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Beadworks Between your full class load, part-time job and raging social life, you surely have time to make your own jewelry. Or not. But if you absolutely, positively, 100% have to bead, stop by Beadworks. Both locations sell a colorful array of contemporary and vintage baubles that are perfect for designing your own chandelier earrings, but prices are marked per bead - 35 cents for glittering plastic ones, $4-5 for vintage glass ones - so don't blow the budget.
23 Church St., Cambridge. | MBTA: Red Line to Harvard. Mon-Thu 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Fri-Sat 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sun Noon-7 p.m. (617) 868-9777 167 Newbury Street, Boston. | MBTA: Green Line to Hynes/ICA. Mon-Thu 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Fri-Sat 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sun 12-6 p.m. (617) 247-7227 www.beadworks.com Pearl Art and Craft Whether you're already painting neo-abstract expressionist self-portraits reminiscent of Picasso's late work, or just buying materials for Drawing 101, Pearl will have the supplies you need. Its warehouse-sized basement level carries crayons, oils, construction paper and canvas, and the store is staffed by (starving) artists who can advise you on which brand is best. Just be careful not to get sucked into the addictive cult called … scrapbooking.
Back Bay Bicycles If Boston drivers aren't enough to deter you from having a car in the city, try paying for parking. Back Bay sells road and mountain bikes for both the novice and the Lance-wannabe. Depending how many zeros you can spare (high performance Cannon-
dale bikes go for $4500), Back Bay Bicycle will get you on the road and into one of those sweet spandex outfits. Hello, ladies. 366 Comm. Ave., Boston. | MBTA: Green Line to Hynes/ICA. Mon, Wed-Fri 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Tue, Sat 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sun Noon-5 p.m. (617) 247-2336 www.backbaybicycles.com Broadway Bicycle School If you've been obsessed with bikes since your first training wheels, you'll love this down-and-dirty shop. It's made for Pee-Wee Hermans with an exacting touch. Broadway sells new and reconditioned (read, cheap) bikes, but its real specialty is repair. If you know how to fix that broken chain or flat tire yourself, they'll sell or rent you the tools to do so, but if the phrase "truing a wheel" means nothing to you, invest in their Bicycle Repair 101 ($95).
Harvard Bookstore Our favorite - not only because the staff has awesome taste (McSweeny's, Sedaris), but because downstairs, you'll find remaindered and discounted books, especially scholary titles. Why pay full price for "Karel Teige: L'enfant Terrible of the Czech Modernist Avant-garde" if you can get it for cheap?
1256 Mass. Ave., Boston. | MBTA: Red Line to Harvard. Mon-Thu 9 a.m.- 11 p.m.; Fri, Sat 9 a.m.-midnight; Sun 10 a.m.-10 p.m. (617) 247-2336 www.harvard.com Rodney's You know the best part about Austen's "Pride and Prejudice"? It's just as good when highlighted by someone else. For used books, head to Rodney's, whose 45,000+ titles are well-organized (although often not in alphabetical order) and cater heavily to the arts. Pandemonium/Million Year Picnic The former sells sci-fi novels and games (Settlers of Catan!). The latter sells comic books and toys ("Y: The Last Man"!). Together, they're the dorkiest, most beautiful one-two punch in Harvard Square.
Betsey Johnson Ever wish that pink tutu from your ballerina days had a more practical use today? You're in luck. This hot-pink Newbury boutique is for the fearless few who never gave up on the idea that clothes should be fun. Johnson cartwheeled her way into fashion in the 1960's and never grew up. Cardigans embellished with ostrich feathers ($194) and frilly cocktail dresses ($250 and up) and will make an outrageous impression. Wallflowers need not apply.
