BEST BUSINESS MODEL
The Flat Win Co.
The Flat Win Co. sells dirt, gravel and sand - and not in the quantities needed for landscaping. The items cost $1 each (at Archibald Sisters and buyolympia.com) and are packaged with product information cards. ("Today we are increasingly separated from nature," notes the card for the Flat Win Twig.) In hard economic times, what better way to make a buck than by selling something you can pick up free? By selling nothing, of course, and indeed, "Nothing" is the company's top seller. Flat Win's owner, David Scherer Water, says the company is not a real business. But I think he's onto something. - Molly Gilmore
[The Flat Win Co., products available at Archibald Sisters and buyolympia.com, facebook.com/FlatWinCompany]
BEST INK
Lit Fuse
OK, OK, we realize there might be some spirited debate on the subject, but at the end of the day Lit Fuse, at the eastern end of the downtown stretch of Fourth Avenue, is THE place to go for ink in Olympia. Has been for a long time. Marco and Co. run one of the most professional and artistic shops in the entire region. They'd never give you a barbed-wire armband tattoo (unless you really wanted it). - Weekly Volcano
[Lit Fuse, 710 Fourth Ave. E, Olympia, 360.705.1311, litfusetattoo.com]
BEST PLACE TO FIND A HALLOWEEN COSTUME, DEFILED COUCH, VINTAGE CARDIGAN OR DEFLATED BASKETBALL
Westside Goodwill
Ignore the scowling naturalists from Evergreen and cranky Rochesterites when entering the store. It might even be best to plug your nose altogether; it's just too many smells. But if you get past the unwelcoming entrance, the world is your oyster. The Westside Goodwill offers row after row of other people's discarded trash. Used clothes, old typewriters, a bevy of hats and enough dinged furniture to furnish an entire dorm. And it's not just the mediocre stuff, either. Priceless gems are known to be found in the hallowed rows of hangers. You remember that Hawaiian shirt you wore to the party and left on somebody's couch? It waits for you at Goodwill. Because one person's trash ... - WV
[Goodwill Industries, 400 Cooper Point Rd SW, Olympia, 360.956.0669]
BEST IRONIC SWEATER
Dumpster Values
Cultivating the look isn't easy. It takes time. Dedication. If looking hella-sexy was easy, everyone would do it. In Olympia, all the best dressed movers and shakers get their carefully cultivated "I-just-threw-this-shit-on" look via time spent pillaging the piles of vintage goodness at Dumpster Values. Retro track jacket? Check. Authentic Ghost Busters t-shirt? Check. Mad Men-esque ‘60s cocktail dress? Check. Whatever vintage look it is you're going for - as long as it's a good one - Dumpster Values has you covered. It's a store, sure, but Dumpster Values and the employees that make it tick are a very real member of the community too. - WV
[Dumpster Values, 302 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia, 360.943.2707]
BEST PLACE TO BUY A TURKEY DECOY
Cabella's
The shockingly massive Cabella's, just off Interstate-5 in Lacey, is - without question - your best bet for scoring a turkey decoy. You know, for hunting. Or whatever. You can also find camouflage hats, water purification kits, bilge pumps, hard baits, soft baits, men's and women's waders, bright orange vests, emergency radios, ATVs, rubber boots, rimfire rifles, centerfire rifles, Civil War firearms, slingshots, home and cabin décor (including moose-shaped wall hangings), boat covers, metal detectors, cedar bird feeders, tactical knives and, of course, self-inflating camp pillows. So, you know, it's pretty freakin' awesome. - Matt Driscoll
[Cabella's, 1600 Gateway Blvd. NE, Lacey, 360.252.3500]
BEST PLACE TO BUY AN OBSOLETE PIECE OF ROUND VINYL OR SHINY PLASTIC
Rainy Day Records
Whether it's a Buzzcocks LP you're looking for or a used copy of Carlton & The Shoes' Love Me Forever, Rainy Day Records in Olympia probably has you covered. When I was in college at Evergreen, Rainy Day was on the Westside; it wasn't unusual for me to enjoy a slice or two at Vic's before heading over to Rainy Day to peruse the racks. These days, Rainy Day's spiffy downtown location makes finding the best in hard-to-find classics and uber-local tunes even cooler. Rainy Day also deals in movie rental, turntables and will even mail-order stuff to fill your every musical desire. So awesome. - MD
[Rainy Day Records, 301 Fifth Ave. SE, Olympia, 360.357.4755]
BEST SKATEBOARD & SNOWBOARD SHOP, BRAH
Northwest Snowboards
Woah, broham. That, like, corporate sinkhole REI opened a shop in the mall? Pshh brah. I don't even care. NWS is our shop for life. They got, like, the best selection of boards, homie. Plus, they got only workers around who know how to grip a deck. Shred the park? Hit the pow-pow? Whatever your fancy, my man, NWS has you covered. And they got that blonde-haired OG shredder Mike Cummins who runs the place. Guy's been shredding the steep and deep for more than 30 years. REI? What REI? Northwest Snowboards is where it's at, my brother. - WV
[Northwest Snowboards, 2413 Harrison Ave. NW, Olympia, 360.357.3727]
BEST PIE (IN THE FACE)
Jusby The Clown
Jusby the Clown has "delivered" more than 500 pies. He doesn't throw them - that, he says, would be a waste of good pie. He offers a wide array of flavors including dairy-free, sugar-free, wheat-free and organic varieties. You can have one delivered for $100 - including a singing telegram and photos posted to Facebook to commemorate the event. If some of us might prefer the pie end up in our stomachs rather than on our faces, no worries: "I only pie willing faces," he says. Find Jusby online at jusbytheclown.com. - MG
BEST ABOVE-AND-BEYOND CUSTOMER SERVICE
Heather Stewart at The Bread Peddler
Heather Stewart, The Bread Peddler's retail manager, won't let anything stand between a customer and her baked goods. Not even when the customer forgets. When I forgot to pick up a pie on the day before Thanksgiving, Stewart called to remind me, leaving me her cell number and adding that if I couldn't get to the bakery before workers finished cleaning up, she'd get the pie to me after hours. Stewart has also followed regular customers back to work bearing desserts they left behind at the table and sold bread she'd set aside for herself to a customer whose special order had gotten lost. "I was going with the spirit of what we try to do here," she says. "I've never had a restaurant job I cared this much about." - MG
[The Bread Peddler, 222 Capitol Way N #103, Olympia, 360.352.1175, breadpeddler.com]
BEST WATER PIPES
Fire & Earth
Olympia's Fire & Earth, in business since 2003, is an institution at this point. With a literally incredible collection of glass smoking utensils, Fire & Earth takes pride in being able to declare itself, "Olympia's only NO IMPORT glass store." From vaporizers and water pipes to hookahs and shisa, and even detoxifying products, Fire & Earth is where it's at when it comes to stoner supplies. - MD
[Fire & Earth, 322 Fourth Ave., E, Olympia, 360.705.0714, fireandeartholympia.com]