Indieville— Readers' Picks

Best Independent Music Store

SONIC BOOM

(3414 Fremont N., 547-BOOM and 2209 Market, 297-BOOM)

When Nabil Ayers and Jason Hughes opened the first Sonic Boom on 36th Street in Fremont back in 1997, they were just hoping that they'd be able to stay afloat and eventually eke out a slightly bigger paycheck than the ones they were getting slinging records at someone else's store. At the time 26 and 25, respectively, the two friends had a little trouble finding financing in the beginning, but several credit cards and several years later, the pair are a rock and roll success story; they moved the Fremont store to that neighborhood's main drag in March 2000, and their Ballard location will celebrate its first year this October. Of his knowledgeable, well-versed staff, Hughes says, "The people that work here really do love music." As do, we might add, those that shop there. L.C.

Second place: Easy Street (20 Mercer, 691-3279 and 4559 California S.W., 938-3279)

Best Independent Coffeehouse

DIVA ESPRESSO BAR

(4480 Fauntleroy S.W., 937-5225; 7916 Greenwood N., 781-1213; 4615 Stone Way N., 632-7019)

When I was in high school, I knew a girl named Emily who worked at Diva Espresso in West Seattle. On summer nights, when we had nothing to do, my friends and I would visit Emily at Diva. "Hey Emily," we'd say, moping in. We'd sit down and read Diva's books on the meanings of our birth dates, while Emily made coffee for her customers. A half-hour before closing we'd ask her in puppy-dog unison, "Can we play Hacky Sack in here?" She'd take a deep sigh and say, "OK. Just don't break anything." We'd smile, get up, hack away, and listen to the Violent Femmes while night fell and Emily yelled, "Be careful!" It's a lovely summer memory for me, and I hope Diva provides the world with many more. S.P.R.

Second place: Caffe Ladro (various locations)

Best Independent Grocery Store

PCC

(various locations)

"Do you have an Advantage Card?" If these words make you want to crown your local supermarket cashier with a freakishly large genetically enhanced pineapple, a better path awaits you. Sure, PCC might irk some with the "Are you a member?" routine and the hippie vibe (what's the deal with flax, anyway?), but their people-powered co-op really is a good thing. Check out this lovely mission statement: "PCC Natural Markets provide the highest quality natural foods and products. We create and cultivate the marketplace for locally grown and organic products and are a vital community resource on food, nutrition, and environmental issues." Ahhhh. Though "natural" and "organic" may be words that appear with increasing frequency at large supermarket chains, your health and well-being really are in better hands at PCC. P.F.

Second place: Ballard Market (1400 N.W. 56th, 783-7922)

Best Place to Buy Vinyl

EASY STREET RECORDS

(20 Mercer, 691-3279 and 4559 California S.W., 938-3279)

Slightly curious, dear readers, that you would select this pair of stores as your LP HQ. Curious because the West Seattle location does not currently carry records (although their vinyl section is slated to re-open in August), and the new Queen Anne store has hardly been open long enough to endear itself to you. Perhaps you're quicker studies than we think. Perhaps. But perhaps you have not considered Bop Street on Ballard Avenue, the Fremont Antique Mall, Jive Time, and Fallout. Plenty of places will sell you vinyl—hell, Home Depot will sell you vinyl—but these places specialize in it. Better luck next year. L.C.

Second place: Sonic Boom (3414 Fremont N., 547-BOOM and 2209 Market, 297-BOOM)

Best Rock Music Venue

SHOWBOX

(1426 First, 628-0221)

In my beat-up copy of Webster's Dictionary, the third definition given for the word "best" is "Greatest: Largest." With the capacity to hold 1,100 eardrum- rattled spectators, the Showbox is indeed the Greatest: It's the largest venue in town, so props to you, readers, for recognizing that. Aside from being simply the biggest space, the 63-year-old structure has a vaguely romantic near-antiquity that goes really well with say, Botch—and you're not just talking about the worn-in rest rooms. From Spiritualized to DJ Shadow, you say good music just sounds better under domed ceilings, inside red velvet curtains, and with plenty of space to breathe. We agree. Here's to another 60. L.C.

Second place: Crocodile Cafe (2200 Second, 441-5611)

Best Local Band

MAKTUB

By and large, Seattle is and may always be a rock town. This year's people's choice winners, however, like to color outside the lines of that rather narrow category. Maktub (it's pronounced not "mack-tubb" but "mock-tube," and it means "it is written" in Arabic) happily incorporate elements of funk, jazz, and groove as well as the requisite rock in their expansive sound, and with it, the group—anchored by dynamic frontman and man-about-town Reggie Watts—has carved out their own prominent place in the highly competitive Northwest scene. The local success of their 1999 debut Subtle Ways has been one-upped by their recent follow-up Khronos (obviously, since you picked them as this year's champs), which spent some serious time at the top of local best-seller charts. But people, can't you vote for a more "local" band than Pearl Jam for runners-up? Geez. L.G.