Shopping

Sun., Oct. 29, 2000

The shopping opportunities continue to grow in our region, from the new Nordstrom Rack and Barnes & Noble at NorthTown Mall to the Banana Republic and Pottery Barn at River Park Square.

The reader favorite in the top category, department store, is again the Bon Marche. For the third year in a row, the sale-happy (think one day-o) Bon bested some tough competition. The Bon also won in two other categories, women’s and men’s clothing. It’s a first for the Bon in women’s wear.

The other two multiple winners are also on hot streaks: Northwest Seed & Pet, for favorite pet store and nursery/garden shop, and Hastings, as the place to buy music CDs and to rent videos.

The home-grown Northwest Seed & Pet placed at the top in both categories last year, and won first in the pets category two years ago.

Hastings has won both its categories all three years of our reader poll.

Department store

1. Bon Marche

2. Nordstrom

3. J.C. Penney

Honorable mention: Sears, Wal-Mart

Women’s clothing store

1. Bon Marche

2. Nordstrom

3. J.C. Penney

Honorable mention: Gap, Ross

Men’s clothing store

1. Bon Marche

2. Nordstrom

3. Hamer’s

Honorable mention: J.C. Penney, Structure

Children’s clothing store

1. GapKids

2. J.C. Penney

3. Baby Gap

Honorable mention: Target, Gymboree

Place to buy a gag gift

1. Spencer Gifts

2. Boo Radley’s

3. 50% Off Card Shop

Honorable mention: Auntie’s Bookstore, Castle Super Store

Place to buy lingerie

1. Victoria’s Secret

When looking for lingerie, readers prefer Victoria’s Secret. Maybe it’s the catalog. Maybe it’s all the supermodels. Maybe it’s the goods, including sleepwear, hosiery, robes, fragrances, lotions and the unmentionables. But maybe it’s a boost in the ol’ love life.

2. Nordstrom

3. Bon Marche

Honorable mention: J.C. Penney, Erotique Boutique

Place to get outfitted for hunting/fishing

1. General Store

When the hunting and fishing crowd goes looking for gear, they head to the places that offer bargains: the General Store and the White Elephant. Both offer everything from guns and bullets to rods and reels, along with loads of camping equipment.

The General Store sits on Spokane’s North Division Street just blocks from one of the two White Elephant locations. Both stuff bins and shelves with goods, and what they lack in frills, they make up in low prices. It’s a pretty good bet that lots of bargain-hunters shop at both.

2. White Elephant

3. REI

Honorable mention: White’s Outdoor, Black Sheep

Jewelry store

1. Pounder’s

2. Fred Meyer

3. Dodson’s

Honorable mention: Jewelry Design Center, Zale’s

Floral shop

1. Just Roses

2. Peters & Sons

3. Liberty Park Florist

Honorable mention: Appleway Florist, Stanek’s

Place to buy a music CD

1. Hastings

2. Sam Goody

3. Wal-Mart

Honorable mention: Fred Meyer, Target

Place to rent a video

1. Hastings

2. Blockbuster

3. Hollywood Video

Honorable mention: Premier Video, Albertson’s

Place to buy a stereo or TV

1. Sears

2. Circuit City

3. Costco

Honorable mention: Huppin’s, Magnolia Hi-Fi

Place to buy a computer

1. Gateway

2. CompUSA

3. Circuit City

Honorable mention: Costco, Office Depot

Place to buy shoes for Bloomsday or Hoopfest

1. Footlocker

2. Big 5

3. Gart Sports

Honorable mention: Runner’s Soul, Payless

Place for home furnishings

1. Burgan’s

2. Walker’s Furniture

3. Pier One

Honorable mention: Dania, Bon Marche

Bookstore

1. Auntie’s

What with two Barnes & Noble stores now, one on the North Side, the other in the Valley, Spokane seems on the verge of becoming a literary town. If so, credit for that belongs largely to Auntie’s Bookstore, which again takes honors as Spokane’s favorite book shop.

That makes three consecutive wins for the region’s largest independent bookseller, which is only fitting. Auntie’s sponsors an acclaimed reading series, which gave Sherman Alexie among others his earliest public support, and its Liberty Building location is a classic case of urban renewal.

2. Barnes & Noble

3. Hastings

Honorable mention: B. Dalton, Waldenbooks

Antique shop

1. Aunt Bea’s

2. Finders Keepers Antiques

3. Vintage Rabbit

Honorable mention: Coeur d’Alene Antique Mall, Madeline’s

Kitchen shop

1. Williams-Sonoma

When Williams-Sonoma opened in River Park Square last January, Spokane’s only outlet posted the highest sales in the chain’s western region proving the store’s popularity with shoppers right from the beginning. That favored status has held up, too, among readers.

2. Copper Colander

3. Lechter’s

Honorable mention: Bon Marche, Wal-Mart

Pet store

1. Northwest Seed & Pet

2. Petco

3. Petsmart

Honorable mention: Evergreen Pet, Duncan’s

Nursery and garden shop

1. Northwest Seed & Pet

2. Mel’s

3. Stanek’s

Honorable mention: Lowe’s, Ritter’s

Place for teenagers

1. NorthTown Mall

2. Home

3. The Mall

Honorable mention: Wonderland, Laser Quest

Supermarket

1. Safeway

2. Albertson’s

3. Tidyman’s

Honorable mention: Rosauers, Yoke’s

Place to get your hair done

1. Great Clips

2. Fantastic Sam’s

3. Supercuts

Honorable mention: Regis, 14th & Grand

Thrift store

1. Value Village

2. Goodwill

3. St. Vincent De Paul

Honorable mention: Northwest Christian Thrift, Salvation Army

Auto dealer

1. Wendle Ford

2. Appleway

3. Camp

Honorable mention: Dave Smith, Foothills

Auto repair shop

1. Alton’s

2. Wendle

3. Watt’s Automotive

Honorable mention: Les Schwab, Camp

Auto parts store

1. Napa

2. Schuck’s

3. Al’s Auto Supply

Honorable mention: Wendle, Motion Auto Supply

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