Driving home from work today, I heard an ad on the radio for B&H Photo. If you’ve never heard of them, they’re easily acknowledged as the best brick-and-mortar camera store in NYC. And I’ve never even heard of another one in the country with even half their rep. They are the best in their field in the entire United States.
Another example might be L.L. Bean in Maine, which has to be the best outdoors store in the country. You just don’t see fishing lesson in a live fish pond in many places. Or complete sets of USGS orthographic maps.
The Tattered Cover, in Denver’s Cherry Creek neighborhood, is regarded by most people in the field as being the best bookstore in the U.S. Every famous writer makes a stop there on their book tour, and some make a special appearance even when they are too famous to have to do tours anymore. Their autographed photos adorn the walls.
It is four stories of new books, a collection so broad it rivals major libraries in scope. The basement floor is entirely discount books. Each floor is the size of a Barnes and Noble superstore. The top floor houses a fantastic restaurant.
I have never left the place without dropping at least $100.
I have been to the big NYC stores, and they don’t really come that close. Powell’s in Portland is cool, but in a completely different way. It’s a distant second in my book.
Really? I’ve been to the Tattered Cover many times. It’s a good store - don’t get me wrong - but something about it never really clicked with me. Suprised to hear that it’s considered the best of its kind.
Um… they’re big, but they’re not that big. But maybe you’re on to something. Maybe I didn’t like TC because it did sorta seem to be like a bunch of B&N stacked on top of each other.
Then again, I like B&N just fine.
God, I gotta quit posted pre-coffee from now on. Sorry for the thread hijack.
Shameless plug: For cast recordings, NYC’s Footlight Records is the best! They have everything, and at cheaper prices. It’s worth getting down to East 12th just to go there, never mind that the Strand bookstore is right up the block!
The best cat store is MamaMeow.com
They have everything for cats and about cats. Cat books, cat jewelry, teeshirts, greeting cards, gift wrap, novelties.
Bass Pro Shop in Springfield Missouri is the best hunting/fishing store on Terra 3. It is Missouri’s second biggest tourist draw, after the Gateway Arch.
(Great taxidermy on display too. Even if your are a tree-hugger, you might find it fascinating.)
I beg to differ about Bean. It’s a fabulously fun store to visit, and they’ve got great stuff, but I dont’ think they shine as an outdoor store per se. Any outdoor enthusiast probably has a bunch of L.L. Bean stuff, but AFAIK, they don’t have a really good selection of specialty goods in any sport. Their selection seems geared to the casual recreational user. That’s not a slam at Bean. I think they’re fabulous. But not as an “outdoor store.”
I’d love to know what the best outdoor store in the country is! I guess it depends by what criteria you’re judging. Campmor might have a claim to it. Their sheer selection is quite amazing. (Unfortunately, the service is very hit or miss.) Their store is the physical embodiment of their catalog–purely utilitarian and crammed full of stuff. If you like the catalog, you should definitely check out the store. It’s in Paramus, NJ. There’s an EMS right next door, and Ramsey outdoor just down the road, so if you’re doing some serious shopping for outdoor gear, you’ve got a little mecca right there.
As far as bookstores, the Barnes and Noble “textbook store” on 18th and 5th is fabulous. It’s not your typical B&N. It’s more of the old-style bookstore with a warren of rooms crammed with precarious stacks of books of all sorts. Labyrinth books on 112th claims to be the best academic bookstore east of the Rockies or some such. Is there a better one west of the Rockies? If so, where?? And of course, there is the Strand bookstore, with a truly remarkable selection of used books.