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Best Shoe Store

Charles Shoes

867 Higuera St., SLO

In its fifth year as Best Shoe Store, Charles seems to have the market cornered on providing shoes that the people love. The Porsche sisters run the store, and they strive to make you feel they have known your feet for years. With brands such as Dansko, Clark, Stonefly, SAS, Rockport, Skechers, Born, Reicher, Naturalizer and Munroe, Charles offers a wide selection of footwear for any lifestyle. They carry styles for men and women that range from casual to business to fashion, and anything in between. Located in the heart of downtown San Luis, this is a friendly and convenient place to stop in and snag a few pairs.

-Leiana Miller

2nd: Avanti
3rd: Payless Shoe Source

 

 

Best Cellular Phone Carrier

Verizon

Atascadero . Paso Robles . SLO

Can you hear me now? Good. And apparently so can the cell phone users of SLO, who are very happy with the service provided by Verizon. Reception is great, and you can continue your important conversations on the backroads of the Central Coast with minimal interruption.

-L.M.

2nd: Cellular One
3rd: T-Mobile

 

 

Best Bike Shop

Art's Cyclery

2140 Santa Barbara St., SLO

Coming up on their 14th year of being honored in this poll, Art's Cyclery is obviously running as smoothly as a bicycle wheel. With a knowledgeable staff, well-stocked store, and full-service bike repair shop, this is your one-stop bike heaven. Trek, Schwinn, and Giant all are represented in the inventory, along with a changing selection of boutique brands. Art's is also known around town for its donations of helmets and accessories to benefit community groups. Come in for a tune-up.

-L.M.

2nd: Copeland's Sports
3rd: Ira's Bike Shop

 

 

Best Place to Buy Wine

Trader Joe's

Arroyo Grande . SLO

This is now the fourth year TJ's has won in this category, due in no small part to the "two-buck Chuck" phenomenon. But even with the hype of that dying down, TJ's is still a great place to find an interesting bottle in any price range. Trying something new is less intimidating when the price is low and the staff is knowledgeable and eager to help. They carry a big selection of local wines, and they also always have good bottles at bargain prices. For a wine-shopping experience that doesn't break the bank or boggle your mind, Trader Joe's is wine-o-mite!

-L.M.

2nd: Central Coast Wines
3rd: Albertson's

 

 

Best Place to Buy Seafood

Olde Port Inn/Avila Pier

Avila Beach

Fish right out of the sea wins again this year, as the pier and Olde Port Inn at Avila Beach take top honors in this category. With three commercial fisheries and plenty of hardworking fishermen, the pier offers an ever-changing selection of fresh fish and shellfish, all cleaned and cut to your specification. And if you don't feel like cooking yourself, stop into the Olde Port Inn for fresh swordfish Vera Cruz or Greek calamari and scallop sauté. With the ocean below you and the sun setting on the backs of fishermen pulling in their reels, Avila Pier is the perfect place to appreciate the gifts of the sea.

-L.M.

2nd: Giovanni's Fish Market
3rd: New Frontiers

 

 

Best Bookstore

Barnes & Noble

894 Marsh St., SLO

Barnes & Noble is no longer the only big name in town, but they still reign supreme. Besides having a selection that is hard to match, they have perfected the art of display. As you traverse the aisles of B&N, your eyes are not sweeping past an endless, colorless trail of bindings. The management here knows that the best way to turn a browser into a buyer is to attractively display the book, which means show off the cover. This ploy works equally well for adults and children. The children's section is a virtual fun zone, with ample tables and chairs to peruse all those eye-catching books and cuddle the oft-handled stuffed animals.

-Shawna Galassi

2nd: Novel Experience
3rd: Leon's

 

 

Best Used Bookstore

Leon's

659 Higuera St., SLO

Bibliophiles can't walk past a used bookstore without stopping any easier than an inveterate gambler can stride right on past a casino. And just as a gambler can spend untold hours playing the tables, a bibliophile can wile away the afternoon thumbing through dusty copies of Proust, Thurber, Kerouac, or whatever catches his or her fancy. Fortunately, voracious readers need only travel as far as Higuera Street to indulge their habit. And Leon's Used Bookstore is a bibliophile's paradise. The shelves are chock-full of literary greats, do-it-yourself guides, history books, feminist writings, and just about any other conceivable subject area. The staff is unobtrusive, instinctively understanding that customers who repeatedly wander up and down the aisles are not in need of anything more than blissful solitude.

