These sturdy oak half-barrels, still redolent of California cabernet, are generous enough to hold a water lily, a bog plant, and a couple of fish--and cost only $29. Finding out that your apartment's balcony isn't quite as sturdy as you thought costs a lot more.

This store has been here for 25 years, and you can't leave without buying a grill or something unwieldy you hadn't intended to purchase. The store has about 15,000 square feet of floor space, and the soft-spoken employees do a lot of work for their customers, including installing washers on faucets, pipe work, etc. They don't charge union rates, making their service cheaper than a plumber. They also install screen doors and know their stuff.

Thrift store stuff covered in lime green plants, mushrooms, and owls is just too Brady Bunch. While Greg may have loved Carol's groovy style, having a house that resembles a cartoonish oak grove growing under a toxic dump is just so lame, man. Think hip--make that hep. Bright aluminum tumblers, shiny cocktail shakers, Tiki masks, martini glasses with colored stems and skewers with plastic olives on the tips, worn playing cards, and jazz club-style art and mirrors are it, baby, and Cool Junk has it all. Though it's sometimes difficult to catch the store when it's open, finding one of those giant metal cigarette lighters that looks like an oil lamp is worth it. Watch friends try to pocket one and carry it home without a noticeable limp.

If you're looking for serious support, these little ladies have it. You don't just go grab a handful of bras and hope one fits. Oh no, before you even get to look at a bra, you're properly measured, advised on the best sort of support for you, and then allowed to try on the bras they select for you. Go with it, it works. If you're between sizes or a really odd fit, they'll alter them while you wait. Plus they have those cool gel bras for a poor girl's instant boob job.

If your Oriental rug is a treasure, if you think it might be a treasure, or even if you know it's definitely not a treasure, this is the place to bring it after it has been treated disrespectfully by cat, child, or roommate. Three generations of family owners, originally from the part of the world where your rug may have been woven, know just how to handle both treasures and knock-offs.

Draconian drug laws being what they are, "head shop" is perhaps an unhealthy term. That may explain why Pipe Dream's matchbooks describe the stores as selling "lifestyle accessories." That they do. A section of creative water bongs of various shapes and sizes (Grateful Dead bear heads, mushrooms) draws attention, but the good deals lie with the smaller pipes. Glass pipes are of a good quality and appealing to the eye. There is a good selection of T-shirts, posters, and bumper stickers--staples of all head shops. Another lesser-known plus is the selection of cigars and tobacco pipes sported at most store locations. Not that all the products aren't intended for smoking tobacco...oh, never mind.

This top-notch clinic includes a pet adoption center for prospective pet owners. Their patient staff members have a great love for animals; all animals, from purebreds to mixed breeds, are treated like millionaire patients. Offering all services with a tremendous Aggie Howdy greeting, this animal clinic is a favorite with the East Dallas dog and cat set.

Along this strip, you will soon find brand-spanking new locations of Neiman Marcus, Dillard's, Target, and all the others. Apparently seizing on the opportunities available because of the high-priced housing going up all around this area, practically every retail operation in America seems to think it's necessary to have representation here. Since the roads are still under construction, the traffic is bumper-to-bumper. But from near the Dallas North Tollway on is a sight that makes it all worthwhile: a bronze and gold, larger-than-life size trio of mounted polo players--apparently a reference to the polo club nearby. Can America get any tackier?

Surrounded on every side by the urban grit of downtown Oak Cliff, this sophisticated little outdoor nursery, between Jefferson and 12th Streets, is a delightful surprise for people who stumble on it unexpectedly. Cleverly put together, with a neat little gift shop, this is a place to come and walk the aisles if for no other reason than to enjoy a half-hour vacation from the rest of Dallas.

Little feet grow faster than delinquent tax penalties, so it helps to have a place with lots of variety, colors, and styles of footwear plus terrific service. Stride Rite is not as cost-effective as burlap and twine, but at least with these shoes you won't find people from the government knocking on your door.