New York

Astoria does not want for shops. If you want to buy a mop, a cannoli, a faux-leather jacket, a vat of hair gel, or a cell-phone plan, you'll be set. But if you're one of the 15 people in the neighborhood who'd rather buy a granny-dress than a granny-cart, Loveday 31 is your best--perhaps, only--bet. The buttonhole-sized shop on 31st Avenue (get it?) is a colorful oasis of mothball-scented garb from the past six decades, including a wall of boots, some funky handbags, and jewelry new and old. Lovely to be sure, but not lovely enough to justify the price tags which are much too high if you can find them at all. As the only game in town, it seems Loveday assumes its preciousness can compel the funky frontierswomen of Queens to pay $65 for a dress that they'd probably pass over at the Salvo a few blocks away. Regardless, if you're in the market for a sequin-encrusted sweater, Loveday's your place. Just be prepared for irony when the Astoria-octogenarian in the deli is wearing the same one.

Photo:  Molly Riordan