Best of 2012: Shopping

Best Shopping

Clothing: Avalon Exchange

Avalon is a vintage clothing store for both men and women. The store carries designer labels in jeans, tees and accessories. The variety of options helps customers create fashionable, less-conventional outfits with used clothing at reasonable prices.

Editors’ pick: Francesca’s

Cell phones: Verizon Wireless

Verizon sells the latest phones, a variety of cell phone plans and phone accessories — an important addition to any college student’s life. It also provides the nation’s largest 4G LTE network. The high-speed Internet on Droid and the iPhone provides quick and easy access to Facebook and, of course, my.pitt.edu.

Editors’ pick: AT&T

Shoes: Littles Shoes

Littles Shoes is an affordable family shoe store located in Squirrel Hill. The store carries a large variety of men’s, women’s and children’s dress shoes, sneakers and boots. The shop offers brands such as ECCO, UGG, Merrell and more.

Editors’ pick: Ten Toes

Textbook seller: The Book Center

The Book Center, on the corner of Forbes Avenue and Meyran Avenue, is the first place students go when looking for new or used textbooks. Students can reserve textbooks and order them for in-store pickup if desired. The Book Center also sells University of Pittsburgh apparel.

Editors’ pick: Amazon.com

Florist: Gidas Flowers

Want to send a vase of flowers to a professor to try and bump that B+ to an A? Or maybe you need to apologize to your boyfriend or girlfriend. Located at 3719 Forbes Ave., Gidas Flowers has been in business for more than 90 years. Gidas provides convenient same-day delivery anywhere in the city and to some suburban locations. Gidas is great for anniversaries, weddings and just about any special occasion.

Editors’ pick: Alex’s Flowers

Piercing: Hot Rod Body Piercing Company

Hot Rod Body Piercing has an experienced staff and quality jewelry in Pittsburgh. Its staff frequently attends Association of Professional Piercers meetings to keep the business up to date. It has shops at 115 Oakland Ave. and 95 S. 16th St. on the South Side. So even if you’re getting that piercing you’ve always planned on getting, or you’re making rash decisions in the South Side, Hot Rod Body Piercing Company is ready to give you a quality piercing.

Editors’ pick: South Side Tattoo and Body Piercing

Tattoo shop: Jester’s Court

There’s nothing that screams Pitt pride more than a panther tattoo on your shoulder or “Oakland Zoo” on your back. But no matter what ink you want to display, Jester’s Court on Oakland Avenue offers a clean environment to do so. With four locations around Pittsburgh, Jester’s Court has a reputation of professionalism and experience that puts both first-timers and the well-inked at ease.

Editors’ pick: In the Blood Tattoo

Drug store: CVS Pharmacy

You might walk in looking for just Q-tips or a soda, but it’s likely you’ll leave CVS Pharmacy with a couple bags of essentials — and maybe some not-so-essentials. Although it might not have the proximity to campus that both Rite Aid boast, CVS has self-checkout counters to make it a truly get-in, get-out stop. And like its rival on Atwood Street, CVS on Forbes Avenue is open 24 hours a day.

Editors’ pick: Rite Aid

Dorm shopping: Target

Your first school shopping experience without mom might be daunting, if not downright terrifying. But the simple layout and glaring signs for “college stuff” at Target in Shadyside make filling your dorm room easy, from notebooks and calculators to humidifiers and body pillows. With its low prices and accessibility from campus, Target is the clear choice for the young and frugal.

Editors’ pick: Marshalls

Vintage clothing: Eons Fashion Antique

This shop specializes in buying and selling clothing and accessories from the 1880s to the 1980s. With vintage clothing making a comeback in the latest fashion trends, visiting Eons should be on the top of your to-do list. Located conveniently in Shadyside on Ellsworth Avenue, the shop is only a short bus ride away from campus.

Editors’ pick: Hey Betty!