Best of Business

Indie Schoolkids tops corporate record rivals; Borders is book king

Best Used Records:
Wazoo Records
It's huge! The selection, that is. And the price is right too. Once you make it up those steep stairs, you'll be home free.

Best Men's Clothing:
Bivouac
Wow - a-three-part store - and so much to look at, too. All that fashion and all the great names, like Polo, Nautica and The North Face. Shopping here almost makes you want to either go camping or sign up for a J. Crew modeling job. Hey, you'll need to find some way to get all that money back.

Best Women's Clothing:
Urban Outfitters
Totally trendy. That's what you'll be if you spend about $300 in here. From used jeans, to those spaghetti-strap tanks, to wild dresses, to those neat-o barrettes you used to wear when you were five, Urban's a true outfitter.

Best Thrift/Used Clothing:
Rag O Rama
If you can't afford the Urban Outfitter's steep prices, you should definitely check this place out. For the same $7 that you would have spent on some barrettes there, you can get a whole outfit here. Sure, it's not brand new. But that's even cooler.

Best Bicycle Sales/Repair:
Campus Bike and Toy
More parts and rentals than you could have ever dreamed about. It's also really reassuring to know that, after that crazy, brutal bike accident you had (either caused by Michigan ice or some freak who doesn't know how to ride right), Campus Bike is quick to fix what's broken. Kinda makes you want to go out and get in a bike accident, just so Campus Bike can make everything all better.

Best Books:
Borders Books and Music
"10,000 Dreams Interpreted," Colin Powell's "My American Journey," "The Joy of Sex," tons of New York Times bestsellers and those $0.99 hardcovers at the counter. It's all at Borders. Just know your bearings at all times. They say that U.S. History section is like a black hole.

Best Text Books:
Ulrich's
You can always count on Ulrich's to have that Psychology book that no one else seems to have in stock - and at a great price too. And, of course, there's that information desk if you get lost on your exploration.

Best Haircut:
Noggins
Got $20 left in your bank account and you need a haircut? No problem. At Noggins, a "wash and cut" for men and women is $12, so you're all set. We think groovy graffiti and designs there are alone enough reason to make an appointment.

Best First-Run Theater:
Showcase Cinemas
Oh, the movie choices, those reclining seats and the employee who sometimes - if you're lucky - introduces the movie before it starts. And the concession area is big enough to do cartwheels in. Once you get past the admission counter, it's all uphill from there.

Best Test Prep:
Princeton Review
$1,000 is a small price to pay for your future, wouldn't you say? Whether it's the GREs, the LSATs (or maybe the SATs or ACTs if you feel like taking them again for the hell of it), Princeton Review is sure to help you conquer the-completely-pointless-and-stupid-supposed-markers-of-our-intelligence-but-not-really tests that we all know and love.

JOHN KRAFT/Daily
Bill McClelland of the Wazoo checks stock at the Daily's "Best Used Record" store.

Best Video Store:
Blockbuster Video
Gotta love chains. Especially huge ones like Blockbuster. All the glitz, gold, "Fargo," "Trainspotting," "A Time To Kill" and "Sleepers" copies you could ever want. It's always nice to know that these films are available, especially since, in the last 12 small, artsy places you checked, every last copy was out. With Blockbuster, you know you'll never have to end up renting something like "Angus" - unless, of course, you want to.

Best Liquor/Party Store:
Village Corner
Party on, dude. What a great, centrally located place to stock up on cheap wine before that crazy gathering you plan to host later. Or some candy for that sweet tooth of yours. Or beer. You can always count on VC.

Best Sporting Goods:
Moe Sport Shops
Oh Moe, you're so sporty. Gotta love those sports uniforms - you know the kind that make you look like you are on the basketball team when it's really just a fake-out - mini-footballs and tennis equipment. And then there's the music, of course.

Best Photocopying:
Kinko's Copies
Makin' copies. Makin' copies at the copy machine. Forget the "Saturday Night Live" skit. You can make someone else do it for you at Kinko's - or you can do it yourself if you so desire. The possibilities are endless: Get your color copying done; buy a FedEx envelope for that internship application you were supposed to mail ages ago; hey, you can even buy a birthday card. And it's open 24 hours a day. Makin' copies. Makin' copies at 3 a.m.

Best Groceries:
Meijer
24 hours a day. What a place. Where else can you get Boboli, macaroni and cheese and pasta at such a great deal (don't think we don't know your eating habits)? To top it off, you can still get that adrenaline rush from watching the people, and there is usually no spilled, brown sticky stuff in Aisle 7. Gotta love that. Also, you can usually learn your cashier's life story while in the check-out line. It's better than the Soap Opera Digest you read when you're standing on line.

Best Florist:
Chelsea Flower Shop
A rose by any other name wouldn't smell as sweet. That's what Ann Arbor has to say about this East Liberty Street florist. Got a hot date tonight? Well, if you're planning to use this year's Best Pickup Line, you might as well give a flower while you're saying it. Might help you out a little. The Daily always looks out for its readers.

Best Travel Agency:
Boersma Travel
The sign outside says: "Things To Do: Take a Fantastic Vacation." Wow, Boersma read our minds. Kinda makes you want to pack up and hit some exotic beach. But why would anyone want to leave Michigan - especially when it's so easy to get a deep, dark tan on Palmer Field with that hot Michigan sun beating down? We're just kidding, of course. It's sure nice to know that Boersma is so good at knowing how to get us out of this state.

Best Magazines:
Borders Books and Music
Forget the rest of the store. It's still so easy to get lost - just in the magazine section alone. Along with your basic titles like Newsweek, Entertainment Weekly and U.S. News and World Report, this place has got Pen World - find out if that pen you're using in history class is in style - and tons of cigar magazines. And dear, innocent Ann Arborites -looks like Borders just started selling Playboy and Playgirl about a week ago. Now that didn't have anything to do with your vote, did it? We didn't think so.

Best Michigan Items:
Moe Sport Shops
Can't stop bopping to those great tunes playing outside Moe's every time you walk past? You know, when you are 10 minutes late for your lecture at the MLB, forget class and bop on in. From the trillions of t-shirts lining the wall, to the Michigan potholders, to Michiganopoly, to that Michigan sports bra, you are bound to find something with which you can show that "Maize and Blue" spirit. And don't forget to check out that Michigan Cheerleeder Doll. You know you want it.

Best Posters:
Stairway to Heaven
Where else can you get a giant-size black light poster of Jerry Garcia, a poster of a naked man and woman "getting it on," or a subway-size regular poster of The Blues Brothers? But if you eat at too many of the Best Restaurants, or if you keep smoking out of that crazy water bong you bought here (for tobacco use only, mind you), you may have some trouble with the stairway. Once you get past that, though, the posters are pure heaven.

04-17-97