BEST LOCAL SPA
Floating Feather Day Spa 602 W. Idaho St., 208-424-5153, floating-feather.com Stress sucks. It’s hard to put it more plainly than that. Unfor tunately, nearly all of us have to deal with it to some degree (unless, of course, you are one of the blessed few who live off never-depleting trust funds, jetting between homes in Italy, Sun Valley, Malibu and Bali. And in that case, we don’t want to talk to you). But for the rest of us, stress can slowly eat away at us, inside and out. So, what’s there to do? You could tr y drinking, but that’s a slipper y slope, as are any of the numerous vices that jump to mind. You could tr y star ting your own little fight club, but not being able to talk about it might become stressful in its own right. It’s all a terrible cycle of stress. Of course, you could take the advice of many of our readers and check out Floating Feather Day Spa downtown. By definition, spas are all about relaxing, and what seems more peaceful than a floating feather? Put the two together and, ba-da-bing, you have the per fect combo for letting go of a little stress. Floating Feather offers massage therapy, facials, nail care and something called energy therapy, which includes a practice called raindrop technique massage. We don’t know what it is, but we already feel more relaxed.
We think a conspiracy is afoot at the Idaho Youth Ranch, but it’s one we’re happy to be complicit in. We think people with cool stuff who want to support IYR’s important cause drop their stuff off there. Then other cool people who also want to support IYR shop there and buy up the cool stuff. It’s a kick-ass cycle that we indulge in as well. And as if the IYR retail stores weren’t enough, we recently discovered IYR’s outlet store and as-is yard, which are open to the public. The outlet/yard includes several thousand indoor and outdoor square feet of camper shells, barbecues, golf clubs, ironing boards, end tables, chairs, filing cabinets, trikes and bikes, books, clothes, shoes, lamps, dishes and more. Some of it needs a little TLC—which is maybe why it’s there and not in one of the retail stores— but wandering through the yard and the warehouse is a stellar way to spend a Saturday. But be sure to leave your day wide open. Time speeds by as you’re wandering between rows of recliners, or sifting through giant boxes full of baby toys. You may think you’ve only been there a few minutes, but it’s not uncommon to get there in the morning and suddenly hear them announce they’re closing. Another conspiracy? Maybe. SECOND PLACE: LUX FASHION LOUNGE
THIRD PLACE: GRAEBER & COMPANY
BEST LOCAL CREATIVE/ ART SUPPLY STORE
888 W. Fort St., 208-472-4500, boisecoop.com Admittedly, “best meat” is not the ideal choice of words for a Best of Boise categor y title hoping to elicit serious responses. Apparently, many of you out there think rather highly of what’s in your britches. After laughing our way through all the responses and winnowing it down to just the serious answers, Boise Co-op came out on top, which, if you ask us, is a win that’s slightly tinged with irony, seeing as how the North End grocer y store is certainly better known for catering to the herbivores among us. But vegetarian, vegan, ovo-lacto, gluten-free isn’t all Boise Co-op does. In fact, the meat selection is, as BW readers pointed out, pretty decent. From free-range organic chicken to hormone-free beef, Boise Co-op does your meat and does it da best. (And not “your meat” as in the what’s in your pants, silly.) SECOND PLACE: BOB’S MEATS ROYALE THIRD PLACE: PORTERHOUSE MARKET
BOISEweekly
Multiple locations, youthranch.org
THIRD PLACE: RENEWAL CONSIGNMENT
Boise Co-op
| SEPTEMBER 30 – OCTOBER 6, 2009 |
Idaho Youth Ranch
SECOND PLACE: TWO RIVERS SALON AND SPA
BEST LOCAL MEAT
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BEST LOCAL SECONDHAND STORE
Boise Blue Art Supply
820 W. Jefferson St., 208-3432564, boiseblue.com Need colored markers? A fancy notebook? Kids’ crafts? Cerulean blue oil paint? Cadmium red acrylic? Poster board? Colored poster board? Woodworking tools? Regardless of what supplies you need to express your visual, artistic, creative side, we’ll bet Boise Blue Art Supply has it. And if they don’t, owners Terrie Robinson and Janet Hackett can probably order it for you. In business for more than 70 years, the store has been a thriving member of the Boise community, providing Boise artists a place to pick up art supplies. For the past several years, Boise Blue has played a large part in the success of BW’s Cover Art program, giving each cover artist a $25 gift certificate to the store. Boise Blue helps us paint the town red (and gunmetal gray and magenta and olive green and off-white and mustard yellow and turquoise). SECOND PLACE: QUALITY ART SUPPLY THIRD PLACE: PUFFY MONDAES
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