Best Commerce

Best new reason to go shopping

RICK DAHMS

According to the management, no one has actually moved into Whole Foods (6400 Roosevelt Wy NE, 985-1500)—yet. But it can only be a matter of time. Since it opened, the Roosevelt branch of the Austin, Texas-based gourmet food chain has served the entire North End as a combination of theme park, community center, and snack bar. At any time of day till 10 at night you can see the fanatics of flavor cruising its aisles—scanning the endless shelves of exotic spices and condiments; sampling slivers of succulence from the array of pat鳬 cheeses, meats, salads, and other deli items displayed so artfully under glass; consulting with "their" butcher, fishmonger, poulterer, patissier; or discussing skin treatments, dietary supplements, or personal hygiene with a staff herbalist. Short of a trip via SST to Paris, you can't get closer to foodie nirvana. To paraphrase one of the wisest of men: "When one is tired of Whole Foods, one is tired of life."

Best place to buy vintage corduroy pants

We were frightened when we saw it: Our beloved Capitol Hill used-clothing fixture the Wasteland had transformed seemingly overnight into the Red Light Clothing Exchange (312 Broadway E, 329-2200). Fortunately, we remembered that the U District Red Light had been good to us in the past, so we took a deep breath and entered the store to assess the damage. This two-level paradise (the best stuff is downstairs) never fails to yield the most fabulous finds. Their corduroy pant rack is a dream, packed with Levi's and beautiful, sky-blue wales. Other highlights include great men's button-up short-sleeve shirts and a fun dress selection. Really, though, this place is best for its browse-ability—you tend to make your finest discoveries when waiting for friends to leave the dressing room. We've found great belts, wigs, athletic pants, slips, bathing suits, eyeglasses . . . the list goes on. Despite our initial trepidation, the Red Light is shaping up to be as marvelous as its predecessor.

Best place to sell your used CDs

Whether you're looking to kill an afternoon by discovering new bands or having random encounters with strangers, Easy Street (4559 California SW, 938-EASY) has what you're looking for. Friendly staff members give reliable recommendations, the coffee/snack bar makes for a complete consumer experience, the 'zine rack is chock full of cool indie mags, prices are reasonable, and the listening stations are always open. You'll find everything from vinyl to tape, blues to hip-hop. But what's really great about Easy Street is their used section. Since the staff is so knowledgeable and keenly tuned in to pop, indie, rap, and country, and because the West Seattle area is so demographically diverse, it's a pleasure instead of a chore to sort through the racks of secondhand tapes, discs, and records. And so it follows that Easy Street is a great place to trade in your discarded discs. You'll get a fair price, usually $5 bucks a pop for gently used, desirable CDs.

Best barbershop

ALICE WHEELER

Spin's (5415 Meridian N, 547-9667) is a straight-up, local-boy-makes-good story; we knew Spin when he was a skinny little freshman at Garfield High, upside-down in a garbage can with the entire football team menacing him. These days the entire football team (past and current) lines up for a haircut at his ace barber shop, where he and Jeremy and Will make bank for hanging out and having fun cutting your hair. They're even open 11-7, seven days a week. How sweet it is.

Best garage sales

Ballard has the best garage sales for the same reason that Ballard has the worst drivers: loads and loads of old people. But hey, old people have good stuff, old people eventually get rid of their good stuff, and sometimes, old people don't know that the good stuff they have is really that good. Imagine driving out to the outer reaches on a Sunday morning and stumbling upon an elderly couple ridding themselves of their attic clutter in anticipation of an Arizona migration. Your eyes light up as you see the very thing you need to complete your life. You eye the miniscule price written in librarian's script on a piece of masking tape. "My son never uses that anymore," the sweet old lady tells you. She's about to get robbed blind. You hand over a 10-spot and walk away with a '59 Fender Bassman amp, complete with unscathed FenderTweed covering and 10-inch speakers, Alnico magnets intact! God bless Ballard.

Best celebrity sightings while trying on clothes

We wondered when this would happen: Celebs making a pit stop in Seattle have discovered that women's clothier Ardour (1115 First, 292-0660) and its sole-sister Ped (1100 First, 292-1767) are worth a visit. Owned by the fashion-forward Dayna Grubb, Ardour and Ped have become joint institutions for the Seattle woman who's sick of the whole Nordstrom thing and wants to decide for herself what her individual style is. Color-coordinated separates line one of Ardour's walls like a gossamer rainbow, while shelves opposite feature scarves, T-shirts, bath products, pants, skirts, blouses, and other items united by Grubb's dead-on sense of whimsy and style. Across the street at Ped you can choose from a funky and exquisitely made selection of shoes from Italy and New York. Bags, socks, and tights also dangle seductively from hooks or fill large baskets. So, you're probably wondering who's made Grubb's cash register ring lately, eh? Well, none other than Jennifer Aniston, here filming a month ago (we hear that Brad called in while she was trying on shoes); Patti Smith; Alanis (no last name needed); Chris Cornell (a Ped regular); Michael Stipe; Helena Christensen; and Amy Irving, who was buying a wedding dress, no less.

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