Alternative-health-care provider
1. Palmer Clinics
2. Harvey Jack Chiropractic
3. Genesis Continuing Care
Fitness club
1. YMCA
2. Gold's Gym
3. Ultimate Fitness
Flower shop
1. Flowerama
2. Hy-Vee
3. K'nees
Place to buy cool home accessories/furnishings
1. American Furniture
2. Pier 1 Imports
3. Gordmans
Liquor/beer/wine store
1. Hy-Vee
2. Gendler's
3. Bon Air
Place to pamper yourself
1. William Wesley Grand Salon & Day Spa
2. Serenity Salon and Day Spa
3. Five Star Salon & Spa
Thrift/collectible store
1. Ritzy Reruns
2. Goodwill
3. Salvation Army
Place to buy unique gifts
1. Pier 1 Imports
2. Watermark Corners
3. Doo Dads
3. Fred & Ethel's
Staff Pick - 30th Street and 14th Avenue in Rock Island
Same old story. Bob and Sue registered at Younkers and Pier Something-or-other, and the list is down to the salad tongs (you'll look cheap) and the $450 All Clad set (Bed, Bath, and way beyond your budget).
But you happen to know that Bob is planning a basement tiki bar and Sue collects Midwestern pottery.
Step away from the bridal registry kiosk. All you have to do is make your way to the heart of Rock Island's Hilltop neighborhood, at 30th Street and 14th Avenue.
If you can't find something unique in this enclave of locally owned shops, you just aren't looking hard enough.
There's the seemingly limitless selection of vintage and antique items at DooDads, where owner Jennifer Goldsberry says the store offers "a mix of the ,50s, beyond and before."
Goldsberry says she moved to her Hilltop location after six years in Uptown, Moline.
You might find that collectible pottery at G.V.'Stuff nearby. Owner Greg Anderson says he always has a good selection of ceramics, vintage items, antiques, and collectibles. He opened his shop five years ago, after retiring from the Arsenal. "I antiqued and collected my way around the country, and the world, filled up my pickup truck, and ended up here," he says.
As for Bob's tiki bar ... Cross the street to Fred & Ethel's, where everywhere you look are icons from the ,50s. From clothing to jewelry to barware. Odds are you'll find a perfect set of tiki mugs, and if not, owner Jennifer Horvath says she'd be happy to help track them down. "I love to join a person with the item they're looking for. It's one of my passions," she says.) Learn more at http://www.fredandethels.com/)
Though it's a small neighborhood of just a few blocks in any direction, you've only scratched the surface. Better set aside half a day. There's Tim's Corner Comics, Mamo & Grace, Gallery Portofino, Jackson's Antiques, and more. Enough to keep you out of the malls. At least for a while.
Trust me, you'll be happy to be away from the chain stores and have found your own little shopping paradise. And I guarantee Bob and Sue will get no more thoughtful gifts than the ones you discover at 30th and 14th.
- Shawn Eldridge
Clothing store
1. Kohl's
2. Von Maur
3. JCPenney
Sporting-goods/outdoors/camping store
1. Dick's Sporting Goods
2. Gander Mountain
3. Dunham's Sports
Tattoo/piercing shop
1. O'Tool Design
2. Scorpion's Den
3. Rites of Passage
Auto-repair business
1. Emeis Automotive Service
2. Brannen's Auto Works
2. Dave & Sam's
Hair stylist
1. Regis Salon
2. Cheryl Wolever (Serenity Salon & Day Spa)
3. Corie Willet (Generations Salon)
3. Cost Cutters