Best Gift and/or General Store
American Pie
41 Main St., Chatham
It’s not easy to stay fresh and interesting, consistently reliable, yet always changing. But that is what this repeat winner has managed to do for many years now.
Best Wine and Liquor Store (New School)
Empire Wine
Target Plaza, Colonie
It seems like Brad Junco just opened this airy warehouse full of wine, but it’s been quite a few years now. What hasn’t changed? As good a selection and prices as you’ll find anywhere.
Best Wine and Liquor Store (Old School)
Purdy’s
70-72 Congress Street Plaza, Saratoga Springs
No fish tanks or trendy shelving here, just a massive selection of wine and spirits at some of the best prices in the area. Hidden away in a strip mall (sorry, “Plaza”) just off Broadway, Purdy’s has it all, from the ubiquitous to the obscure. And then some.
Best Neighborhood Wine Store
The Wine Shop
265 New Scotland Ave., Albany
Opening on the same day that Prohibition ended, this neighborhood mainstay may look small, but within its narrow confines are unexpected bargains and eclectic selections (and a basement wine cellar stocked with old and hard-to-find vintages). Just ask. The longtime staff is knowledgeable and accustomed to discerning requests.
Best Cider
Nine Pin Cider Works
929 Broadway, Albany
Hard cider is making a big comeback lately and New York State and Albany’s own Nine Pin Cider Works in particular is at the forefront of the revival. Nine Pin crafts a sophisticated range of ciders from Columbia County apples that rival the best from anywhere. So drop everything and go try one; you can thank us later.
Best Comic Book Store
Excellent Adventures Comics
110 Milton Ave., Ballston Spa
Excellent Adventures is a treasure trove for collectors looking for those rare back issues from the Golden and Silver ages. as well as a resource for recent releases.
Best Video Game Store
Forgotten Freshness
127 Saratoga Ave., Mechanicville
Forgotten Freshness packs its expanded new location with gaming rarities, collectibles and a sense of community that makes it worth the drive.
Best Skate Shop
Seasons Skate Shop
211Lark St., Albany
This gem of a store on Lark Street in Albany has become an institution, owned and run by lifelong skaters who project a zest for the sport and the culture. The store is also a retail knockout. The inventory consists of the coolest and hippest clothing, accessories, sneakers and hats.
Best Woman’s Clothing Store
Circles
Stuyvesant Plaza
A women’s specialty store featuring the most sought-after designers. Circles’ mission is to offer sophisticated current fashions while providing optimum customer service. The departments include sportswear, day and evening dresses, footwear, handbags, jewelry, cosmetics and skincare. A touch of Manhattan in Albany.
Best Men’s Clothing Store
Mark Thomas Men’s Apparel
5 Metro Park Road, Albany
Here is the formula for enduring the current business climate: quality, attention to detail and amazing, personal service. Mark Goldfarb and Tom Fagan know do this right. From the minute you walk through the door you feel like you’re in a an old-world environment that harkens back to days of the classic haberdasheries. They carry many high-end quality lines, as well as an outstanding collection of men’s sporty clothing, shoes and accessories. So whether you’re just starting your career or running the biggest money-market firm in the region, Mark Thomas will have you looking like a millionaire.
Best Men’s Hats
The National
385 Broadway, Saratoga Springs
Those who mourn the loss of Saratoga Shoe Depot, well fear not, because a classic men’s store has taken over that space for a couple years now. There’s a nice collection of men’s casual clothing, but their claim to fame is hats–Stetsons primarily. A great selection for track, summer or all seasons.
Best Boutique Jeweler
Elissa Halloran Designs
229 Lark St., Albany
Elissa in her adorable little store on Lark Street continues to manufacture unique and interesting jewelry. Also how does she fit so many great gift items in that space? It is like a gallery of super-cool stuff.
Best Vintage Store
Aunt Katie’s Attic
7052 Amsterdam Road, Scotia
Actually, this attic is more like several stores, as Katie’s shop in an old school building has two floors and several rooms, all stocked to bursting with gently used vintage items from the retro decades (and older). For kitchen kitsch (and utility), it can’t be beat anywhere, near or far, and now that summer is here, there are patio (and tiki-lounge) items galore, from outdoor metal furniture to fabby picnic ware.
Best Large Appliance Store
Cocca’s Appliances & Home Electronics
158 Railroad Ave., Albany
Cocca’s still has best the selection and service around, and good sales. And that unbeatable three-year warranty.
Best Food Co-op
Honest Weight Food Co-op
100 Watervliet Ave., Albany
Comfortably settled into their new digs for a year now, they’re firing on all cylinders. We expected the best in produce, cheese, bulk foods, health-and-wellness items, etc., etc., but who knew they’d have one of the best seafood sections in the region? Without sacrificing quality or integrity, Honest Weight really has become a one-stop shopping experience.
Best Neighborhood Market
Cardona’s Market
340 Delaware Ave., Albany
It may look and feel like a neighborhood market, but rest assured there are people who shop there as a destination—or at least when they’re in the neighborhood for a movie. Great meat, cheese and olive sections, not to mention the deli and the prepared foods, and the produce.
