1. Gap (various locations)

2. Urban Outfitters (1246 Ste-Catherine W., 874-0063)

3. Simons (977 Ste-Catherine W., 282-1840)

4. Club Monaco (1455 Peel, 499-0959)

5. Le Château (various locations)

Best second-hand clothing store

1. Village des Valeurs (various locations)

2. Salvation Army thrift stores (various locations)

3. Eva B. (2013 St-Laurent, 849-8246)

4. Scarlett O'Hara (254 Mont-Royal E., 844-9435)

5. Twistencore (3972 St-Laurent, 842-1308)

Best sports store

1. Sports Experts (various locations)

2. Super Monde des Athlètes (various locations)

3. Murray's (1200 Peel, 861-9636)

4. Sports Fever (1238 Ste-Catherine W., . 874-0198)

5. Tie: Play It Again Sports (various locations); . La Cordée (2159 Ste-Catherine E., 524-1106)

Best stereo store

1. Future Shop (various locations)

2. Audio Centre (9100 Cavendish, 731-5090)

3. Tie: Centre Hi-Fi (various locations), Aventure Electronique (defunct)

4. Ly Électronique (379 Ste-Catherine W., 844-1291)

5. Tie: Son Ideal (1409 Bishop, 842-9596), Radio Shack (various locations)

Best video store

1. Blockbuster (various locations)

2. Boîte Noire (4450 St-Denis, 287-1249, 380 Laurier W., 277-6979)

3. Movieland (various locations)

4. Super Club Vidéotron (various locations)

5. Video Roma (various locations)

Best computer store

1. Crazy Irving (now CompuSmart, 1195 Carré Philips, 398-0737)

2. Future Shop (various locations)

3. Tie: Micro-Bytes (various locations)

4. Concordia Computer Store (1453 MacKay, 848-7665)

5. Compucentre (various locations)

Best fitness club

1. YMCA (various locations)

2. Nautilus (various locations)

3. La Cité (3575 du Parc, 288-8221)

4. Sanctuaire (various locations)

5. Tie: Stone Gym (1440 Ste-Catherine W., 397-8663), Monster Gym (various locations)

Best massage/masseuse

1. Chad Kenemy

2. Sporting Club du Sanctuaire spa (6105 Av. du Boisé, 737-0000)

3. Le Centre Sheraton spa (1201 René-Lévesque W., 878-2000)

4. Westmount Spa (Westmount Square, 933-9966)

Honourable mentions: Boris of Grim Skunk * your mom * anyone offering options.

Best travel agency

1. Travel Cuts/Voyages Campus (various locations)

2. Zagury Travel (4226 St-Jean, DDO, 626-3132)

3. Robert & Alex Voyages (1450 City Councillors, 286-7577)

4. Funtastique Travel (various locations)

5. Tie: Destination Vacances (6900 Décarie, 344-9628), Alternative Travel (5143 St-Laurent, 279-3528)

Best record store (new)

1. HMV (various locations)

2. Sam the Record Man (399 Ste-Catherine W., 281-9877; 7077 Newman, 366-8825; 2305 Rockland, 340-1229)

3. Archambault (500 Ste-Catherine E., 849-6201 and various locations)

4. Stomp (78 Rachel E., 842-5887)

5. Music World (various locations)

Best record store (used)

1. Cheap Thrills (1433 Bishop, 844-7604; 2044 Metcalfe, 844-8988)

2. L'Échange (3694 St-Denis, 849-1913; 713 Mont-Royal E., 523-6389) no longer affiliated

3. C'Dément (388 Ste-Catherine W., 866-7616)

4. Tabou (1435 Bleury, 288-5609)

5. Primitive (3828-30 St-Denis, 845-6017)

Honourable mentions: Musique Noize (3697 St-Laurent, 985-9989) * Disquivel (1587 St-Laurent, 842-1607)

Best cinema (1st run)

1. Loews (954 Ste-Catherine W., 861-7437)

2. Guzzo chain (various locations)

3. Egyptien (1455 Peel, 849-3456-125)

4. Tie: Faubourg (1616 Ste-Catherine W., 849-3456-121), Impérial (1430 Bleury, 848-0300)

5. Quartier Latin (350 Emery, 849-3456-111)

Best rep cinema

1. Parc (defunct, however reopening May 14 under new management)

2. Palace (698 Ste-Catherine W., 866-6991)

3. Cinéma Parallèle (opening in new location in June, 843-6001)

4. Impérial (1430 Bleury, 848-0300)

5. Cinémathèque québécoise (335 de Maisonneuve E., 842-9768)

Best bookstore (new)

