Best consignment shop 2013: Glad Rags

Glad Rags 1923 Commonwealth Dr. 979-1816 mygladrags.com Runner-up: Natalie Dressed 1051 Millmont St. 296-6886 nataliedressed.com High-end designers and off-the-rack choices abound at this Commonwealth Avenue shop. In fact, “rags” seems a less-than-complimentary term for the type of things you’ll find at this year’s winner. The accessories on offer are a particular draw; the store stocks […]

Best place for kids’ clothes 2013: Old Navy

Old Navy Barracks Road Shopping Center 984-0167 oldnavy.com Runner-up: Whimsies Barracks Road Shopping Center 977-8767 whimsieskids.com A child will grow at a steady rate of 2″ to 2.5″ per year from ages 2 to 12. In other words, that’s a lot of clothing. Parents know that when they want to buy in bulk, Old Navy […]

Best place for antiques 2013: Circa

Circa 1700 Allied St. 295-5760 circainc.com Runner-up: Consignment House 121 W. Main St. 977-5527 consignmenthouse.net In 2011, a man from Tulsa, Oklahoma, came to PBS’ “Antiques Roadshow” with five Chinese carved cups made from rhinoceros horn and found out that they were worth more than $1 million. He didn’t find them at Circa (though we […]

Best place for last-minute gifts 2013: Cha Cha’s

Cha Cha’s 201 E. Main St. 293-8553 chachawithme.com Runner-up: The Virginia Shop Barracks Road Shopping Center 977-0080 thevashop.net Talk about an impulse buy: Richard Burton once bought Elizabeth Taylor a $960,000 jet they had flown in the day before. You won’t find anything like that Downtown favorite Cha Cha’s, but you will find a few […]

Best place to buy a car 2013: Brown Automotive

Brown Automotive 1357 Richmond Rd. 817-3380 brownautos.com Runner-up: Carmax 1448 Richmond Rd. 295-6351 carmax.com The very first automobile race in the United States was held in Chicago in 1895, with Frank Duryea winning with the average speed of 71.5mph. All of the cars on offer at Brown Automotive reach that speed (and higher!), but the […]

Best place for a man’s suit: JoS. A. Bank

JoS. A. Bank Barracks Road Shopping Center 244-0015 josbank.com Runner-up: Men’s Wearhouse Charlottesville Fashion Square Mall 29th Place 973-8094 menswearhouse.com Fitting a suit is a fine science. Shoulder width, chest size, and arm length have to perfectly sync up to ensure that you look less like George Costanza and more like George Clooney when you […]