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Best of Augusta Shopping

Summerville Rags • Photo By John Harping

Shopping

Men’s Clothing
Ah yes, men’s clothing. When we really get dressed up we sport many shades of gray, black, brown and dark blue. We’re like peacocks. Very, very somber peacocks. That doesn’t mean we don’t look sharp, especially if our threads come from Jos. A. Bank (383 Highland Ave., Surrey Center). That is the reader favorite. The Boardroom (3604 Verandah Dr.) and Macy’s at Augusta Mall (presumably the men’s department) score second and third place.

Women’s Clothing
The entire rainbow is available in women’s clothing. If you don’t believe us, at least believe your own ballots and check out the array at Summerville Rags (1502 Monte Sano Ave.). Then call your contractor to discuss plans for your newly expanded walk-in closets. While you’re at it, build wings for Stein Mart (2834 Washington Rd.) and Talbots (491 Highland Ave., Surrey Center) too.

Women’s Boutique
For that special occasion and the unique outfit to match, grab some plastic, head to Summerville Rags and re-enact the shopping scene from Pretty Woman. In second place, you could go Mainstream (4446 Washington Rd.) and why not? Soho (435 Highland Ave., Surrey Center) wins third.

Children’s Clothing
Hand-me-downs have to start someplace, right? Begin the clothing food chain that will endure for generations of the—your name here—family with a trip to Posh Tots (343 Highland Ave., Surrey Center). Kid to Kid (4414 Evans to Locks Rd.), owned by five-year-olds from the sounds of it, takes second. Dillard’s (Augusta Mall) has next-best.

Place To Buy Shoes
Everyone needs at least two shoes, right? Unless you’re a female-type person, in which case two dozen is cutting it a wee bit close. Rectify that situation with a trip to Shoes at Surrey (487 Highland Ave., Surrey Center). Shoe Studio (2701 Washington Rd.) is another low-down customer favorite. Stein Mart is the very sole of the winners in third.

Supermarket
Because everybody’s gotta eat, everybody should go to Publix in the opinion of our readers. They say even the broccoli is good at Publix. Kroger and Earth Fare (368 Furys Ferry Rd.) place second and third. Super markets!

Gourmet Groceries
The next time the Queen stops by for high tea, don’t be caught serving Oreos and powdered milk again. Plan ahead and have the gourmet (pronounced “gore-may”) victuals ready and waiting. Ask the folks at Fresh Market (2701 Washington Rd.) what you need and they’ll fix you right up. Readers suggest Earth Fare and Publix, in that order, as gourmet alternatives.

Organic Products & Foods
As its name would suggest, Earth Fare offers the earthiest fare and readers agree. They voted Fresh Market into second place and Publix into third.

Seafood
And now for something complexly different: food not from this earth. From the seas, in fact. Island Seafood (2304 Lumpkin Rd.) is the place to drop a hook, say the voters. And remember, fish is considered brain food, so they know whereof they speak. Fresh Market takes the silvery award. Publix and Earth Fare (oddly enough) battle to a third-place draw.

Produce
Not a fried anything in sight? It must be the produce section at Fresh Market. Second banana (and a number of other fruits and vegetables) is none other than the Saturday Market on the River. Support the little guy. Peas, for instance. Publix reaps third.

Nursery/Garden Center
Take your kids to Bedford Greenhouses (1023 Oleander Dr.). It’s a nursery, right? What are the kids saying these days? LOL? But seriously, folks, second place goes to Green Thumb West Nursery and Garden (9110 Davis Rd.). Appling’s Sanderlin Green Houses (2539 Scotts Ferry Rd., Appling) gets the green bronze.

Bookstore
Yes, believe it or not, the printed word still exists, even though texts outnumber books 48 million to one. Wait, now it’s 49 million. Our Best in Books Award goes to Barnes & Noble (Augusta Mall). Chapter 2: Borders Books, Music, Movies and Cafe (257 Robert C. Daniel Jr. Pkwy.). 3: Books-A-Million (2834 Washington Rd.). 50 million now.

Gifts
Even though they don’t offer Augusta Magazine gift subscriptions (obviously the best gift), readers still installed Cudos! (1257 Augusta West Pkwy.) in the top spot. The Swank Company (351 Highland Ave., Surrey Center) isn’t swanky; they’re swank, plain and simple. Design Images (459 Highland Ave., Surrey Center) is another worthy place to buy stuff you’re going to give away.

Christmas Decorations
This category isn’t for municipal decorations; this one’s for in-store (on display, on sale or both) and the award goes to Cudos! Kudos to them. Hobby Lobby (230 Robert C. Daniel Jr. Pkwy.) is in the adjoining manger; Martina’s Flowers and Gifts (3830 Washington Rd.) wins third.

Place To Shop for Husband/Boyfriend
Okay, enough with the jokes about butcher shops and Hooters gift certificates. Our readers are a little more astute and sophisticated than all that. They say buy him something that bounces. That’ll occupy him for hours. Academy Sports (4210 Washington Rd.) is your top choice. The Boardroom (3604 Verandah Dr.) takes second. Excellent choice, as is Rivers & Glen Trading Company (387 Highland Ave., Surrey Center) in third. Ask for Glen. He’ll take good care of you.

Place To Shop for Wife/Girlfriend
It’s tough to shop for the woman who already has everything she wants in life. You, in other words. Everything else is just gravy. Well, they don’t sell gravy at Windsor Fine Jewelers (2635 Washington Rd.) last time we checked, but they’ve got the next best thing in endless array. Summerville Rags takes second place. If you buy something for her there, buy at least three sizes smaller than hers and she’ll love you even more. In third place: Cudos!

Place To Buy Green
The Greenway Store (4336 Washington Rd.). Duh. They even sell little floor mats so when you come in from cleaning the chimney you can minimize your carbon footprints. Earth Fare and New Life Natural Foods (2825 Washington Rd.) earn second and third place. We’ve been personally asked to give all three a big shout out from planet Earth. Done.

Home Furnishings
Weinberger’s Furniture and Mattress Showcase (3137 Washington Rd.) is your choice as best. They’re already parading out the young family stars of the next generation of Weinberger’s TV ads. Can they do that? Yes they can! Andrews Gallery (2831 Washington Rd.) wins the second place prize, which is a roomful of furniture! (Contact Andrews Gallery for details.) Semi-new kid on the block—Rooms To Go (475 Bobby Jones Expwy.)—rounds out the top three.

Antiques
Ok, this makes no sense at all, but the winner, Antique Market, is in a new store. It sounds impossible, but it’s true. Look for them in Le Pavilion (106 Pleasant Home Rd.). Merry’s Trash & Treasures (1236 Broad St.) remains ensconced on Broad St. downtown, so ask about their sconces. Distinctly Different Antiques (345 Highland Ave., Surrey Center) is. They win third.

Fine Jewelry
Is there any other kind? Of course. That’s why you need to shop at a reputable jeweler, a place like Windsor Fine Jewelers, according to a majority of balloters. Tell ‘em Jerry sent you. Tops in also-rans: Estate Jewelry Center (367 Highland Ave., Surrey Center) and the Jeweler’s Bench (1462 Jackson Rd.).

New Store
You choose Hobby Lobby. Wait ’til you see the rest of the store! Shoes at Surrey tells you everything you need to know: the all-important what and where. For that, they win the silver medal. In third, all hail the Apple Store (Augusta Mall). Take a bite today.