Best Butcher
Rolf’s Pork Store
70 Lexington Ave., Albany
No frills at this old-school store: meats and sausages, plain and simple. Fresh cuts of meat, brought to you by an expert and friendly staff. Oh, and did we mention the sausages and the landjagers?
Best Healthy Snack Shop
Tierra Farm Store
1034 Madison Ave., Albany
Part of the complex that includes the Madison Theater and Tierra Coffee Roasters, Tierra’s flagship retail store carries all of the company’s 200-plus organic, fair-trade products of dried fruits and nuts and chocolate and coffee. The delicious and healthy offerings (direct from their roasting and manufacturing facility in Valatie) include gojii-berry granola, chili-lime mango, jumbo pine nuts, dark-chocolate covered ginger strips and papaya spears, along with nut butters and syrups and . . . did we mention that java connoisseurs’ dream, the Coffee Lab?
Best Bookstore
The Book House
Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany
Bookstores are on their way back, thanks to the taste and integrity of shops like the Book House.
Best Children’s Bookstore
The Little Book House
Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany
This place is a wonderland of storytelling. You’ll get sucked in, regardless of your age.
Best Bookstore (Textbooks)
Mary Jane Books
215 Western Ave., Albany
Don’t get hustled by university bookstores. Mary Jane will help you get the texts you need and will save you a bundle in the process. They’ll also buy the ones from last semester.
Best Used Book Store
Dove & Hudson Books
296 Hudson Ave., Albany
To say that this Center Square treasure trove is a reason to come to Albany from out-of-town is not a stretch. It’s small and brimming—new stock arrives regularly—but is so well organized that you can find what you’re interested in easily, especially with the low-key owner at the ready to assist. But what’s really great about it is the bookish atmosphere that true book lovers recognize instantly, the excellent selection of titles in barely used or new condition, and the affirmation that reading still matters. (Call ahead for hours.)
Best New Retail (Albany)
Fort Orange General Store
296 Delaware Ave., Albany
Their Instagram alone ranks them the best. Get off yr phone and go there already.
Best New Retail (Troy)
Henry Loves Betty
195 River St., Troy
This pet boutique makes you realize that yes, yes you do love your pet so much that he or she eats and dresses better than you.
Best Yoga Studio
Heartspace Yoga and Healing Arts
747 Madison Ave., Albany; 10 2nd St., Troy
Heartspace is now Heartspaces, having opened a Troy studion right on Monument Square. Go get some OM.
Best Musical Instruments
Parkway Music
1777 Route 9, Clifton Park
We love to make noise about these guys every year because they take our noise and make it into music.
Best Record Store
Last Vestige Music Shop
173 Quail St., Albany
Face it: There’s nothing sexy about an mp3. Last Vestige has all the warm, crackly vinyl you’ll ever need. This place is an institution for crate diggers and casual listeners alike.
Best Farmers Market
Troy Farmers Market
Before they started calling Troy the next Brooklyn, there was a humble farmers market. And it’s grown every year, not only in size but in cultural influence. It’s still the best, and the bedrock of a small-town renaissance.
Best Bike Shop
Downtube Bicycle Works
466 Madison Ave., Albany
Every bicyclist is one less car. The downtube will keep all you green commuters on the road.
Best Jewelry (East)
Annick Designs
269 River St., Troy
Annick Designs is part of what makes River Street interesting for retail, and the Designs is accurately indication of her unique style. A lifelong jewelry maker, she finds eye-catching specimens of stones, gems, minerals and crystals and turns them into wearable artworks.
Best Consignment Shop
The Closet Shop
337 Delaware Ave., Delmar
Very cool or very classic designer goods that are gently used and therefore greatly marked down. Also a good place to find non-mall items likely to have been consigned from more stylish purveyors.
Best Antiques
Small towns and tiny cities
Remember when Warren Street in Hudson was affordable? Think outside the city centers for the best deals on quality old stuff. Start with Ballston Spa and then get more adventurous: Rensselaer, Brunswick, Ravena . . .
Best Toy Store
Clocktower Toys & Gifts
1 Main St., Chatham
This delightfully old-fashioned toy store (as in actual toys, not gadgetry) is in a real clocktower, and yes, Mr. Potato Head is here, and many other nostalgic toys and games (badminton sets, hula hoops, bubble wands) along with imaginative or skill-building new toys that share the same aesthetic of unplugged fun–along with adorable stuffed animals and supplies for very young budding artists.
Best Home Theater
Hippo’s Home Entertainment Center
Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany
A repeat winner, because unlike the chains, they’ll take care of you from start to finish.
Best Optical (selection)
Hughes Opticians
411 Kenwood Ave, Delmar
If you were designer clothes, than you really should accessorize with designer eyeglasses, darling. Hughes has all of the best brands at affordable prices.
Best Optician
Buenau’s Opticians
228 Delaware Ave., Delmar
If you can read this, you may have already had your eyes checked by the amazing crew over at Buenau’s.
Best Art Supply
Arlene’s Artist Materials
57 Fuller Road, Albany
From the supplies to the custom framing, nobody does it like Arlene’s.
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