Best of the New: Stores

Page 3 of 4 -- 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

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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 eBay for albums, this Allston store proves that flipping through bins of cassettes and vinyl is still a viable way to find music. ReGeneration Records and Tattoo sells new and used records, CDs, and cassettes, and the owners plan to launch their skin-inking services by the end of the month. ReGeneration specializes in punk, hard-core, and garage music; the store carries underground bands like the Clorox Girls and Strike Anywhere and old standbys like the Clash and the Ramones. ReGeneration also has a decent assortment of T-shirts, patches, pins, magazines, and books like Sniffin' Glue: The Essential Punk Accessory. Back issues of Maximum-rocknroll, the legendary San Francisco-based punk zine, are displayed below a handwritten sign that reads: "Marvel at a punk world before computers. Wow!" 155 Harvard Avenue, Allston, 617-782-1313

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   Continued...