Best Of :: Shopping & Services Bargain Barn Thrift Store Best Place to Buy Used Furniture Do you know how expensive it is to furnish a house or apartment? First you get that nice couch from West Elm, then you add the dining set from CB2. Sure, maybe you settle for the build-it-yourself dresser from Ikea, but you just can't say no to that amazing desk from Luminaire. At the end of the designing day, you're talking thousands and thousands of dollars, at a time when some of us can barely afford a place. Luckily, Bargain Barn is a veritable treasure chest of used furniture. Even in-the-know interior designers shop here. The selection changes often, and items are usually priced to move — $15 will get you an end table. Sure, some things here might need a fresh coat of paint or a deep cleaning, but in the end it's worth it. Plus all the proceeds go to the Miami Rescue Mission, so you'll feel extra good about saving money. 2233 NW 1st Ct., Miami, 33127 Village of Merrick Park
In 2002, the Village of Merrick Park did what no other shopping mall seemed capable of doing. It broke the stronghold the Bal Harbour Shops had on luxury goods. If you wanted to drop outrageous amounts of money on ready-to-wear items from the world's top designers, you had to travel to the small town near the Broward County line, quite a trek if you lived in Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, or Pinecrest. But the Village of Merrick Park cut travel time to a few short minutes and borrowed heavily from its Bal Harbour counterpart — an open-air layout, high-end eateries, and an atmosphere decidedly non-mall. And with stores such as Neiman Marcus, Betsey Johnson, Gucci, Tiffany & Co., Jimmy Choo, and La Perla, Merrick Park is a worthy competitor for high-end clientele. Besides, it boasts one of the few Borders bookstores still left. 358 San Lorenzo Ave., Miami, 33146 When your party-animal level reaches such a high point that only an explosion of '80s sequins and shoulder pads can do it justice, or when your art-gallery day job requires you look like a '70s Lolita adorned in ruffles and soft chiffon, only one store can adequately quell your ravenous vintage appetite.
Tiny, well-organized, adorned with a huge black-and-white print that quotes Alice in Wonderland, and filled with quirky details (care for a collection of doll heads?), the Rabbit Hole is an expertly curated and moderately priced potpourri of secondhand goods plucked from New York City flea markets, Los Angeles vintage warehouses, and other corners of the world where cool and original live (and where the husband-and-wife owners, who are also photographers, travel). If a bunny called this shop home, it would be the type that sports nerdy, oversize glasses; hops around in old-school combat boots; and refuses to eat carrots because "they're so conventional." In other words, exactly the type of rabbit we like. 17032 W. Dixie Highway, North Miami Beach, 33160 Given that most of the used bookstores left in Miami are in strip malls and half of their stock comprises multiple copies of the same wildly popular romance and teen novels, Fifteenth Street Books could easily be mistaken for a book museum.
The store, which occupies the original site of Books & Books, is lined floor to ceiling with wooden shelves brimming with actual, real, bona fide literature and grand art books featuring lavish reproductions. Climb the hardwood stairs to the sun-filled second floor and you'll find collectibles and limited-edition prints, not hidden in some showcase, but on shelves to grab and actually peruse. Scour the store and you can find some real gems, such as a copy of a first edition (albeit a later printing) of Naked Lunch in its original, though well-worn, dust jacket for $20. Heck, that's almost what a new, tacky-looking paperback of this modern-day Inferno will set you back at Borders, if you can find a Borders, that is. 296 Aragon Ave, Coral Gables, 33134 Best Place to Buy Vinyl Believe it or not, there's better treasure at your local Goodwill store than just macramé owls, velvet Elvises, secondhand underwear, busted-up ham radios, and cracked souvenir ashtrays from places you'll never visit.
Of course, we're talking about highly collectible vinyl. Basically, as baby boomers age, enter nursing homes, and fall into open graves, they need to get rid of their awesome stockpiles of old records. And often, the easiest and most efficient way to free themselves of these extremely precious worldly possessions is simply donating them to a nonprofit thrift outlet like Goodwill. Go pick through the '60s generation's vinyl leftovers. Sure, it's not all gold and platinum. There's a glut of stuff such as Neil Diamond's Hot August Night, Hall & Oates's Abandoned Luncheonette, and multiple copies of every single Herb Alpert album in the universe. But look hard through the junk and you'll eventually find a few rad rarities, like Velvet Underground's White Light/White Heat, or curios such as a chicken-grease-smeared first pressing of Christmas Day With Colonel Sanders. And when you're paying only $1 per LP, this kind of killer find makes you feel like an especially slick looter. 2125 NW 21st St., Miami, 33142
Best Place to Buy a Used Bike With gas prices this high, even the most motor-loving among us must be considering the benefits of switching, at least on occasion, to self-powered transportation. But maybe we're not ready to shell out top dollar for a new bicycle. If you're looking for a used bike or used parts, check out Tamiami Cyclery. The small strip-mall spot has been in business for decades and looks like it, but you'll find a menagerie of vintage frames and rare parts at good prices. Plus the staff is always polite and knowledgeable. 6348 SW 8th St., Miami, 33144 Best Place to Buy Used Furniture: Bargain Barn Thrift StoreSo, what kinds of products will you find in our inventory ready to ship to your door? Pretty-Salon USA is here to help you decorate an entire salon or just update your looks with such hair salon furniture as: Chairs – At Pretty-Salon USA, we carry salon styling chairs, barber chairs, children’s chairs and more. You’ll find just about every color and style imaginable within our inventory, as well.
We even have cartoon character kids cutting chairs to put the smallest clients at ease. Color racks – Keeping up with smaller products has never been more stylish. We offer a variety of specialized racks to hold nail polish and other small items. Dryers – When affordable, high quality dryers are needed to outfit the shampoo area, Pretty-Salon USA has the selection you’re after. You’ll find a variety of models in different styles within our inventory. We even offer dryer chairs and tables within our extensive hairdressing salon furniture line. Styling stations – We offer a wide selection of styling stations to make work areas look spectacular. From basic mirrored stations to unique modern designs, you’ll find an array of choices within our inventory. Shampooing supplies – This line of hair salon furniture includes shampooing chairs, cabinets and other supplies necessary to make setting up for clients a breeze. Towel warmers and sterilizers – We even offer a selection of these all important units to improve client comfort and safeguard health.