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Best Place to Buy Briefs

Skivvies

This store is strictly for men, though we recommend it highly to any woman who has tired of her man's old, threadbare boxer briefs that, having been washed thousands of times, scream for a spicier set of replacements. There's everything from your basic navy and white briefs and boxers to Speedo-style designs covered in hotdogs, roosters or superheroes. You can also opt for a risqué lace-up swimsuit or briefs covered with the American flag. And of course, there's the underwear with the requisite flamethrower front and center. A friend, while showering praise on the shop, says he has only one complaint. "It's clearly the best place to buy underwear," he said. "Now, if I could just stop leaving them at people's houses."

Best Pot Dealer

Amigos Pottery Inc.

Hundreds of rustic clay pots are stacked high into the sky at the Amigos Pottery outdoor lot near the farmers market. Owners Benito and Elsa Reyna have been selling pots, fountains, talavera (the colorful hand-painted ceramics), outdoor statues, mirrors and even margarita glasses for 12 years at that spot. They also have a location in Plano. Mostly they sell to designers, landscapers and apartment complexes, but individuals also brave the heat for the good deals. The Reynas own the factory that produces the rustic pottery in Tonala, Mexico, so the cost stays low. They sell everything from a five-tiered garden fountain for $1,000 to a small pot for a house plant for under $10.

Best Return to Childhood

Lego

Some of the simplest toys are the most enduring. From the "Automatic Binding Brick" developed in 1949 to the sophisticated Technic and Mindstorms products available now, Lego has unleashed the imaginations of several generations of kids and adults. Likewise, the new Lego store at NorthPark entrances li'l ones and big ones. Pose with the store display (recently, a life-sized Indiana Jones, complete with translucent-Lego "crystal skull") or marvel at the wall of pick-a-bricks, 60 bins holding Lego bricks and components in a wide array of colors and sizes. With prices ranging from impulse (a simple starter set for $15) to car payment (the Mindstorms NXT robotics set for $279), imaginative builders of all ages will find a way to blow a little cash.

  • 8687 N. Central Expressway (NorthPark Center), Dallas, 75225 Map
  • 214-750-6422

Best Shoe Laces

Cobblestone Shoe Repair

What, do people not replace their laces any more? The lace breaks, so they throw the shoes away? Must be, because it's impossible to find a good selection of replacement laces. You wind up prowling the aisles of a Tom Thumb grocery store, where two out of three clerks don't even know what laces are. The answer to your shoe lace prayers, then, is Cobblestone—a full-service shoe repair store that even smells like shoe glue. Ahh, what a wonderful aroma, better than the pines of Canada. They have half a wall of laces—everything from dress laces in leather and cloth, casual laces and all kinds of boot and athletic laces. Where else could you get white leather laces? Plus, the guys behind the counter can tell you things like how to clean up a spot on a suede shoe.

  • 5651 N. Central Expressway, Dallas, 75205 Map

Best Shop at Mockingbird Station

Francesca's Collections

Whether you're catching a movie at the Angelika Theater, grabbing a meal or visiting one of the other stores at Mockingbird Station, you're likely to have some spare time on your hands. This is where Francesca's Collections comes in handy. It's the perfect place for a gal to do some quick shopping or for a guy to buy his date an impromptu gift. Heck, he'll score points just for taking her in there for some window shopping, where Francesca's features some of the most stylish and affordably priced jewelry and apparel around. And nothing can help you both rebound faster from sitting through a dud on the big screen than a pair of fashionable $10 earrings!

  • 5307 E. Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, 75206 Map

Best Way to Avoid the TABC Altogether

Homebrew Headquarters

We used to think TABC stood for Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, but now we're starting to wonder if it really means Thugs Against Beer Consumption. The state's insanely complex alcohol code favors big-business distributors at the expense of craft breweries—which is why the country's thirstiest beer-drinking state has so few of them. Thanks to Homebrew Headquarters, you don't have to get the approval of those jackbooted goons (yet) to brew your own. You can get anything from a barebones starter kit to an ounce of Cascade whole hops to a Wortchiller Counterflow. Best of all, the staff is patient with foam rangers of all experience levels and tastes and won't belittle you if you don't know a hop from a malt or want to brew up some light lager.

Best Way to Dress Like a Million Without Spending One

Rethreads

After losing 30 pounds, a friend found himself facing an entire wardrobe that no longer fit. How would he possibly replace his duds without spending a fortune? Someone told him about Rethreads and he hit the jackpot, returning with suits, dress shirts and a plethora of new pants. The place is full of pricey designer clothes that appear to have been worn just once or twice and then discarded for the next season's style. There are racks and racks of designer dress shirts and smart stylish suits for men and women, many of them by designers like Giorgio Armani and Anne Klein. On a recent visit, we couldn't resist buying a fantastic black skirt suit by Donna Karan. That's the thing about this place—if you go, you just can't help yourself, so beware!

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