TIRE SHOP
Discount Tire
3215 28th St., 303-440-6811
Runner-up: Barnsley Tire Co Inc
In Colorado, buying tires can be as important as buying the car itself. Most residents have had the frightening experience of being stuck on icy, snow-covered roads in the midst of an unyielding blizzard. With the right tires, scary road experiences are minimized, and a person will gain much-needed confidence when driving in adverse weather. Discount Tire offers some of the best tires at a very low price, has efficient service, and offers free tire rotations with your purchase. Runner-up Barnsley Tire Co Inc is a local tire shop that has been in the area since 1981 and also offers great tire prices. Third place was awarded to Big O Tires, and fourth place went to Tire Source. Fifth place was claimed by The Tire Stop.
TRAVEL AGENCY
AAA Travel Agency
1933 28th St., 303-753-8800
Runner-up: Boulder Travel
Travel to exotic places! Meet new people! Experience other cultures! See the world! Join the Navy! Or, just call up AAA Travel Agency and have them book you a nice cruise. Less of a commitment, more luxury — and you get to pick your destination. Not a bad deal if you ask us. You can travel by air, land or sea, book a stay at an all-inclusive resort or just look for the best deals on hotels in your port of call. Runner-up Boulder Travel Agency offers world-class, comprehensive travel packages, and third-place Dream Weaver Travel makes your vacation fantasy a reality. James TravelPoints, in fourth place, and Tomato Travel, in fifth, are also great at getting you where you want to go.
USED CLOTHING STORE
Buffalo Exchange
1813 Pearl St., 303-938-1924
Runner-up: Rags Consignment
Every aspect of the Buffalo Exchange focuses on recycling used materials — even down to its custom woodwork made from beetle-kill pine. But their specialty is recycled fashion. Here’s how it works: the Buffalo Exchange purchases your gently used clothing and accessories, picking the most desirable pieces to then be resold. You get a fraction of the retail price of the items chosen to be re-sold, and what isn’t chosen can be donated, should you feel philanthropic while being fashionably thrifty. The Buffalo Exchange opened its doors on 17th and Walnut back in 1996, but recently moved to its current location on Pearl Street. Rags Consignment is our runner-up, offering a selection that includes sportswear, while Savers took third. The classy Common Threads took fourth, and the Humane Society of Boulder Valley Thrift Store landed in fifth.
USED TREASURES
Buffalo Exchange
1813 Pearl St., 303-938-1924
Runner-up: Humane Society of Boulder Valley Thrift Store
The line between finding the perfect vintage articles and looking like a ragamuffin from the street corner is a dangerously thin one at most thrift stores. For every timeless lamp or classic cocktail dress are thousands of shoulder pads and cheesy cuckoo clocks, so finding a shop that eliminates the danger of a serious faux pas is worth the effort. Thankfully, we need not look further than Buffalo Exchange, whose carefully selected inventory allows for only the coolest items from the best brands. The result? A collection of clothing, shoes and accessories guaranteed to earn at least a few wows — in a good way. The wide selections at our runner-up Humane Society of Boulder Valley Thrift Store and third place Savers are bound to hold a few treasures. Common Threads came in fourth, while the Bookworm claimed fifth place.
VIDEO/DVD RENTAL
Video Station
1661 28th St., 303-440-4448
Runner-up: Redbox
In this era of Netflix, On Demand and $1 movie rentals, it takes something special for a video store to stay in business. And Boulder’s own Video Station has something special. Video Station has been a Boulder staple since 1982, with a collection of more than 50,000 movies that range from recent blockbusters and classics to the hard-to-find foreign and quirky indie flicks. The staff is passionate about movies, who can not only help you find what you’re looking for and recommend some good films, they post fun, witty reviews on the store’s blog, www.thevideostation.com. Membership definitely has its privileges. That big red movie vending machine outside of your local McDonald’s? That’s Redbox, and it was the runner-up in our survey. Blockbuster, which was just purchased by Dish Network, came in third, while North Village Video and Fascinations earned fourth and fifth, respectively.