-S.G.

2nd: Phoenix
3rd: Nan's

 

Best Place to Buy Music

Boo Boo Records

Grover Beach . SLO

Boo Boo Records is one of those hallowed places where music lovers can go and ask for Tom Waits, Limpopo, or Jimmie Lunceford and not be met with a blank stare. And if they don't have what you're looking for, you won't get the brush off. "We try to stress customer service," co-owner Ed Taylor said. To this end, they will go out of their way to get something for a customer, no matter how obscure or hard to find it may be.
The store carries a vast and varied inventory that includes, among others, a world section, jazz, punk, and rock 'n' roll. "There's not an area of music we don't carry, except for maybe contemporary Christian rock," Taylor said. And for the nostalgic, or those who just haven't made it into the 21st century, they have an entire room devoted to vinyl. But be forewarned: It can be a little disheartening to see treasured albums from your past staring up at you from the dollar bin.

-S.G.

2nd: Best Buy
3rd: Cheap Thrills

 

Best Bank/ Credit Union

Mid-State Bank & Trust

Arroyo Grande . Atascadero . Cambria . Cayucos . Grover Beach . Los Osos . Morro Bay . Nipomo . Paso Robles . Pismo Beach .
SLO . Templeton

While some banks offer their customers cookies and coffee and others no-fee checking accounts, Mid-State Bank & Trust knocks out the competition every year with good old customer service. As soon as you step through the door, someone is sure to greet you with a smile and offer to help. The personable staff helps give Mid-State the feel of a small-town bank, where everyone knows your name. But with 41 offices between Camarillo and Paso Robles, they are anything but small. They are a full-service bank with everything from trust and investment services to Internet banking and telephone bill paying. If you're looking to feel appreciated at the end of a long week, hand your paycheck over to the folks at Mid-State. They'll accept it with a smile.

-S.G.

2nd: First Bank of SLO
3rd: Washington Mutual

 

Best Travel Agency

Gulliver's Travel of San Luis Obispo

605 Santa Rosa St., SLO

Who needs a vacation when you live in the most beautiful area in the entire state, if not the country? Five minutes talking to managing partner Mary Vickers of Gulliver's Travel will convince even the most entrenched coach potato that there is life beyond the Central Coast. And the best part is you don't have to go into hock to see it. Their team of experienced agents can send you on a trip to the Sequoias, a Las Vegas Show Tour, a one-day theater trip to the Hollywood Bowl or a New York Theater and Garden Tour. And then, of course, there's the usual fare: cruises and trips abroad to Africa, China, and a host of other places. So, if a trip to the kitchen is the only thing that gets you off the sofa, give Gulliver's Travel a call. One of their agents will have you hankering to go somewhere beyond the perimeter of your house.

-S.G.

2nd: Travel Time
3rd: AAA

 

Best Men's Clothing Store

Express For Men

899 Higuera St., SLO

Clearly, "Best Of" voters are riding the crest of an emerging wave - the trendy. Express For Men lays claim to providing just that for SLO men from formal wear to underwear, socks, and accessories and everything in between. Soup to nuts, even the most taste-impaired among us can walk in sporting geekwear and soon emerge in the most up-to-the-minute style for a swipe of a credit card, thanks to a staff that's helpful but not all over you like a cheap . well, you know. Management attributes the store's popularity to being big enough to react to changes in style quickly, an extensive denim section with jeans of a wide variety of cuts and washes, and a sophisticated look to their workplace apparel area. Cognizant that the shopping gene is gender-dependent, Express For Men wisely offers so substantive a collection from casual to formal that a one-stop shopping trip could be all that's needed, leaving the rest of the day for a guy to go be a guy.

