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Best Haircut Under $20

L-N Hair Tech Professional Hair Care

You don't want to be dropping 40 or 50 bucks on a haircut, but somehow you're leery of what you'll look like after you walk out of one of those cheap strip-mall franchise operations. So instead head into L-N Hair Tech, where men's cuts are $8 (more if you have really long hair) and women's cuts are under $20. Ask for Candy. Walk-ins are welcome, and the wait usually isn't too long because -- another plus for the guys -- Candy works with lightning speed. And if you happen to fall in love with the wild furniture in the place, she can put you in touch with the designer -- it's her sister.

Best Mall Alternative

Harwin Drive

What are you looking for? A $175 wedding dress? Mexican-flag boxing gloves? A 500-pound brass statue of Buddha? Sunglasses? Perfume? A car stereo? Or maybe it's an action figure of dubious copyright, let's say, "Superheroic Man," a longhaired Superman riding a horse with a sword and a whip in his hand. You can find all that and much, much more in the shops and wholesale warehouses along Harwin, Houston's shadiest and quirkiest shopping hot spot. Want a wall clock that touts "Bebsi" or "7 Vp"? How about a "Kate Spate" handbag? They've got those too, all at a fraction of the genuine article's price. When speaking of this type of shady merchandise, the Brits like to say, "It fell off the back of a lorry." In Harwin's case, it would be more accurate to say this stuff fell overboard from a container ship -- most of it's made in China, and most of the stores are run by often-cranky Chinese women. Sure, some of the goods you buy down here may come apart as soon as you get them home, but the shopping experience is worth it. On Harwin, you never know what you'll find next. Can you honestly say the same about the Galleria?

Best New Record Store

Sig's Lagoon

Looking for that long-out-of-print Loretta Lynn/Conway Twitty duet album? The new Calexico DVD? A painting of an albino with an Afro bowling? Sig's Lagoon, the latest musical addition to the thriving Continental strip at the Ensemble/HCC Metro stop, has all that and more. The shop takes its name from a column by Sig Byrd, the long-deceased chronicler of mid-20th-century Houston's seamy underbelly and street-level nightlife. Houston music is given pride of place here, which is no surprise, as owners Thomas and Jennifer Escalante are deeply involved in that scene; Thomas is the singer in the band Clouseaux. Lately, the CDs/vinyl/DVDs/books/novelties store has been dabbling in the art world -- the high walls are festooned with works by local and regional painters -- and in the coming year, the Escalantes hope to host small musical events as well.

Best Organic Farm

The Last Organic Outpost

Under a green canopy of trees, a stream meanders by a series of raised beds boasting a variety of leafy greens. Through the narrow aisles, volunteers' sandals and work boots pad along. The stream feeding the Local Organic Outpost is one of the last that flows over mud and clay rather than city-engineered concrete channels. It feels a thousand miles from nowhere, or at least a thousand miles from the wild pace of Houston traffic, but this urban gardening adventure is just a hop from both downtown and Interstate 10. Launched in 2001 by Joe Nelson Icet, the garden is fueling the boom in organic farmers' markets and health-minded Houston restaurants. It's also a resource for the organic minorities of Fat City, USA. Here is our town's true counterculture. Like the kale, it is vibrant and growing.

Best Place to Buy Coffee Beans

Taft Street Coffee House

Ah, the rich caramels. The hints of chocolate, the earthy aromas and the lingering taste of exploited labor. As so many addicted Houstonians know, a good cup of coffee can be a lifesaver. But what about the extreme poverty suffered by plantation pickers? FairTrade labeling organizations and the high-minded folks at Taft Street Coffee want your cup of joe to be guilt-free. Serving only FairTrade, organic coffees roasted right here in Houston by Katz Coffee, Taft Street is putting its business principles where its mission-oriented mouth is. And the beans aren't suffering for the distinction. Deeply satisfying strains of Guatemalan, Sumatran and blended coffees are yours for the picking at $11 per pound -- without that guilty aftertaste.

Best Psychic Fair

Marva's Psychic Fairs

For almost eight years, Marva's Psychic Fairs have been a staple of Houston's metaphysical community. The first Saturday of each month, a conference room at the Ramada becomes a veritable Galleria of the world beyond this mere dimension. There are astrologists, palm readers, reflexologists, iridologists, herbalists and tarot-card readers. (Here's an idea: Go to several different vendors and get them arguing about why each sees a different future for you.) There's also a wide selection of jewelry and books, all in a friendly, welcoming atmosphere. If you've got any doubts about where your love life or career is going, Marva's fair will have answers. Maybe not guaranteed answers, but answers nonetheless.

Best Record Store

Cactus Music & Video

This perennial favorite continues its stranglehold on this category for two simple reasons: They stock things you can't get anywhere else in town, and the staffers know their shit. Whether it's a Houston or regional title, import, long-lost record your granddad had, or an obscure EP by Death Cab for Cutie, you can find it at Cactus. If not, they'll order it for you. The store has also started a "Build a Better Music Library" sale that encourages patrons to check out original classic albums on CD rather than buying greatest-hits compilations. And though toys, shirts, videos and knickknacks take up a good chunk of floor space, Cactus still has the widest and most eclectic selection of music anywhere in Houston. Its LP and vinyl business has increased over the past year. Time to reorder those fuzzy black record dusters.

Best Used CDs

Half Price Books and Music

Forking over $15 or $20 for a new CD these days puts a dent in the wallet of many music connoisseurs. Thankfully, there's Half Price Books. Here, you can find used CDs of mainstream artists and popular indie acts priced anywhere from $5 to $8. Lesser-known artists show up on clearance racks, priced from $1 to $3 -- and music collectors should take note of this section. Between all the music that some might say isn't worth a dime, there are out-of-print gems that have gone undetected by the populace for months, many of which go for a lot more on eBay.

Best Vintage Clothing

The Way We Wore

So, you want to dress as a naughty elf for that certain someone. Or you want to dodge the landlord (an inconspicuous glam metal wig and pair of Bono shades). We suggest you hit the full-to-bursting rooms at The Way We Wore, which offers an almost endless selection of everything from oversize mushroom hats to false teeth. Whether your kick is identity theft, fetishism or posing at Swing-a-Thons in crisp, new bowling shirts, stop in here for your first stab at glamour. A top hat and tails could help you talk your way into fancy parties, while the right collaboration of tie-dyed platform shoes and bawdy Victorian garb could actually get you committed -- you know, if that's your thing.
Readers' choice: Buffalo Exchange

Best Vintage LPs

Sound Exchange

"Back in the day -- 1977 -- Houston was a sleepy cow-town, known mostly for petroleum-related businesses, serial killers with "Wayne' in their name, and the Astrodome..." So begins the epic saga of Sound Exchange, as told on its extremely entertaining Web site. But here's a spoiler alert: The saga ends with a few dudes running a great new-and-used record store out of a cool two-story Montrose home. If you want the new Avril Lavigne-Clay Aiken duet CD of Celine Dion covers, it's probably not your place, but if you get goose bumps digging through hard-to-find new and classic vinyl, or want to check out a good selection of indie, punk, blues, jazz and rock on a newer technology known as the compact disc, then this little brick house is your home, too.

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