Best of the New: Stores
Arclinea
Many city dwellings have closets bigger than their kitchens. Fortunately, salvation is just around the corner, and we're not talking great takeout. Arclinea, which opened in Boston last February, is more a problem solver than a store. Staffed by architects and architects-in-training, this kitchen showroom features the most ingenious use of space since the skyscraper. Baseboards become drawers. Cabinet doors slide instead of pulling out. And every component is sleek and functional, custom-made in Italy. You control the final design and cost, choosing from 13 pricing levels of materials. Now you're cooking. 10 St. James Avenue, Boston, 617-357-9777; www.arclineaboston.com
Cross
We're not usually excited by a roomful of pens, but our pulses started racing when we crossed the threshold at Cross's minimally designed Harvard Square shop. Opened in April as the company's first US retail showroom, the store was followed by a Chestnut Hill location in November. The stores offer a variety of pen styles, from fancy to practical, at a range of prices, some as high as $835 (gulp). There are also irresistible satchels to carry them in, as well as folders and stylish desk accessories, many made by Cross. Zero Brattle Street, Cambridge, 617-868 7020; The Mall at Chestnut Hill, 617 527-0530; www.cross.com
Exhale
The spa elevator reads "transform" for up and "transcend" for down, and so begins your Zen experience at Exhale, in Back Bay since December. Fresh as a deep breath and equally restorative, this in-town destination spa is a real urban retreat, with Indonesian carved doors, bamboo motifs, soft, earthy tones, and a heated yoga studio. Its signature Core Fusion class combines elements of Pilates, yoga, and orthopedic stretching, and it will set your muscles quivering like Jell-O but leave you ultimately happy. 28 Arlington Street, Boston, 617-532-7000; www.exhalespa.com
Howie Mack
Serious devotees of high-quality resale know there's traditionally a gap between the kids' outlets and adult designer consignment stores. If you're in your teens or early 20s, your fashionable secondhand options have been next to nil. Until now. Since September, Howie Mack has offered used brand-name urban wear, from
The Container Store
Neatniks and clutter bugs alike have found nirvana at The Container Store. Claiming to sell time and peace of mind, the store, which debuted in Chestnut Hill in November and comes to Natick next month, aims to sweep the city and purge our clutter. Even the store itself is well organized, arranged in sections like Closet, Kitchen, and Trash. Stick with one section at a time to avoid being overwhelmed: This new-to-New England chain offers 27,000 square feet filled with more than 10,000 products. Want high end? The store offers elfa shelving, an elite modular system that can customize any closet. For the budget-conscious, both design and quality are available in "better," "best," and "exceptional." 27 Boylston Street (Route 9), Chestnut Hill, 617 566-7400; www.containerstore.com
Laundromutt
From the moment blue-eyed Brumby, an Australian shepherd, greets you at the door, you know that "canine" is the word at this self-service dog wash near Fresh Pond in Cambridge. Brumby's owners, Evan and Elizabeth Olson, provide everything you need to clean your dirty dog, including washtubs, shampoo, towels, and hair dryers. We like that we don't have to clean up after ourselves once the grooming's done. LaundroMutt, which debuted in October, offers bathing options starting at $15 - aromatherapy and specialty shampoos tack on a few additional dollars. The upstairs BarkaLounge is a haven for pups who like to play and owners who like to watch. 489 Concord Avenue, Cambridge, 617 864-9274; www.laundromutt.com
Massive Records
Local DJs and vinyl fetishists have quickly discovered Massive Records, an independent outfit that opened quietly in September. The store caters to DJs and peddles a deep and broad array of music - heaps of hip-hop, plus genres like reggae, house, spoken word, jazz, and soul - as well as DJ-appropriate mix tapes and equipment. Tired of mainstream hip-hop's image of booty and bling, the store's friendly and knowledgeable managers promote a positive, community-oriented brand of the genre. To this end, they offer affordable DJ courses and invite artists, like local lyrical champion Virtuoso, to perform in the store's DJ booth. 1105 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, 617-576-1887