-S.G.

2nd: Patrick James
3rd: Ross Dress For Less

 

Best Women's Clothing Store

Express

887 Higuera St., SLO

For those who require a new wardrobe with each passing season, Express can keep you on the cutting edge without hurling you into bankruptcy court. "We have the best quality for the price," co-manager Angela Smith said. The store is popular among college students, soccer moms and other trendsetters, who go for the well-fitting jeans, bra tanks and assorted knits. And with summer fast approaching, it won't be long before they all flock in for beach towels, flip-flops and sunglasses. After all, nobody wants to be caught in styles that are sooooo last year.

-S.G.

 

2nd: Ann's
3rd: Avanti

Best Place to Get a Home Loan

Washington Mutual

Home Loan Centers in Atascadero and SLO

When taking possession of your dream home hinges on getting that home loan to close on time, it might not be prudent to go with that fly-by-night company promising you a 3 percent interest rate and no points. Which explains why Washington Mutual was voted Best Place to Get a Home Loan, and not Leo's Jiffy Loans. "At Washington Mutual we can close a loan application as quickly as the customer needs it done," says Randy Florence, the first vice-president regional sales manager. "We have the most elite force of loan consultants in the area." Florence said all of their consultants are knowledgeable and experienced. In fact, 75 percent of the loan agents at the company's San Luis Obispo Home Loan Center belong to Washington Mutual's elite Presidents Club.

-S.G.

 

2nd: Mid-State Bank & Trust
3rd: Mortgage House

 

 

Best Lingerie Shop

Victoria's Secret

898 Higuera St., SLO

Asp-tongued Dorothy Parker opined, "brevity is the soul of lingerie"; Victoria's Secret concurs, and exactly how brief the brief and having that irresistible teddy in your favorite color right on the rack is their business. The store has a wide selection, from low risk to the truly risqué, and flaunts items from pajamas or underwear for the comfort-minded to more, um, purpose-designed lingerie, as well as a selection of lotions, fragrances and personal items. Shop environs are warm and inviting, the appropriate counter to some seedy back room at the neighborhood XXX, and their helpful staff won't give you the slip, but they will help you find just the one you want. Why not, when next strolling by their downtown SLO locale, lure your significant other in, enjoy picking out something devastating to wear under nothing, and then rush home to try it . off.

-S.G.

 

2nd: Fanny Wrappers
3rd: Barely Nothing Lingerie

 

 

Best Thrift Store

Goodwill

Atascadero . Grover Beach.
Paso Robles . SLO

Money no object? Can't stand to buy anything used? Then leave the good stuff to the more adventurous among us rapt at the prospect of thrift store shopping. "The DaVinci Code," hardbound for $1.98? . done. New furniture, refrigerators, leather sofas, designer clothing by Versace? . yes on all counts. Goodwill was voted the standard-bearer by readers because of their selection, their quality and the sheer multitude of affordable, often one-of-a-kind merchandise. By a few hours' traipsing through downtown SLO to see what the well-heeled wear, one could easily construe the rack stock at the Goodwill in the not-too-distant future. Nearly all a department store might offer can be found here, always in a serviceable state often having been used or worn but once.

Thrift store devotees will candidly admit
that aside from the quest for the "ultimate find," the serendipity of encountering a unique or rare piece or simply the incredible bargain spurs their jones for the "used but not used up." So, if you can't dig the original LP release of Magical Mystery Tour in excellent condition for a buck and a half, fine, but I sure could, and did. Yeah, it came with the booklet too, wiseacre.

-S.G.

2nd: EOC Thrift
3rd: Old Mission Thrift

 

Best Place to Buy Outdoor Apparel

Copeland's Sports Fitness Superstore

1144 Chorro St., SLO
837 Marsh St., SLO

Copeland's has all the usual ingredients that make a great place to shop: a "cool" knowledgeable staff, a good range of products, and competitive prices.

But what it has that few other stores can claim is that all of their employees specialize in their departments - in order to even get hired in the Outdoor Department, applicants have to have backpacking experience so they can relate to the customers and have the firsthand knowledge to help them find what they need.

