Goods & Services

Best cultural experience that’s really only shopping

Five Dog Books
906 Holcomb Ave., 322-1917
Every day must be a great new day for Five Dog Books owner Manuel Simpson. He owns what can only be called the coolest lesser-known bookstore in town. The store—you almost have to know where it is to find it—would be a star on the Unauthorized Roadmap of Reno. For a mental image, picture wooden floors with a Dickensian Curiosity Shop groove and books literally sagging the bookshelves. The house itself has quite a history. Built in 1900, it has two major claims to notoriety. On Dec. 20, 1978, an infamous murder, perpetrated by Jack Mazzan, took place in the apartment/garage behind the bookstore. Back even further, the detective who investigated a 1911 Indian massacre lived in the house. Check out Manuel sometime. Popular mythology says he’s read every book in the place, and he may greet you with such pieces of wisdom as, “They used to say that vertebrates lived longer than any other creature, but did you know they found a tubeworm in South America that lives 280 years? You know why? No stress.”

Best place to make a friend

SPCA of Northern Nevada
840 E. Fifth St. (shelter), 324-7773; 903 E. Fourth St. (thrift store), 324-7776
Pets have a way of making you feel better even when you’re having one of those days when it seems the whole world wants to shake you like an old rag. Pets always seem to be happy to see you when you come home (especially if you forgot to feed them before you left), and they usually don’t mind a quick snuggle. If you don’t have a friend and are thinking of bringing one home, stop by SPCA and meet some of the dogs and cats waiting for adoption. The center is a no-kill shelter, so each animal will remain there until the right person comes along to take it home. All animals are spayed/neutered, vaccinated and given a microchip ID. If you can’t afford a pet right now, you might find something else at the SPCA’s thrift store to take home (perhaps you can snuggle a used umbrella or an antique vanity). All sales support its adoption center and other SPCA programs.

Best place for a patch and rotate

All Tire & Wheel
2560 E. Fourth St., 329-1606
Ray Caron, the owner of All Tire & Wheel, will make you feel like a member of the family when you come in for a set of tires. He’s got the type of personality you wish everybody in the car-selling, -repairing and -maintaining fields had—kinda like your favorite uncle. Top-of-the-line and bottom-of-the-line tires at AT&W are pretty inexpensive, as well. And, for the life of the tire/tires, Ray will quickly invite you in if you call and let him know you need a tire rotation or a flat repaired. These maintenance tasks are always performed free of charge, quickly and with a smile. In a town that’s sprouting up chain tire-repair stores faster than it can build post-dated check-cashing stores, it’s nice to have a guy like Ray around to fix your flats.