Mitchell Gold
Stylish without being avant-garde. That's the formula Mitchell Gold and partner Bob Williams came up with in 1989 for their "relaxed design" furniture, and it's proven to be a winner. With its classic, simple lines, Mitchell Gold furniture works as well in a cramped Beacon Hill studio as in a spacious oceanside getaway in P-town. Starting in September, interior-decorating Bostonians got a feel for Gold with a new showroom in the Park Plaza area, where you can test out the eye-catching sofas, sectionals, upholstered beds, and dining chairs. The sales floor even has a few resident canines, poodle Coco Chanel and cocker spaniel Rufus. 142 Berkeley Street, Boston, 617-266-0075; www.mitchellgoldboston.com
Modell's Sporting Goods
For such a sports-obsessed town, we think Boston's a bit thin on sporting-goods stores. You know, the kind where you can find swimming goggles in the dead of winter, five aisles of hockey equipment, and jerseys of every hometown team - even the ones that lose. Well, Modell's Sporting Goods must have read our minds. In October, the chain opened its first two New England stores. The one in Medford features a huge no-frills room chock-full of everything from Patriots jackets to lacrosse sticks. Keep your eyes peeled: A dozen more New England stores are on the way this year. With other chains like the Sports Authority and Dick's Sporting Goods also adding shops, the region just might pony up enough stores to match its sports mania. Full disclosure, however: Modell's Sporting Goods is a New York chain. Fellsway Plaza, 640 Fellsway (Route 28), Medford, 781-395-0100, and other locations; www.modells.com
National Jean Co.
Long ago, denims were dungarees. The world of jeans is light-years from that era and reached new heights in July, when National Jean Co. came to Newton. Every employee is trained to find your best fit among Rock & Republic, True Religion, Sacred Blue, Seven for All Mankind, So Low, Hudson, Paper Denim & Cloth - about 20 different lines of jeans, at last count. There's also a huge selection from Juicy Couture's terry and velour collection, including hoodies, skirts, track jackets, and capris. This spring, look for culottes (they're back) and gaucho pants. We can't wait. 34 Langley Road, Newton Centre, 617-969-2888
Porter Square Books
Although Porter Square Books provides the variety of a chain bookstore, things like the local-art displays and the staff-picks' sections give it away as an independent. The 3,000-square-foot location seemed a little empty when it was opened in October by six former employees of a Concord bookstore, but it has grown to a repository of more than 35,000 titles. By spring, the owners hope to have a cafe and an inventory of 50,000 titles. "If the book is in stock [at the supplier], we can get it just as quickly as the big guys," boasts one of the co-owners, Carol Stoltz. "Sometimes even faster." We also appreciate the ambitious lineup of events with novelists, poets, and other writers; something is scheduled most nights of the week. Porter Square Shopping Center, 25 White Street, Cambridge, 617-491-2220; www.portersquarebooks.com
Regeneration Records and Tattoo
In an age when people download MP3s and record collectors troll
Remedix
In the beauty world, "all natural" has become a catchphrase, used less out of conviction than as a reliable marketing hook. But when Claudia Starkey says that "all natural" is the only way to go, she means it. As a girl growing up in Romania, she had only the plants and herbs in her backyard and the forest to use for medicine and beauty. She has brought all that knowledge with her to Remedix, her shop that landed on Newbury Street in June. Sit down at the formulation table, and Starkey or her staff will custom-blend products for you. For a wrinkle-diminishing effect, Starkey recommends the camelia face oil. For a "chemical peel" without the chemicals, she'll suggest her fruit enzyme line of cleansers, toners, and masks. 279 Newbury Street, Boston, 617-437-1155; www.remedix.com
Renaissance Room
Don't you hate when someone asks, "Do you really need that?" Ignore the question and proceed straight to Renaissance Room, which has been peddling hard-to-resist women's clothing since July. In a setting above Newbury Street, the lushly furnished boutique resembles a French atelier, with art-to-wear designs as elegant as they are special. Day-to-evening separates range from bohemian to edgy, with one-of-a-kind accessories that can reinvent your wardrobe. Most styles are easy fits - like kimonos, asymmetrical jackets, and bias-cut tunics - but prices can be a bit less user-friendly. Hey, go ahead. You only live once. 215 Newbury Street, Boston, 617-859-9700; www.renroom.com
