Favourite Stores

Hi all,
there's a couple of threads about people's favourite bike related stores (both 'bricks 'n mortar' & online)
I'm doing some research for work and I'd just like to ask 'what's your favourite store?'
Can be any type of shop, doesn't have to be bike related (but it's fine if it is) as long as you can just give a few reasons as to why you rate the store.
I'm talking bricks & mortar, high street type stores - not online.

Thanks for your time.

Brixton Cycles
Slam City Skates
Grays Of Westminster (might be Greys not Grays)

They all have staff who actually know what they're on about...and are really helpful.
and you can just go in for a chat if you're waiting for your missus to chose a pair of shoes.

and Upper Playground....... for no other reason than their shit rules!

Counterbalance Cycles - Seattle
Nothing but respect here, the guys there have sorted me out for a while (on sales tax for example), and lent me a Steamroller for the day over christmas. Run by passionate staff that actually don't have their heads up their own arses.

In the U.K:
Fred Williams Cycles - Wolverhampton
Always willing to accommodate specific orders. Friendly, track racing family run business.

Don't really have a favourite bike shop. I'll scan all your typical web sites for the best price and buy it.
If I need something now I'll usually head to Condor.
If BLB have what I need....I'll go there.
It's easier to answer worst store...

Sounds weird but.

Wilkinsons & Maplins: Has so many weird random things in there that you because they are so cheap be cut up and glued back into something else that you want to make. Or the items for sale give you ideas.

us: dominics cycling, tempe, arizona.

i havent had much time in the uk to check out bike shops yet. But I really like the smell of a store called Scats. hah

H&M, good cheap(ish) jeans
Pijin, A BMX shop in Southampton. They are really frendly, dont charge much in labor and when I go to southampton with my BMX I can always go there to find people to ride with.
Hornets, They have three shops selling hats and jackets in West Kensington. A bit pricy but were really helpfull. A pleasure to shop there.

i love my local butchers. wells by tesco metro on well street. they don't have a huge range of meat but they can get anything in pretty quick and have sorted me out with some choice cuts for very cheap before. family business too i always make the effort to buy meat from there rather than tescos.

freeze thaw cycles in state college, pennsylvania. started by friends of mine when they were in university building bikes in their garage, then onto a basement shop, and now a major storefront with at least 10 employees and more business than they can handle. best guys you could hope to meet, too. www.freezethaw.com

West Cornwall Pasty Co. Mmmmm!

(sorry Robb, I'm not helping am I?)

Sounds weird but.

Wilkinsons & Maplins: Has so many weird random things in there that you because they are so cheap be cut up and glued back into something else that you want to make. Or the items for sale give you ideas.

+1, wilkinsons was always so much more superior to woolworths. Maplins is great. I wouldnt say either was super cheap though, you can get hold of components much cheaper. But it is super convenient, you can look at stuff and take it back if it dont fit.

Another random one: Gap.

I think their clothes are incredibly boring and somewhat overpriced, but I love their service policy. Everything pretty much comes with a lifetime warranty even if you dont have the receipt. If it had nicer clothes it would be the ultimate shop.

West Cornwall Pasty Co. Mmmmm!

(sorry Robb, I'm not helping am I?)

West Cornwall Pasty Co. would be good as long as you tell me why it's good - unless the 'Mmmmm!' is the reason :-)

Err.. location?? Its good 'cos there is one at London Bridge (i.e. very close to where you work) ...and therefore you are able to pick me up a lamb and mint one, and bring it home for me :D

Ha! done, if you bring home more F&M's goodies! :-P

I love Brixton Cycles too, you wander in to buy a cog or summat and wind up spending an hour there shooting the shit... I like that... Also love the cash and carry on Electric Avenue, nice people, they fill my belly with delish veggies and other groceries... My local newsagent on Brixton Hill, and the Effra (not really a shop, I know)... I really like BLB too, very friendly, I always have a laugh with the girl in there and I like Jan, he's sound...

Selfridges - My fave department store. Good balance of out-there and mainstream.

Chadwick's Butchers / Doves / Lidgate - Always love & support my local butcher. I really like meat.

Apple Stores - for glamourising nerd stuff.

Abercrombie - for the 'fuck off you're too old' branding. Noisy, smelly and so dark you can't see the ridiculously over-priced sweats - ballsy.

Much lamented, my favourite shop ever was Hyper Hyper on High St Ken. Some of my best ever fashion disaster came from there: Dungarees, pony-skin waistcoat, dandy-highwayman ruffle shirt - aaahhhh. Now TK MAxx FFS.

I'll stop there...

Snooper's Paradise - Brilliant flea market. Never know what you'll find and always buy something I don't need.

Foyles bookshop

+another to BC those guys are really helpful and have good stuff.
Foot Patrol is my favourite shop and Im still grieving over it shutting down. Always always had something good in-store, the staff were all really down to earth and knew their onions!
Sounds of the Universe is also so so good. Always have the best shit, in the right quantities, spanning a huge range of styles.

Foyles bookshop

+1 Good call.

Oh - I really like the Conran Shop.

and Barneys, ABC home and Jeffreys in New York.

I love shopping. What's this for, Slamm?

£1 Shops

99p shops

The International Photography book shop in Bloomsbury.
Any book shop.

And Ryman's too - I love paper and pens and notebooks and folders and ...

That charity shop in Greenwich next to where the Wimpy used to be. It's ace.