This sprawling complex in Katy is a sort of Mecca for outdoorsmen. If Armageddon ever comes, this is the only place you'll need. It's your basic one-stop survival shop, selling a variety of guns and hunting supplies and probably everything a man who loves fishing ever needs, and then some. After you've bought your new tackle, you can browse the ridiculously large selection of boats. Say you're looking to learn how to fly-fish; you can come here and take part in regular workshops. So when Christmas comes around, spare Dad the crappy sweater and just buy him a gift card.

Men frequent barbershops less for the trim than for the banter, the testosterone and the taxidermy. The best barbers fall into two categories. There's the cutter who jawbones nonstop on everything. Then there's the quiet man, usually a stooped old-timer, who lets the customer do the yakkety-yakking. Matt Wright falls into the latter category, except he's a young fella who stands straight like an arrow. He calls all customers by their surnames, and he knows just what questions to ask to get them rolling. He's a yes-man to stoics who transform into great storytellers in his chair. Oh, and he gives a fine trim.

So, Bob, heard you need a road bike. You should try Bike Barn. And Emily, I hear you need a mountain bike. You should tag along with Bob. And Frank, you need a cool bike for your kids, right? Dude, go to Bike Barn. Trek, Serotta, Gary Fisher: Bike Barn. Clothes, helmets, parts, repair: Bike Barn. Need anything special-ordered? Yeah, you got it — the Double-B. They eat, sleep and breathe bikes. They also ride them. They know what the heck they're talking about. You just might turn into a bike freak, if you're not one already. And that's a good thing — for your body and the planet. Now get in gear (see what we did there?) and get thee to the Barn.

Houston book lovers were crushed a few years back with the closing of Colleen's Books, the ramshackle used book store out on Telephone Road. But good things have sprung from the closure: Now, if you enjoy a little country drive, you can head to Butler & Sons in Rosenberg. Owner William Butler purchased Colleen Urbanek's stock, has added his own significant items and put them in a comfortable, casual store in a 1930s building in the antique center of the Fort Bend County town. Butler is a dedicated bibliophile: His collection includes books signed by Hemingway and Faulkner, and a copy of The Dictionary of Vulgar Language with handwritten notations by Mark Twain. And it's not limited to just books: Last December he spent $360,000 combined for a page of Paul McCartney's draft lyrics of "Max­well's Silver Hammer" and a 1968 Fender Stratocaster owned by Jimi Hendrix.

It's not easy to make high-society, grown-up types look like, well, kids in a candy store, but these sweet slingers manage to pull it off. The Chocolate Bar offers tasty, original-recipe ice cream and cakes along with chocolate-covered everything; and Candylicious sells a variety of traditional and wacky confections, from jelly beans to a plunger sucker that you dip in a toilet filled with candy sprinkles. On any given night you can see both kiddos and just-out-of-the-office types drooling over something on the shelves or in the cases. Both shops are owned by candy masters Gilbert Johnson and Jimmy Smith, who are always developing new ways to enjoy their tasty treats, including a pirate ship made from fun-size Hershey bars, licorice whips and whatever else they have lying around their stores.

Bubbles isn't the cheapest car wash in Houston. But do you want your car to be clean, or do you want it to be kinda clean? The good folks at Bubbles will clean your carriage inside and out, top to bottom, while you chill inside and entertain yourself by looking through merchandise ranging from CDs to books to flip-flops. Or you can use a computer to check e-mail or www.houstonpress.com. With a variety of cleaning, waxing, shampooing, detailing and whatever-ing packages, Bubbles definitely can meet your particular needs and make even a '79 Gremlin feel like a brand-sparkling-new Bentley.

We had Thanksgiving catered from Adrian's – delivered to our home, no less – for pennies on the dollar for what it would have cost to cook it ourselves. And could we have duplicated Robert Campbell's succulent turkey or Tina Grimstead-Campbell's perfect po­tato salad? No way! Walk-in customers have learned that they can both place and pick up catering orders from Adrian's, as well as grab a custom-made salad or sandwich for lunch – all made with the freshest ingredients. If you like a berry cobbler featured one day, rest assured you can order a mega-size one to take home to feed your family reunion. It's strange how people suddenly invite themselves over for luscious home cooking – and it's strange how we're not real up-front about whose home was used for the cooking. This family-run catering company now also has a downtown storefront called The Jury's Out...To Lunch (815 Walker) in the historic Esperson Building, where they do a fair amount of business with law firms.

If you're into comics, anime, action figures, movie posters or goth collectibles, check out Bedrock City. They answer the question "Whadda ya got besides funny-books?" with total logic and verve: "Does the Louvre only house works by Da Vinci?" Owner Richard Evans opened the original location in 1990, and he now sells at three other area locations and online. Bedrock City not only stays on top of trends, new releases and special and rare comic book editions, they also have heart: We've seen 'em donate small gifts to graduates of Houston elementary and middle schools. Maybe that's the old dealer adage: Give the kids a taste for free, and they'll keep coming back for more.

Okay, all you PC lovers, put up your dukes! It's on! The PC vs. Mac argument has been going for years. It will be years still before that particular consumer struggle is decided, but inside the Apple store in the Galleria, Mac has won. A haven for Mac lovers who are usually relegated to some back corner of the PC store, the Apple Store was recently refurbished and now resembles an art gallery. Gray walls feature strategic lighting that highlights displays of Mac software; long tables run down the center of the showroom, groaning under the weight of notebooks and iPods; and there's plenty of space for mingling. These days there's a huge display of iPhones right up front (just look for the table where everyone stands entranced), and a children's table in the back, with supposedly indestructible, kid-friendly computers.

This chain of Vietnamese-owned stores has been serving neighborhood patrons with all sorts of needs, at all sorts of hours. No matter if you need to just pick up some milk or want to choose a fresh cigar from the walk-in humidor, this place provides the things commonly found in a normal convenience store and then some. From their fine selection of chocolates to unusual magazines, you will find it all here, well-priced and sold to you with a smile.