Stil
For stylish fashionistas of moderate means, Stil (pronounced "steel") is the antidote to chain-store-itus. You'll be the only kid on your block wearing the shop's whimsical, print-crazy designs from Copenhagen, Finland, and London. Most are Boston exclusives, as are the collections from emerging new talents whom owner Betty Riaz tracks down in New York. Riaz even managed to buy the sample line of quirky clothing featured on the second season of the hit TV show The Apprentice. Though small in size, this Scandinavian-inspired boutique has been packing 'em in since it opened in June. 170 Newbury Street, Boston, 617-859-7845; www.stilinc.com
Susan Sargent
Alas, Boston can be a very gray city. That's why we love Susan Sargent's delightfully colorful home-design store that appears positively Oz-like against Newbury Street's brick and slate. Since its unveiling in January of 2004, the store's light-filled window has been mesmerizing passersby with a kaleidoscope of brightly colored furniture, pillows, rugs, and dinnerware. Author of the cheerful books The Comfort of Color and New Country Color, Sargent develops artistic home products for the rest of us, meaning the decorator-deprived. Attend a color workshop or use the complimentary in-store design service to select paints and fabrics. The store's designers are wizards with color. 132 Newbury Street, Boston, 617-262 2226; www.susansargent.com
Shag
Rock-star treatment and rock-star hair can be yours at Shag, Sandy Poirier's spacious South Boston hair salon that's been around since July. The tattooed, motorcycle-riding stylist seats his clients in Italian chairs with burled-walnut arms. Poirier crafts his cuts working first on wet hair with scissors and then on dry hair with a razor. 840 Summer Street, Boston, 617-268-2500; www.shagboston.com
Sean /// Stores that feature a single designer - think Marc Jacobs and Ralph Lauren - tend to bear the name of the person behind the label. But while Sean, a hip men's store that hit Newbury Street in March, is named for owner Sean Cassidy, it exclusively carries cool duds by Paris fave Emile Lafaurie. Dress shirts and ties are colorful, sweaters are sophisticated, and slim-cut suits are sold as separates to minimize alterations. 154 Newbury Street, Boston, 617-399-3993; www.seanstore.com
Persona Jewelry +
Persona is to jewelry what Louis is to fashion - a world-class place to shop in Boston. This little jewel box, opened in June, is tucked away on the second floor of the Hotel Commonwealth in Kenmore Square. Owners Gary Shteyman and Margarita Druker have an eye for the unique, including simple sterling-silver items priced as low as $20 and fabulous estate pieces by Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, and Cartier. Shteyman's own designs are contemporary and stunning. The "plus" includes cashmere baby blankets and leather goods by Aspinal of London. Hotel Commonwealth, 504 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, 617-266-3003; www.personastyle.com
Body By Brandy Fitness Center
Owner Brandy K. Cruthird is the juice of her gym - her glutes, abs, and smile make us want to stay on the elliptical machine extra minutes just to impress her. Cruthird says she launched the Body by Brandy Fitness Center in Dudley Square in September for the health of her neighborhood. With unique programs like PHAT Camp, which teaches kids physical-fitness awareness, and low membership fees, Cruthird is giving fitness chains a run for their money. 2181 Washington Street, Roxbury, 617-442-2187
The Lizard's Tale
Once upon a time - actually, in September - Tim Huggins, the proprietor of Newtonville Books, opened a cool kids' bookstore called The Lizard's Tale. There we found piles of Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, and Olivia-the-pig books ready to fly off the shelves. We also noticed a nice collection of test-prep texts, and, in the teenage boys' section, near The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, we spotted The Portable Henry Rollins! The Tale has a kid-friendly decor: big bean bags, a table with markers and scrap paper, and stuffed animals. A great place for the junior literati to get their read on. 296 Walnut Street, Newtonville, 617-244-6619; www.newtonvillebooks.com 