201 Newbury St., Boston. | MBTA: Green Line to Copley. Mon-Sat 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sun Noon-6 p.m. (617) 236-7072 www.betseyjohnson.com Jasmine Sola Attn. girlie girls: If sparkle and frills are permanent fixtures in your closet, stop by this New England chain. From Miss Sixty to Juicy Couture, Jasmine Sola stocks clothes for the Legally Blonde in all of us: rhinestone tank tops ($42), sequined skirts ($78), embroidered jeans ($198) and mesh Puma sneakers ($70+). LF Based in California, this store purposely looks like your friend's messy but well-stocked closet, maximizing LF's mix-and-match approach to dressing. Their look is eclectic and bright, featuring up and coming designers from Europe along with trends plucked from the streets of L.A. Basics are best found elsewhere - plain tank tops start at $32 - but the inspiration to get out of your everyday get-up makes LF worth a trip. Marc Jacobs Jacobs has long had a powerful presence in the world of fashion, not to mention celebrity closets. This two-floor boutique houses the high-end ready-to-wear upstairs, and the slightly more affordable Marc by Marc Jacobs line downstairs. They sell smaller gifts, too, though surely Daddy was thinking of Marc's signature oversized-buckle bags when he said the credit card was for emergencies only.
Anthropologie Shabby chic meets bohemian mystique at this downtown clothing and home décor shop. Light cascades through floor-to-ceiling windows draped in gauzy white crinoline, while a wrought-iron staircase winds upstairs. Girls who grew up in bedrooms flowered with Laura Ashley love this nationwide chain's grown-up version of the feminine style. Adorned with lace, embroidery, and beading, home accessories like lampshades ($24+) and throw pillows ($58) can transform your cinderblock cell into a pretty pastel sanctuary.
799 Boylston St., Boston. | MBTA: Green Line to Copley. Mon-Sat 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sun Noon-6 p.m. (617) 262-0545 www.anthropologie.com Bliss Bliss might be best known for their bridal registry, but even if the idea of permanent cohabitation is years (and years, and years) away, this shop still deserves a visit. With gleaming wood floors and clean white shelving, Bliss looks as sleek as the goods they sell. Some pieces are better suited for a two-income household - a stainless steel magazine rack goes for $149 - but many items fit the smaller budget and aesthetic, especially the cotton-ball dispenser shaped like a giant pill ($32). Buckaroo's Mercantile If your ideal spring break involves hours admiring Graceland's infamous "throne," this store is right up your alley. Buckaroo recently moved into their Central Square location, but the space is already as stuffed as a white-trash trailer-park goods (and antiques, too). Lift the lid of a toilet seat emblazoned with Elvis ($48) or use a Pabst beer nightlight ($8) to find your way to bed. Finding the perfect gift for your retro-cool friend has never been this easy (or bizarre). Museum of Useful Things Form follows function at this Harvard Square shop full of quirky gadgets and, surprise!, useful things. While its aim is to remind us to appreciate the design of commonly used objects - a paperclip, for example - customers will delight even more in the stainless steel kitchenware that includes diner napkin dispensers ($20) and ergonomic measuring cups ($15). Never again will you waste valuable drinking time searching for a bottle opener - a wall-mounted version is only $4.50. Nomad For the past 15 years Nomad has imported handcrafted art, textiles and furnishings from Mexico, Central and South America, Africa and Asia, including the Chilean good luck charm, "Chanchito," a small, three-legged pig made from red clay ($3.50). No passports necessary. Urban Outfitters What apartment is complete without a welcome mat inscribed with the hospitable greeting "Piss Off" ($26)? From shag carpets to chenille quilts, dorms across the city are decorated with accoutrements from this hipper-than-thou emporium, and for good reason. For better or worse, Outfitters takes cool mainstream.
Nuggets VG++. M-. Sealed. Before you head to Nuggets, you had better learn the terminology - this used record/CD/video/DVD haven sells goods in varying conditions (M means mint), and you wouldn't want to get stuck with a ratty LP version of Madonna's "Shake (instrumental version)." Best part: Fax or e-mail a "want list," and managers will search the thousands of items for you - and order stuff if they come up short. Looney Tunes Tunes still has that old-school-rock vibe, with yellowing, vintage posters as old as the LPs. That's not to say they're behind the times. It's more like an attitude. An attitude that says, well, one photo features Johnny Cash giving the finger, what do you think it says?
1106 Boylston St, Boston. | MBTA: Green Line to Hynes/ICA. Mon-Sat, 10 a.m-9:30 p.m.; Sun Noon-8 p.m. (617) 247-2238 In Your Ear Bob Seger 8-tracks, right next to the LPs, CDs and DVDs. Do you need another reason? All Boston Uncovered original content was written and edited by Boston Metro. Drop us a line at bostonuncovered@boston.com. |
