ALICE in Marinland
BEST of 2010 Best Carpeting 2ND Ken’s Carpets and Flooring, San Rafael 3RD City Carpets, San Rafael Best Hardwood Flooring 2ND Marin Hardwood Floor Center 3RD Mill Valley Bamboo
BEST FRAME SHOP Serving Marin for 24 years, Frame Crafters Gallery has withstood the test of time. With two locations in Bon Air and Strawberry Village, quality framing and customer service are their specialties. They have an extensive selection of frames and mats to choose from and their sales people have an artistic eye and lots of experience if you need good advice. Frame Crafters’ staff are willing to tackle any job and will even do home or office consultations as well as pick-up and delivery. The team at Frame Crafters is passionate about their business and are all artists in some capacity. From current trends, such as bright-colored lacquer frames, to timeless classics, Frame Crafters provides topnotch service. ----------------------------Frame Crafters Gallery
320 Bon Air Center, Greenbrae 461.7688; 614 Strawberry Village, Mill Valley 383.8793 2ND Frame-O-Rama, Mill Valley 3RD Fast Frame, Novato Take a plunge down the rabbit hole at Fairfax Lumber.
BEST GIFT SHOP
Down the Rabbit Hole WHILE SEARCHING FOR the Duchess’s gloves and fan, Alice enters the rabbit’s house and immediately grows to such a large size that she’s too big to get out. If only she’d had our Best of Marin list of home, garden and maintenance winners to relieve her of any daunting household situation, with quick and friendly service, of course. BEST BEDS AND BEDDING Our bodies heal during deep sleep—and far too many of us don’t get enough of it. But that’s not the case says Mark Battersby of Duxiana with the handmade-fromthe-base-up Dux bed, featuring thin wire, tempered steel, interlocking coils and latex top pad (a natural material, no offgassing); the body sinks right in without having to adjust. And Battersby’s not spinning a tale—he has sold for every mattress company and never come across another like this. No shortcuts on materials—all are high quality, natural, from sustainable 54 PACIFIC SUN MARCH 26 – APRIL 1, 2010
sources. In fact, Dux was eco before the word was coined. While the initial outlay may be high, over time the value vs. cost works out in one’s favor—especially since no one can put a price on a good night’s sleep. Unlike other mattress systems that must be replaced every 10-20 years, only the separate top pad has to be replaced every 10 years or so—the mattress itself is a keeper. Top that mattress off with an amazingly comfortable pillow and a selection of the store’s gorgeous, luxurious linens from Germany, Italy and Portugal, and drift off.
----------------------------Duxiana
901 A St. San Rafael 459.0365 2ND Mary’s Futons, San Rafael 3RD Warm Things, San Rafael
BEST CARPETING/BEST HARDWOOD FLOORING Co-owners Ron Leach and Steve Villa say their business is getting corny, in a literal sense. New to Rafael Floors are corn carpets—no petroleum products used to make the soft, full fibers that hold dye well and will, eventually, with the help of a special spray, biodegrade. After 53 years of flooring Marin, they’ve learned a few things that make them a multiple Diamond-certified company and repeat Best of Marin winner, such as having the installers be their employees so they can respond to the customers’ needs quickly. In the current housing economy they’ve found their business shifting as well—they see customers buying better quality hardwood and carpet because they’re looking for lasting beauty for their own homes. Rafael Floors is affiliated with Abbey Carpet, and they install laminates and vinyl and do refinishing work as well. ----------------------------Rafael Floors
822 Francisco Blvd., San Rafael 456.3656
“We entertain all aspects of your personality at Great Acorn,” says co-owner Judy Morris, discussing her singular emporium of the unique, the collectible and the downright unusual. “We have something for your wife, your child, your grandma and everyone else.” Indeed. Among the eclectic merchandise are garden sculptures made from recycled tools, artwork by top talents like Tom Killion and Kathleen Lipinski, pounded Haitian wall hangings made from old oil drums, burnished 56 >
+ Dave Sonnabend Hurricane Hauling
+ Paul Sonnabend Hurricane Hauling
‘I’ll fetch the executioner myself,’ said the King eagerly.