Bookstore
Barnes & Noble
Excellent pick, readers! Those inclined to bemoan this city's lack of choice in bookstores tend to overlook the fact that a superstore like Barnes & Noble represents choice. There ain't much you can want that you can't find or order there—B&N stocks as much stuff as a bricks-and-mortar book portal can; next stop, Amazon.com. Just ask a longtimer about the days when your best—make that only—book-buying option was an insufficient B. Dalton's in the Boulevard Mall. To them, B&N is heaven, with Starbucks. 567 N. Stephanie St., 434-1533. 3860 S. Maryland Parkway, 734-2900. 8915 W. Charleston Blvd., 242-1987. 2191 Rainbow Blvd., 631-1775.
Record Store
Tower
Its parent company may have declared bankruptcy, but the Las Vegas location of Tower Records is still a popular place to record-shop, with its wide selection (including a healthy dose of local music), decent prices and proximity to the Good Guys electronics store, which takes up the other half of the Wow Superstore. There's also a whole wing devoted to books, magazines and various paraphernalia, another with jazz, classical and world recordings, and a nice little "adult" section behind these swinging doors that look like something out of an Old West saloon. In other words, something for everyone. 4580 W. Sahara Ave., 364-2500.
Computer Electronics Store
Best Buy
This is what technophile heaven must look like—minus the blue Polo shirts, of course. Multiple locations.
Best Video Store
Blockbuster
It has lots of videos to rent. Many of them new, some of them old. This is a good thing. Many, many locations; check local listings.
Adult Store
Adult Super Store
When you stroll into a store full of pornography and sex toys, the last thing you want is to feel like a pervert. OK, maybe you are a pervert, but you'd rather nobody know it and, more importantly, nobody bother you about it. More likely, though, you're not a pervert and you'd just like to buy your copy of Juggs or a pink vibrator or life-like model of a porn star's—you get the idea—in peace. That's why we love the Adult Superstore, which takes as much perversion out of the process as humanly possible. The four locations are well-organized, well-lit and well-stocked, especially the two-story super Superstore at Tropicana and Valley View. Perverts and non-perverts alike, rejoice. 3850 W. Tropicana Ave., 798-0144. 3226 Spring Mountain Road, 247-1101. 601 S. Main St., 383-0601. 1147 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 383-8326.
Art Gallery
Art de Vignettes
Because this wasn't an interactive survey—damn the limits of paper technology!—we couldn't ask you what it was about this gallery that lofted it above the others in town. The wide selection, from Lalique glassworks to vintage photographs to the many styles of painting? The way all these various elements rub against each other in the confines of a mall storefront, charging up some nice visual friction? The presence of a food court in the building? In the Fashion Show Mall, 734-3202.
Health Club
Las Vegas Athletic Club
With four locations, a huge range of programs and classes, childcare and fitness facilities, it's no wonder Las Vegas Athletic Club is our readers' favorite. But what won us over were the massage services. Their website is just as impressive, with a library of fitness articles, an extensive store, nutrition planners and workout schedule. 2655 S. Maryland Pkwy., 734-LVAC (5822); 3830 E. Flamingo Road, 898-LVAC; 5090 S. Maryland Pkwy., 798-LVAC; 5200 W. Sahara Ave., 364-LVAC.
Home Decorating Store
Zinaz
It's as if Outkast's Andre 3000 handled interior design and product selection—walls splashed with vibrant colors by eclectic offerings in copper, iron, marble, pewter, stone, wicker and wood and made 'specially for Zinaz. Hey ya! The 17,000-square-foot facility will probably be the de rigueur store to furnish a seemingly endless glut of lofts planned around town. But this ain't just a store for the fashionably funky. Zinaz can get as hoity-toity as it wants to be, with furniture pieces imported from around the world, many with intriguing back stories. And good news for the frugal among you: The place does the economical as well as it does the highbrow; heck, Zinaz even lets you exercise your inner Martha Stewart (sans the insider trading allegations): Created by You, one of five "nook areas," or in-store locations offering specialized service, allows consumers to customize pieces. 225 N. Stephanie St., 933-3090.
Women's Clothing Store
Bebe
Bebe is an interesting change from last year, when our readers selected Gap. While Gap offers a nice, classic look, Bebe is sleek, sexy, feminine and a bit pricier. You gals going uptown or what? Galleria at Sunset, 458-0518; Desert Passage, 892-0406; Fashion Show, 892-8083; Forum Shops at Caesars, 735-8885; Venetian, 734-1300.
Men's Clothing Store
Kenneth Cole
It used to be that if you wanted to make a political statement with your clothes, you had to throw on a ratty T-shirt with an "I'm With Stupid" imprint and go to a city council meeting. Buy your threads at Kenneth Cole, however, and you can be conscionable and look fabulous! The retailer supports a handful of causes, including AIDS research and child mentoring. Wander about the well-laid-out space, watch the politically aware fashion shows on the monitors or relax against the pony-hair pillows. The clothes are sharp, too, offering the modern metrosexual male casual fashions from head (sunglasses) to toe (shoes), with everything in between. And be sure to ask for Joseph at the Venetian—he'll take care of you. Venetian Grand Canal Shops, 836-1916; Forum Shops at Caesars, 794-2653; Las Vegas Outlet, 855 Grand Central Parkway; Fashion Outlet, Primm, 874-1987.
Tattoo/Body-Piercing
Diversity
If you just want a tasteful little nose piercing or a Chinese letter tattooed on your ankle, this is the place for you. If you want those creepy earlobe-stretching things or a giant dragon tattooed across your back, this is also the place for you, with a friendly staff ready to stick needles into you pretty much anywhere you like. 2310 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 382-8820. 300 S. Decatur Blvd., 821-1584. 4700 S. Maryland Pkwy., 736-0916. 4401 N. Rancho Drive, 454-1300.
Beauty Salon
Globe
There's a fair amount of trust and bonding that you want to have with certain professions. Your doctor is one. Your lawyer could be another. And your waxer and hairstylist is a definite third. In a transient town like Las Vegas, it can be difficult to find a suitable match for any of the above. But when you're looking for your Brazilian, you trust Globe. 1121 S. Decatur Blvd., Number 130, 938-4247.