialists of North Texas—Cheryl K. Harris, DVM; Philip L. Treuil, DVM, MS; and Sandra M. Axiak, DVM—are friendly but professional and go to the ends of modern technology to find the answers to kitty and doggie maladies, including various forms of cancer. Scroggin, in particular, is patient and caring in his examination of animals and in helping owners determine the best course of treatment. He nobly takes the "if it were my baby" approach when advising distressed humans and, thankfully, delivers information in laymen's terms. It's a gift to have the unconditional love of a pet, and with Scroggin and VSNT, we can give the kind and thorough treatment these sweet creatures deserve.

Best Place to Become a Fortuneteller

The Silver Pyramid

Depressed about this year's lack of new Harry Potter tomes? Get your fix of crystal balls, mystical creatures and divinations at The Silver Pyramid, a den of magical objects. The shelves are stocked with a variety of rocks and stones that hold special "energies," as well as crystal orbs, jewelry, quartz and "singing" bowls for meditation. Consult the pendulums, which respond to yes-or-no questions to provide guidance. But don't go to the Pyramid in a hurry. Owners Steve and Kathy Collins enjoy providing customers with detailed explanations of the products. Future cloudy? We predict you'll get some insight here (or at least have a good grin looking at all the stuff).

Best Place to Brew Up Something

Homebrew Headquarters

Wine has always been the ultimate enclave of snobbish foodies and wannabe gourmands. Other alcohols still haven't really caught up, though people are starting to discover that beer is more than just a fast route to cirrhosis of the liver. Microbreweries have sprung up around the country to meet the demands of beer connoisseurs. But for some, even a microbrewery isn't micro enough; if you want something done right, you've got to brew it yourself. And Homebrew Headquarters will be glad to help you do that. Don't be deceived by its strip-mall appearance: A couple hours in this place and they'll set you up with everything from carboys to malt to a recipe book of tasty brews. And don't be afraid to ask questions; these guys speak the language of lager...and stout and ale and pilsner and...

Best Place to Button Up

CD Addict

It's not like you need more than one try to guess who's going win best record store, but not every music junkie can reside within walking distance of Greenville Avenue. Living north of the dial, some of us need to find a dealer a bit closer to home to get our fix. Tucked in a strip mall just off Texas Highway 190 in Carrollton, CD Addict carries new and used records, CDs, videos, DVDs and posters. Oh, and buttons—cannot forget the buttons. Shoppers can flaunt their fondness for everything from a favorite indie band or glam icon to an '80s TV show or classic horror flick. With a rotating supply of nearly 1,500 different ones to choose from, expressing your self via pinback becomes a simple task. (Unless, of course, you have a hard time deciding which flair you can't live without.) Last year, the independently owned shop celebrated its fifth anniversary. Living up to its name, fully loaded fixtures of CDs line the length of the store, and the back wall houses the racks of vinyl LPs and 7-inches, of which they stock a fat selection of rare and hard-to-find indie, hardcore and punk releases. No music snobs either; you'll get the same treatment whether you walk up to the counter clutching Death Cab for Cutie buttons, Neutral Milk Hotel on vinyl or Justin Timberlake on CD.

Best Place to Buy Highland Park Cast-Offs

Salvation Army Family Store

If you have Park Cities taste and a West Dallas budget, spend a Saturday walking the aisles of the Salvation Army Family Store (formerly called "thrift store") that splits the geographical and socio-economical difference between the two 'hoods. A mere 10 minutes from Highland Park, the store offers high-quality threads and furniture at jaw-dropping prices. The old concert T-shirt selection is pitiful; the men's shirt selection reveals a general preference for polo and golf over heavy metal. But Brooks Brothers suits for under $50 and huge leather couches for $200 more than make up for the lack of hipster garb. Check periodically, as you never know when a Parkie is going to send the hired help over with a Bentley-load of last season's fashions.

Best Place to Buy Plants

North Haven Gardens

Danny Fulgencio

North Haven is a no-brainer when it comes to one-stop shopping for your entire garden and landscaping needs. It combines three things that everybody loves: affordable prices, great selection and a knowledgeable staff. From trees to shrubs, grasses to herbs, vines to roses and annuals to perennials, they've got it all. North Haven also has weekly specials, and if somehow they don't have what you need, they'll get it for you. No gardening question is too dumb or too detailed, as the staff is equipped to handle customers looking for basic knowledge or those seeking extensive information. It all adds up to a tremendous experience, which usually ends up with you at the checkout hours later with a cart full of plants.

Best Of Dallas®

Best Of

Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our terms of use, our cookies policy, and our privacy policy The Dallas Observer may earn a portion of sales from products & services purchased through links on our site from our affiliate partners. ©2024 Dallas Observer, LP. All rights reserved.
Do Not Sell or Share My Information
Powered By Foundation