2013 Best of the Twin Cities
(page 4 of 9)
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STYLE
BEST SHOP WITHIN A SHOP
Details
When Elizabeth Varghese closed up her beloved Grand Avenue boutique, Picky Girl, St. Paul lost a personal shopping experience that also balanced style with affordable pricing. Except…they didn’t. But they didn’t know it. Varghese has been quietly selling her favorite picks—albeit on a smaller scale—out of Details Salon in downtown St. Paul ever since. And this fall/winter season, it will be getting a reboot of supplies, paring down the clothing even further (but not doing away with it altogether) and putting the focus on home accents and gift items. Expect Varghese’s picky—but not judgmental—eye for stylish goods at affordable price points. • 346 St. Peter St., St. Paul, 651-696-8700, detailsmn.com
BEST FLORAL DELIVERY
Spruce Flowers & Home
Begone, Teleflora! The next time you need to send some flowers—and let’s face it, you usually have some making up or impressing to do when this occurs to you—don’t opt for a faceless experience where your recipient may or may not get the flowers you intended. Instead, look up Spruce Floral & Home. If you call to have a bouquet made to order, they’ll send you a photo for appraisal when it goes out for delivery—guaranteed lusher and more thoughtfully arranged than those from the 800-number goliaths. And if you pull up Spruce’s website, it’s streamlined and simple to order. And after you make your choice, the bouquet that arrives at its destination will look just like (or better) than what you selected. • 4751 Chicago Ave. S., Mpls., 612-767-1101; 4940 France Ave. S., Edina, sprucemn.com
BEST SPA PACKAGE
Minnetonka Lifespa
Book a facial at Life Time Fitness’s Minnetonka LifeSpa (we recommend with Angie Swerdlick) and you can practically overhaul your entire life. The spa offers a full suite of services, from your classic facials and massages to more medi-spa treatments like laser hair removal, hydrafacials, and Zerona, all without needing a membership to the gym. Minnetonka’s location is “diamond level,” which means exactly what you think it means. Get two free hours of childcare, use the steam room, hot tub, have lunch at the café, attend fitness classes… a true retreat in the midst of the hustle-bustle. • 3310 County Rd. 101 S., Minnetonka, 952-476-1717, lifetimefitness.com
BEST FURNITURE
Danish Teak Classics
The “slightly eccentric” (their words, not ours) team behind Danish Teak Classics has abided since the late ’80s, precisely because its members are so eagle-eyed in their discoveries—they travel to Denmark for the best—and so consistent in their restorations, that walking into the store reduces most shoppers to a state of reverence. They’ve also created their own DTC:X line, new furniture and home goods made in the spirit of Danish midcentury modern. • danishteakclassics.com
BEST AFFORDABLE WELLNESS
Community Acupuncture
Sinking a Benjamin on an initial acupuncture treatment may give you pause. Will it work? How many of these do I have to do? Do I have to “believe” in this to work? Luckily, there’s a new movement afoot in wellness to treat patients in a group setting. Here’s how it works (and how the Chinese often do it, for maximum healing energy). The acupuncturist evaluates you, and gives you a needling. (This is obviously in places that are appropriate for the “community” to see, although sometimes you may end up being treated alone.) Then you cuddle up in a recliner in the dark, with tinkly spa music playing, and let the needles work their magic—err, science. Pay what you can afford, from $15 to $40 a session. • Glade Community Acupuncture, gladeacu.com; Minnesota Community Acupuncture, minnca.com
BEST BRIDAL
L’Atelier couture bridal Boutique
It is in Amanda Kautt’s industrial-glam, open-studio space that the stuff of wedding dreams hangs, created by some of the most respected names in bridal couture (Vera, Oscar, Jenny, and Lela among them). Like the best gowns, L’Atelier excels at attention to detail, with attentive service, giant dressing rooms (all the more room to gawk at trains and bustles…and bring a second opinion), the right accessories, and the sense that your big day should also be the most beautiful. • lateliercouturebridal.com
BEST ONLINE SHOP
Ship & Shape
Think of Ship & Shape as a highly curated Etsy of sorts, run by two jewelry designers and a graphics guru. The site’s docents create an online shopping experience that points customers toward handmade fashion-forward jewelry, home accents, and paper goods, all at affordable prices. Quirky beaded jewelry, earthy leather goods, humorous cards, and accessible price points make make up a thoughtful, rotating collection that never fails to serve as a fruitful retail therapy session. • shipandshape.com
BEST LOCAL DESIGNER
Hackwith Design House
Designer Lisa Hackwith has delighted us with her easy-wearing closet staples since she launched her line in 2010, but this year brought even more innovation. After a splashy relaunch of her heavy-on-the-white-space e-commerce site, she made public her manifesto that good design shouldn’t be mass marketed: thus, she makes a limited-edition piece that she releases each Monday on her website. She has also collaborated with some of the best shops in town—Mille, Parc Boutique, and Cliché—to create pieces that reflect the both Hackwith’s aesthetic and the energy of each respective shop. Hackwith’s design zeroes in on what women need most: hardworking staples that have stylish twists, ensuring they get pulled off the hanger again and again. • hackwithdesignhouse.com