Their merchandise is uniquely geared to the outdoor experience, including such items as pants that you can zip the bottoms off of to turn them into shorts and North Face apparel with UV protectant which, says bass fishing employee Jeff Hodges, is "a good thing to have while you're out backpacking." And he should know.

-Brent Parker

2nd: Mountain Air Sports
3rd: Big 5 Sporting Goods

 

 

Best Audio Equipment

Best Buy

221 Madonna Rd., SLO

No, they're not local but Best Buy gives local audiophiles of all stripes, particularly those whose budgets are on the trim, affordable options that can't often be found in smaller specialty stores.

And we all like the sound of that, right? Affordability in a market where wages can't keep up with the cost of living makes Best Buy, well, the best place to buy your audio needs. Now, that's almost as sweet as the sound of music.

And don't forget selection and customer service. No need to worry about audio snobs who won't give you the time of day. Best Buy turns the competition on its ear.

-Stacey Warde

2nd: Audio Ecstasy
3rd: Audio Video City

 

 

Best Computer Store

Best Buy

221 Madonna Rd., SLO

In its two years in San Luis, Best Buy has managed to win the hearts of our readers and win two - count 'em, two - honors in this year's Best Of competition. Manager J.B. Schutte says that they're "really happy to be in San Luis. It's been a wonderful relationship in first two years."

Because Best Buy is "the largest consumer electronics business in the world," it enjoys tremendous buying power, and in a town the size of SLO, "that's important."

They carry the most recognized name brands, such as Pioneer, Kenwood, Sony, JBO, Bose and Yamaha, because "those are the ones customers are looking for." Their prices for computers, "as little as $400," attract the customers who thought they could never afford one.

And, to help customers select merchandise, the store employs over 100 Cal Poly students, mostly engineers with an intimate knowledge of technology, which provides costumers with a better-than-average staff. And because Best Buy is not a commission environment, there's no pressure on employees - or the customers - to make a sale. Shutte says he thinks of them as "a smart friend for the customer."

-B.P.

2nd: Mac Superstore
3rd: Computer Stuff

 

Best Computer Service/Repair

Mac Superstore

75 Higuera St., SLO

"Best of" listings for customer service are always hard to write. Every year the answers are always the same: We won because people like us. We won because we treat people well. But if they're hard to write, the category is probably even harder to win. Not only does a company have to make people happy, the amount of people they have to make happy needs to number into the thousands. Shane Williams, Mac Superstore's owner, understands how difficult that can be.

Every day his staff deals with people who are distraught because they can't get their computers to work. Some of them are like addicts without their cigarettes, Williams joked. With more than 10,000 customers in the store's database, that's a lot of people jonesing for a fix. So what do they do to make all those people happy? Mostly, Williams said, Mac Superstore tries to treat people like they themselves would like to be treated. And that's a concept that's not hard to understand at all.

-Abraham Hyatt

2nd: ITECH Solutions
3rd: Best Buy

 

Best Local Internet Service Provider

Charter Communications

Offices in SLO .
Arroyo Grande . Atascadero .
Morro Bay . Paso Robles

The best thing about Charter Communications is that your cable service and Internet access go hand-in-hand, and high speed internet access is no longer an unattainable goal. The service is fast, e-mail is always on time, and there are rarely glitches. Plus, you may not have noticed, but there are countless Charter trucks cruising around the Central Coast ready to help you with any problems you may have. As an added bonus, Charter e-mail accounts can be accessed anywhere in the world via their web site. For those traveling to foreign lands and needing to do some cyber correspondence, Charter is there for you. If you aren't hooked into this service you're missing out, and somewhere someone is LOL-ing at you.

-Brandi Stansbury

2nd: TCSN
3rd: Digital Putty

 

Best Antique Shop

Old Edna

1655 Old Price Canyon Rd., SLO

There's something timeless about the quaint setup of Old Edna. Sure, you may be shopping for antiques here, but after walking around the grounds, you somehow feel as if you've traveled back in time and are simply shopping somewhere between the Old West and the roaring '20s. Owner Petia Torrance has an amazing collection of antiques that collectors from all over the map trek to Old Edna to buy. Antiques sold here range from the functional to the abstract and unique. Buy an old bed or simply pick up some vintage bottles, it's up to you to find the hidden treasures abounding at Old Edna.

