Finalists, Best Big Box Store 2. Costco: 3220 N. Reserve, 721-1535, costco.com 3. Walmart: 3555 Mullan Rd, 829-8489; 4000 Hwy 93 S, 251-6060, walmart.com
Best Bookstore The Book Exchange One of the most striking aspects of The Book Exchange is its extensive collection of books relating to Montana people and activities. You can find a shelf on hunting and guns with titles like Deerland: America’s Hunt for Ecological Balance & the Essence of Wilderness, a shelf of outdoor adventure books and another showcasing Montana literature, from memoirs to Western cowboy stories. Trade in a box of books from your own stash and get credit to buy
Finalists, Best Dry Cleaner 2. Missoula Textile: Multiple locations, 543-5171, missoulatextiles.com 3. Fresh Natural Cleaners: 1132 SW. Higgins, 542-8100, freshnaturalcleaners.com Finalists, Best Laundromat 2. Sparkle Laundry: 812 S. Higgins, 721-5146 3. South Campus Laundry: 2301 S. Higgins Ave, facebook.com/southcampuslaundry
Best Motorcycle/ATV Dealer Grizzly Harley-Davidson Let’s face it, gas prices ain’t going down any time soon. And while electric and hybrid cars can be a more eco-friendly way to cruise around, there aren’t any Step-
STAFFPICK Best Place to Heckle the Opposition Glacier Ice Rink, home of the Missoula Maulers hockey team, is an intimate, barebones space that amplifies like nowhere else in town the live experience of watching sports. The Maulers players are mostly kids ranging from 16 to 20 years old who come from as far away as Sweden, Saskatchewan and California to play in an amateur league that offers them a blueline slapshot’s chance of going on to a collegiate or professional career. The stakes are at once very low and very high, and the atmosphere inside GIR is at once relaxed and charged. This is no more true than in the corner stands farthest from GIR’s main entrance, where the cheap seats are situated. There, in metal bleachers like what you might find on the sideline of a high school football field, the crowd is a potent mix of diehard Maulers fans and the diehard fans of whatever team is visiting. It’s where you can bang on the glass, spill your beer, trash-talk the opposing team’s goalie and have the father of the opposing team’s goalie heckle you back. (Sorry again, Mr. Wackerley.) more. Get a cup of coffee from the Liquid Planet counter inside the shop and browse for hours. It’s an 11,000-square-foot vortex in there—a dangerous place if you already have a serious book addiction. Book Exchange: 2335 Brooks St, 728-6342 booksmontana.com Finalists, Best Bookstore 2. Shakespeare & Co.: 103 S. Third St. W, 549-9010, shakespeareandco.com 3. Fact & Fiction: 220 N. Higgins, 721-2881, factandfictionbooks.com
Best Dry Cleaner Best Laundromat Green Hanger We can’t speak for everyone, but we only do our laundry when we have no other choice—when our drawers are empty, our hampers are overflowing and nothing can be salvaged for one more wear. When that happens, the Green Hanger is at the top of our— and our readers’—list of places to go. The Green Hanger has two locations, one near campus and the other just south of the Hip Strip. Both spots offer a wash, dry and fold service, but we generally find ourselves sticking around through the spin cycles and dry times. The Green Hanger’s easy setup and comfortable atmosphere make it easy. Green Hanger: Multiple locations, 728-1948, facebook.com/greenhanger
penwolf songs about Priuses. Consider, perhaps, one of the more badass yet efficient modes of transportation that bikers have known about for decades. Motorcycle drivers report getting an average of 56 miles to the gallon, according to a survey from Allstate Insurance. Grizzly Harley-Davidson offers a lineup of gleaming hogs, from tricked-out touring Electra Glides to sleek Sportsters, and all the shiny chrome and sleek black leather accessories you’ll want for a smooth ride with low emissions and mega cool factor. Grizzly Harley-Davidson: 5106 E. Harrier Dr, 721-2154, grizzlyhd.com Finalists, Best Motorcycle/ATV Dealer 2. Kurt’s Polaris: 2904 W. Broadway, 541-3651, kurtspolaris.com 3. Big Sky Motorsports: 2315 South Ave. W, 721-5341, bigskymotorsports.com
Best Store for Musical Instruments Morgenroth Lots of studies find that music affects us in ways we don’t even realize, from enhancing our mood to improving our creativity. Playing music does even more, by improving our motor skills and language abilities. Children who had at least three years of music-playing experience were more dextrous and had better auditory discrimination abilities than those who didn’t, according to a 2008 study by Harvard researchers. So if you’d like to get your kid off to the
missoulanews.com • Best of Missoula 2014 [35]