1. Chapters (1171 Ste-Catherine W., 849-8825, 6321 Trans-Canada Highway, 428-5500)

2. Indigo (1500 McGill College, 281-5549)

3. Paragraphe (2220 McGill College, 845-5811)

4. Renaud-Bray (various locations)

5. Tie: Champigny (various locations), Coles (various locations)

Best bookstore (used)

1. The Word (469 Milton, 845-5640)

2. Argo Book Shop (1915 Ste-Catherine W., 931-3442)

3. L'Échange (3694 St-Denis, 849-1913, 713 Mont-Royal E., 523-6389; no longer affiliated)

4. Tie: Cheap Thrills (1433 Bishop, 844-7604, 2044 Metcalfe, 844-8988), S.W. Welch Bookseller (3878 St-Laurent, 848-9358)

5. Russell Books (now part of Diamond Books at 5035 Sherbrooke W., 481-3000)

Best magazine store

1. Multimags (various locations)

2. Maison de la Presse Internationale (various locations)

3. Le Point Vert (4040 St-Laurent, 982-9195)

4. Chapters (1171 Ste-Catherine W., 849-8825, 6321 Trans-Canada Highway, 428-5500)

5. Mediaphile (1901 Ste-Catherine W., 939-3676)

Best place to buy art

There was no clear winner in this category, so we present selected responses of where to acquire the city's finest etchings: back alley * $.49 Pizza on St-Mathieu * Belgo Building * Circa Gallery * Concordia University * from me, dammit * garage sales * Walter Klinkhoff Gallery * Magnum Opus * Montreal Museum of Fine Arts * on late-night TV * trunk of a car.

Best health food store

1. Tie: Optimum (630 Sherbrooke W., 845-1015), Health Tree (7133 Ch. Côte-St-Luc, 484-1690; 3819 St-Jean, 624-2896)

2. Tau (4238 St-Denis, 843-4420 and various locations)

3. Frenco (3985 St-Laurent, 285-1319)

4. Kilo Naturel (201 St-Viateur W., 278-3377)

5. Rachelle-Béry (various locations)

Honourable mentions: National (4903 Sherbrooke W., 484-3541) * Vogel (various locations) * Le Frigo Vert (2130 MacKay, 848-7587)

Best sex shop

1. Séduction (re-opened as Lingerie Romance, 38 Ste-Catherine W., 876-3656)

2. Sexe Cité (1821 Ste-Catherine W., 937-3678)

3. Il Bolero (6842-46 St-Hubert, 270-6065)

4. Priape (1311 Ste-Catherine E., 521-8451)

5. Erotim (723 Mont-Royal E., 522-6969)

Best chocolate/candy shop

1. Laura Secord (various locations)

2. Godiva (1307 Ste-Catherine W., 849-4789; 2305 Rockland, 738-3766)

3. Bonbonnière (various locations)

4. A dollar store

5. Sucre Bleu (1701 St-Denis, 282-1440)

Honourable mentions: Scoops (1616 Ste-Catherine W., 937-5797) * Provisoir (various locations) * Divine Chocolatier (1454 Drummond, 282-0829) * Pâtisserie de Gascogne (various locations).

Best place to buy kitsch

1. Village des Valeurs (various locations)

2. Dollarama (various locations)

3. Duluth street

4. Urban Outfitters (1246 Ste-Catherine W., 874-0063)

5. Garage sales

Honourable mentions: St-Hubert street * Notre-Dame street * Pier 1 * in the garbage * Holts * Stitches * Super Sexe * Wellington street in Verdun.

Best grocery store

1. Loblaw's (various locations)

2. Provigo (various locations)

3. Metro (various locations)

4. 4 Frères (various locations)

5. Maxi (various locations)

Best hair salon

1. Mutt & Jeff (2135 Crescent, 288-7689)

2. Tonic (3613 St-Laurent, 499-9494)

3. Coupe Bizarre (3770 St-Laurent, 843-3433)

4. Funky Toque (3688 St-Laurent, 985-2999)

5. Kenzo Kenzo Hair (72 Duluth E., 286-2510)