-B.S.

2nd: Rich Man Poor Man
3rd: Bertha's

 

 

Best Auto Dealership/New

Rancho Grande Motors

1404 Auto Parkway, SLO

As Rancho Grande gears up for its quarter-century anniversary, they thank the great people who have made up their great organization, many of whom have been there for the long haul.

They survey their own customers and get very strong positive remarks about the sales and service staff. Not only do they put customers first, they've achieved some of their own firsts - first local dealer to put in a shuttle service and first to have a service department open on Saturdays.

Other perks include complimentary coffee and doughnuts, and a "night drop" service - people can leave their cars at night and drop their keys in a drop box for repair the next day.

-B. P.

2nd: Perry Ford
3rd: Sunset Honda

 

 

Best Auto Dealership/Used

McCarthy Wholesale

Arroyo Grande . SLO

It's hard to flip through the television dial these days without seeing the seemingly endless stretches of programming sponsored by San Luis Obispo's leading purveyor of previously possessed automobiles. But despite the fact that the adver-programs generally feature vehicles that have been long since sold, the extensive media airtime has played a key role in helping make McCarthy one of the more recognizable businesses in the city.

And Mike McCarthy, owner of the Higuera Street and Grand Avenue car lots, broadened the endeavor's reputation even more by running for governor during the last election. What McCarthy didn't gain in votes, he probably made up in cash sales of vehicles.

McCarthy's prides itself in extremely competitive pricing that limits the need for customers' haggling over sticker price.

McCarthy's storefront is loaded to the yardarms with classic, restored automobiles, so if looking is all you're interested in, stop by the 43 Higuera St. location.

-Daniel Blackburn

2nd: Rancho Grande Motors
3rd: Perry Ford

 

 

Best Auto Repair

Villa Automotive

1234 Broad St., SLO

Owner John Villa can't stress enough how important his staff is to the business - "It's really up to how they repair the cars," he says, "you're only as good as your employees." And those "loyal employees" have "been there a long time."

Talking to Villa, you immediately sense the sincere (and well earned) pride in both the business and the family that founded and runs it - all five of founder Elwood M. Villa's sons followed him into the business.

Villa believes in doing things right the first time. And if there's ever a problem, he says, you can call him directly, and they'll fix whatever's wrong. They take care of their customers and, as a result, have developed clientele who evidently always vote in the Best Of competition.

Villa would like to thank the readers for allowing Villa Automotive to service their cars.

-B. P.

2nd: Landis Automotive
3rd: Miller 76

 

Best Place to Buy Home Furnishings

Meridian Interiors

SLO . Arroyo Grande

At Meridian, says owner Eva Young, "we strive to create an atmosphere where our customers feel comfortable and want to take a little bit of our store home with them." Young's rustic individual style and discriminating eye sets Meridian apart, offering customers "a visual treat each time they visit."

"We really, really want the customers to be happy, to get what they want, not what we think they should have," says Young.

Recently, they also began offering free home consultations.

-B.P.

2nd: Habitat
3rd: A&R Furniture

 

 

Best Hardware Store

Miner's Ace Hardware

Grover Beach . Arroyo Grande . Morro Bay . Atascadero . Los Osos

"In a nutshell," says owner Mike Miner, "clearly customers enjoy shopping at local, family owned hardware store, and appreciate the exellent service our staff provides." It's as simple as that. "We really do have a great staff and the customers obviously appreciate it," he later reiterates. It's that important at Miner's Ace, and apparently has been since the store opened back in 1956.

And that helpful staff can help customers find virtually whatever they need, hardware-wise, because each location has at least 45,000 different items, a number even Miner himself is rightfully impressed with. "And we're very careful to make sure they're competitively priced," he adds.

