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Best Tattoo Artist

Holden Ritchison, Formula Ink

OK, so this is the kind of tattoo shop where you hang out — and the staff wants you to. Owner Holden Ritchison, a big Santa Claus of a man, started this new shop just a few doors down from the Culture Room. With an open-plan space that looks more like a den, Formula Ink has the best abandoned boyfriend/girlfriend section ever — a huge couch, a huge TV, and a selection of DVDs and magazines. Formula Ink is home to some of the best-kept-secret artists in town. Ritchison excels at huge-scale, deftly shaded, jaw-dropping traditional Asian work. What's more, his prices are shockingly fair for custom sitdowns. Ask him for a quote, but you'll be more than happy to hand over the cash for an experience that will leave you smiling.

Best Tattoo Shop

Colorfast Studios

Despite the unassuming, narrow exterior of its original downtown Fort Lauderdale location, Colorfast packs a mammoth-sized artistic punch. The waiting area is bright and clean but no-nonsense. Although the staff is friendly, Colorfast is not necessarily where you come to waste time and mess around. It's where you go to get some seriously sick work done. Like any earnest tattoo shop, the place specializes in custom work (unlike more money-grubbing shops, though, they never charge to draw up a design). While someone here can deftly handle all styles, these artists truly excel at the bold and bright. See owner Vince for large-scale, flawless Asian and traditional work in prismatic colors that pop. Scott's your other go-to guy for standout neo-traditional designs as well as elegant script. Or see B.J. for more of that but with a twisted sense of humor. In a visually offensive ink world of cheesy flash, tribal and Asian eyesores, and sob stories on reality TV, these guys are fighting the good fight for the classic artistry of tattooing.

Best Thrift Store

The Poverello Center

Fashion-forward women know one thing about thrifting: Shop where the drag queens donate. It's a simple rule and one that will score you bounty beyond your wildest wishes. Size 11 patent-leather pumps? Check. Amazing accessories? Yep. Fancy evening wear? Just take out the shoulder pads and it's perfect! So where does one find such a collection? The Poverello Center, of course. This thrift mecca not only features spectacularly flashy women's apparel; it's also a treasure-trove of housewares and bric-a-brac. The reason is intuitive: Poverello funds important and necessary HIV/AIDS outreach programs throughout Broward County, and because social consciousness and great taste are synonymous, it makes sense that this is where the stylish, politically aware donate. Business has grown so much at Poverello that they are now open on Sundays to accommodate their many dedicated shoppers. So hit it up; you'll look radiant in those golf-ball-sized pearls.

Best Used-Book Store

Second Edition Book Shop

There's a store hidden away in Lincoln Park Plaza in Davie that seems very out of place. Walk through the door of Second Edition Book Shop, where comfy, overstuffed leather chairs are tucked away in the corners, and suddenly you're miles away from strip malls and traffic-choked roads. A cheery voice beckons from behind countless bookshelves, welcoming you to what seems more like someone's personal library than a used-book shop. The owners of Second Edition have their customers' comfort — and budgets — in mind. Bring in any four paperback books (in presentable condition) and you can grab any book off the shelf at no cost. Those who don't want to dilute their own libraries can buy most books in the store for half the original cover price or less. Second Edition carries mostly paperback fiction, but it has enough biographies, hardcover books, and children's tales to ensure that everyone will find something he or she wants. Plus, if they don't have what you're looking for, they'll do their best to get it for you. Second Edition feels more like going to a friend's house and trading books than walking into a retail establishment, and there's something refreshing about that.

Best Yoga Studio

Red Pearl Yoga

Try as you might, you lack self-control. It would be nice if you were part of that specially selected few with the ability to follow a yoga routine at home, without a guide coaxing them through completion. But you are not. The flipside, of course, is that you can stretch and bend in the company of South Florida's finest yogis: the staff of Red Pearl Yoga. More than a traditional yoga den, this loft space is warm, breezy, and forever inviting. It's a judgment-free zone where lost sheep aren't shamed after months of absence. Instead, diehards simply smile and scoot over so you can pick up where you left off — clumsily folding yourself into pretzel-like shapes before promptly tumbling over. In this magical studio, sunbeams reach through the open windows and extend along the floor, allowing you to roll around and warm yourself like a cat while opening up your chakras. Caring leaders, like Karen Gavrilov, roam as they guide, gently repositioning you from "ugh" to "ahh" postures. But the best thing about Red Pearl? Here, exercise doesn't feel like work. It feels like a welcomed reward.

Best Library

Broward County Library: Hollywood Branch

One of the first things to get slashed in personal budgets during rough economic times is entertainment. It's hard to justify spending $30 on the newest hardcover teen vampire love story when the power bill is looming, but the government is here to bail you out. The Hollywood Branch of the Broward County Library is a sprawling, two-story shrine to the written word and self-education of every kind. Aside from the obvious catacombs of books, countless groups meet there to conduct meetings, seminars, speeches, lectures, and children's activities almost every night of the week. These events range from a monthly screenwriters meeting to beginner Spanish classes to creative writing seminars to celebrations of famous authors' birthdays. The best part: They're all free and open to the public. It's not every day you can learn Spanish, celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday, and pick up a half dozen novels without spending a dime. Oh wait, maybe it is.

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