Shopping & Services BES T HARDWARE S TORE Sykes Ace Hardware 284 NE 79TH STREET, MIAMI, 33138 305-754-2556 ACEHARDWARE.COM/ STORE-DETAILS/08028 Sykes Ace Hardware in Little River is located along an always-chaotic stretch of NE 79th Street — three lanes of traffic heading full- steam toward Biscayne Bay — but the cogno- scenti don’t sweat the hassle. People get nostalgic for the smells of their childhood and it’s hard not to revel in the sensory delights of an old-timey hardware store. Step inside Sykes and you’re greeted with an aromatic mingle of ALL THE THINGS jammed inside this won- drous rabbit warren: lawn fertilizer, paint thin- ner, mothballs, urinal cakes, as well as hardware-store dust and the homey scent of Mrs. Meyer’s dryer sheets. Whether you need one tiny screw or a Big Green Egg, you’ll likely score it here. Sykes employees (yes, they are helpful!) serve a cross-section of customers that mirrors the diversity of Miami: day labor- ers, contractors, guys who just bought a boat. A grandma holding a circular-saw blade who takes her place at the end of the checkout line that snakes around the store. “It’s all good, I’m happy to wait,” she says. “I’ve been coming here for over 50 years, starting when I was a little girl with my mama. I could go to Home Depot, but why do that to save a dollar? This feels like home.” BES T PL ANT SHOP/NURSERY Mimo Garden Center 7238 BISCAYNE BOULEVARD MIAMI, 33138 305-676-7908 MIMOGARDENCENTER.COM Juxtaposed against the bustling traffic of Bis- cayne Boulevard, you can find a lush oasis at Mimo Garden Center. Past the entrance marked by a large shipping container, you’ll eye row upon row of plants beckoning to you to take them home and make them yours. Take a relax- ing stroll through the verdant space and stock up on all your favorite houseplants — like Swiss Cheese monsteras, snake plants, and plenty of low-maintenance cacti and succulents. Once you’ve selected your new plant-babies, the staff will supply care instructions to ensure your green friend flourishes. If your gardening skills need more than fertilizing, the center offers cu- rated arrangements that make for unique gifts, as well as installation services to bring your dreams of a backyard jungle to life. BES T FURNITURE S TORE One of a Kind 5300 NW 37TH AVENUE MIAMI, 33142 305-576-0060 ONEOFAKINDMIAMI.COM There’s nothing wrong with furnishing your house with pieces from Target’s Project 62 collection, but why not support a local busi- ness next time you need a refresh in décor? At One of a Kind, you get personalized service to help you decide what kind of style you’re aim- ing for. The showroom focuses on organic tex- tures — think woods, natural fibers, and earth tones — that will have your abode feeling lived-in yet put-together. No, you aren’t going to find IKEA prices here. That’s because the economy of scale does not work in One of a Kind’s favor. After all, being one of a kind comes at a price. But the next time you have guests over, you can boast about your custom furniture by founder Roberta Schilling. BES T LIQUOR S TORE Gulf Liquors 1681 ALTON ROAD MIAMI BEACH, 33139 305-531-5551 GULFLIQUORSMIAMI.COM In a world awash with ABC Fine Wine & Spirits and Total Wine & Mores, Gulf Liquors feels like a trip back in time. The Miami insti- tution, which announces its presence with a neon sign that spells out its name flanked by cartoon bottles, has been purveying booze at a fair price on Alton Road since 1950. Though it has played host to high-profile events and stocks an impressively broad selection of more than 1,600 wines, craft beers, and spir- its, it remains at its core a neighborhood mom-and-pop shop with a staff that aims to do all it can to ensure you leave with what you came in for (at the very least). You can also browse and order your liquor of choice from the comfort of your couch via the store’s Nifty app. BES T WINE SHOP Vintage Liquor & Wine Shop III 1836 SW THIRD AVENUE MIAMI, 33129 305-854-4646 VINTAGELIQUOR.COM 54 54 CS A PRINT S TOCK / GETT Y IMAGES When a beloved, family-owned neighbor- hood spot opens a new location, there’s al- ways the risk that it will fail to clone the original magic, and the ersatz copy will live on as a painful reminder of what could have been. The original Vintage Liquor & Wine Bar in Pinecrest would’ve been hard to re- create: a temperature-controlled wine cellar houses roughly 1,500 wine labels and offers private wine lockers for rent. But re-create it did, opening a second outpost in Midtown, and then, as if to tempt fate, a third location in Brickell. Like its siblings, Vintage Liquor III regularly hosts affordable wine tastings and, over the years, its staff has developed inside jokes with regulars and are quick to spring from behind the register to help customers carry their clanking loot to the car, whether it’s a rare find from the top shelf or “some- thing cheap that won’t get me hungover.” BES T GA S S TATION Biscayne Triangle Shell 5402 BISCAYNE BOULEVARD MIAMI, 33137 786-431-1206 The 54th Street Shell gas station is wedged like a cheesy slice on a triangular lot, a few doors down from Andiamo! Brick Oven Pizza, between Biscayne Boulevard and Fed- eral Highway on NE 54th Street. From the street, the station looks every other Shell sta- tion. And if gas prices are what lure you to a specific pump, you can almost certainly do better a few blocks west in Little Haiti. But do you by any chance like beer and wine? This is the gas station for you. And we’re not talking quick-shop Natty Light. This place is packed to the gills with craft beers and organic wines. Not to be missed. BES T CHARIT Y Tropical Audubon Society 5530 SUNSET DRIVE MIAMI, 33143 305-667-7337 TROPICALAUDOBON.ORG Celebrating its 75th year along with the Ever- glades National Park, the Tropical Audubon Society has been and remains one of the most important crusaders for the protection and restoration of South Florida’s ecosystems. Be- tween native and migratory, we’ve got more than 350 bird species, and beyond their own magnificent language, they can’t advocate for themselves. Tropical Audubon Society helps injured and orphaned birds and acts as en- forcers on the local environmental front when humans get carried away with develop- ment, waste, and industry. (What? Humans do that? Who knew?) The organization also hosts educational events, bird walks, outdoor concerts, movie nights, plant sales, and other activities that raise funds and awareness for the benefit of our winged friends — and that includes bees, butterflies, bats, beetles, and other vital members of the ecosystem. BES T CORPORATE BRANDING Vacation Sunscreen VACATION.INC What’s fun about sunscreen? Until Vacation came on the scene last year, the answer was “pretty much nothing.” The newly launched Miami-based cosmetics brand has managed to bottle up 1980s Vice City nostalgia with what it calls “the world’s best-smelling sun- screen.” Bottles of the Classic Lotion ($18) are printed with a cheery, royal blue serif font and a palm tree silhouette you might find tat- tooed on a lower back somewhere on Ocean Drive. The company’s Instagram feed (@va- cationinc), filled with static photos of Bay- watch-esque models with teased hair and slouch socks, feels equally retro and trendy as high-leg swimsuits and bike shorts enjoy a cultural resurgence. Ad copy is written in a corporate “royal we” style, channeling a memo sent via fax. (“We’re pleased to share with you an announcement” began one IG caption earlier this year about the company’s debut at Ultra.) Leave it to a brand called Va- cation to give a joyless product like sunscreen a refreshing reboot. JUNE 23-29, 2022 JUNE 23-29, 2022 NEW TIMES NEW TIMES BEST OF MIAMI® 2022 BEST OF MIAMI® 2022 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com