"We're totally pleased to have won for the [third] year in a row."

-B.P.

2nd: Home Depot
3rd: Pacific Home Do-It Center

 

 

Best Nursery/ Garden Store

Ron's Nursery

1207 S. 13th St., Grover Beach

Getting ideas of how to design your garden is one thing. Figuring out just what you need in order to do it is wholly another. It's a challenge to figure out just what plants will be the right combinations to invoke that provincial feel or tropical setting. Whether you have an idea in mind, or you're just going to browse, chances are that you'll come out of Ron's inspired.

"We try to present a variety of indoor and outdoor plants," says owner Ron Carlock. With everything from bedding plants and shrubbery to fruit trees and exotics, the choices are endless. It's a place where your imagination can take over, and creating your own garden paradise is easy.

-Kathryn Gillick

2nd: Home Depot
3rd: Pacific Home Do-It Center

 

 

Best Flower Shop

Open Air Flowers

1001 Higuera St., SLO .
1330 Madonna Rd., SLO

Going to a friend's house and don't want to show up empty-handed? Need to say sorry? Want to say thank-you to someone? Wishing that someone will get well soon? Flowers are perfect for any occasion, or, my personal favorite, just for fun.

At Open Air Flowers, there's a huge selection of seasonal fresh flowers and exotics like flowering branches and orchids. There are always several bouquets to choose from, or you can make your own. The staff is friendly, talented and always ready help out. And, if you're too busy to pick up your order, or want to surprise someone, they'll deliver.

For larger events, don't forget that Open Air does weddings.

-K.G.

 

2nd: Alberts Florist
3rd: Arroyo Grande Flowers

 

 

Best Hair Salon

Bladerunner Day Spa

956 Monterey St., SLO

Going in to get your hair done is a personal experience - you wear your stylist's work every day until your next visit. That's why getting what you want is so important. At Bladerunner Day Spa, giving people what they want is one of the things that have helped them thrive in San Luis since 1986.

"We listen," says Todd LeMay, who co-owns the salon with partner Stephen Patrick. "So many people come to us and haven't had a stylist who's really listened to them, but for us, it's all about the customer service."

Whether it's cuts or color, straightening or extensions, LeMay says, "We do everything that has to do with hair."

And what's more, they do it in what he calls a "family atmosphere." LeMay means that literally, pointing out that he even has his niece working for him full-time.

"Everyone is welcome here," he says.

-K.G.

2nd: District 96
3rd: Soho Grand Salon

 

 

Best Jewelry Store

Kevin Main Jewelry Design Studio

720 Higuera St., SLO

Diamonds may be a girl's best friend, as the cliché goes, but really, rubies, turquoise, sapphires - they're all great. But for Kevin Main, jewelry is about emotion, it's about celebration, and it's about milestones. Sometimes it's an engagement, an anniversary, a birthday, or something sentimental, like restoring your grandmother's diamonds.

"We provide a service for people who are passionate about jewelry," he says. "It's so much more than just buying a ring. And the people who work here understand that."

Main started out in the jewelry business 30 years ago when he borrowed $200 to buy silver and some basic tools. He sold his creations over the counter at a 7-11 convenience store where he worked to make ends meet.

His downtown store is a far cry from the days when he would hand his wares to a customer as they sipped their Slurpee. Having three other jewelers on staff, he says, gives his store the distinction of having the most jewelers in one place on the Central Coast.

"Each one has their own interpretation of design," he says, "but they are all wonderful craftsmen."

-K.G.

2nd: Serengeti West
3rd: All that Glitters

 

 

Best Real Estate Office

Century 21

SLO . Cambria . Paso Robles . Pismo Beach . Nipomo . Grover Beach . Cayucos . Los Osos . Arroyo Grande . Atascadero

In the tight real estate market of the Central Coast, it helps to have someone on your side, someone who's familiar with the process.

"A lot of unforeseen problems arise during a transaction, and real estate agents help you work through those problems and make the transaction less stressful," says Jennifer Doyle, a realtor with Century 21 Team Realty on Madonna Road in San Luis Obispo. Whether you are buying or selling, agents work hard to make the process go smoothly. They can point you to the right lenders or appraisers, they can help you price your home correctly or watch the market for deals.

With Century 21 offices throughout the county, it's easy to find an agent in your area.

-K.G.

2nd: Blair Properties
3rd: Cornerstone Real Estate

 

Best Place to Pamper Your Pet

Petco

271 Madonna Rd., SLO

Designer label perfumes aren't just for humans anymore. Petco Grooming Manager Amy Sawyer says pet fragrances - from musk to sugar cookies - are growing in popularity. And while you're pampering your pet, why stop at the perfume? Go ahead and get his or her toes painted. If you're having a hard time choosing between the more than 30 colors of polish, you can always go with the most popular, pink or red. And a ribbon to match? Oh, why not? Heck, if you're going to go that far, you'd better not miss the paw massage. Or special brushings based on how much Fido is shedding.

To prevent your pet from growling at her fellow spa-mates, send her to Petco's obedience training.

After a long day at the pet day spa, don't forget to pick up some food, toys, beds, or even a little sweater.

"We offer a good variety of everything your pet might need," said Kelly Robertson, the floor manager.

-K.G.

2nd: Tails
3rd: Golden Paw

 

Best Kids Clothing Store

Johnson's For Children

SLO . Paso Robles

It's hard to resist dressing up the little
ones - they just look so cute in those tiny overalls or small Mary Janes. Or maybe you just have to get that miniature table and chairs to go with that plastic tea set. At Johnson's
for Children you'll find anything you can think or for children - from preemies to teens -
and probably more.

The store, which has been in San Luis Obispo County for 41 years, still has a small town feel. They carry brands that you won't see at Wal-Mart or Target, like Little Giraffes, Barefoot Dreams and Baby LuLu, just to name a few.

And expectant parents, don't think that you have to wait until baby is born to shop. You can wander through the store, filling their gift registry with strollers, cribs, clothes, toys, books and mobiles. When your friends and family go to the store to pick up that adorable set of booties or bottles, they can have the purchases wrapped on the spot.

-K.G.

 

2nd: Gap
3rd: Carters

 

 

Best Toy Store

Tom's Toys

682 Higuera St., SLO

Toys are a deep part of Ted Frankel's life.

"My father started buying toy stores when I was 5 years old," says the owner of Tom's Toys. He started working with his father when he was 7, and worked in the stores all the way through high school. He bought Tom's Toys in 1986.

"I grew up in my father's business and I still love it," he says. Walking into the store, you know why. It's a paradise for anyone who likes games, no matter what your age. There are the standard Monopoly and Chutes and Ladders, but he also stocks specialty games.

"I try to carry anything that someone might ask for and also things that people don't know are out there," he says.

It's a place where you can shop for erector sets, educational games, puzzles, kids' crafts, radio-controlled machines or just want to wander and be reminded that you don't have to be a kid to play with toys.

-K.G.

2nd: Whiz Kids
3rd: Toys 'R' Us

 

 

Best Movers

Meathead Movers

3211 Broad St., SLO

As young high school jocks, brothers Aaron and Evan Steed were looking for a way to make a little spending money. Naming themselves after the term used to describe their group of friends, Meatheads, the two started a moving company.
Although neither one of them had a car at the time and would either have one of their friends drive them to the job or have the customer come and pick them up, the business took off. Evan, who was a freshman at San Luis High when they started the company, says that it was during his junior year that they really decided to stick with it.

Now, seven years later, the brothers strive to run a company unlike most other movers. They're still employing student athletes, although most of them are college students, and they're sticking to that Meathead image.

"We tell our guys to come dressed to work out," Evan says. "They basically get paid to work out."

Their employees are clean-shaven, have their shirts tucked in, and are ready to work.

And since moving companies in California have to charge by the hour for local moves, employees are required to jog on the job site whenever they are not carrying furniture. But don't think the company just does local moves - they'll move you anywhere in the Western U.S.

-K.G.

 

2nd: Sandercock Transfer
3rd: Allied Van Lines