OVER THE EDGE NEWSPAPER. OCTOBER 11, 2006 Addicted to Retro TABATHA LUNDHOLM ARTS EDITOR Addicted to Retro is probably my favorite little store in all of Prince © George for cool things. No matter what you fancy, you can find it somewhere in that tiny space. With vintage hats and clothes, collect- ables, accessories, and hand crafted band t-shirts, you can find some amazingly good things. There is also a vinyl section, and a Jim Motr- rison homage. Located 1092 on 4% Ave. (down by the Ramada), the owner, Gypsy, prides herself on her store. “When creating a vintage store it should usually look like an overstuffed closet or attic. I chose closet.’ And it’s true. With little room to move because the place is so packed with goodies, you can become quickly acquainted with new people. With some good deals (and even better if you apply your right to barter), great finds, and a fun person to talk to, Addicted to Retro just may become your favorite little place, too. Riot Clothings and Accessories ANDREW KURJATA EDITOR IN CHIEF Location: 1190 3" Ave. Name of owners: Laurie Loewen and Brenda McGuire Established: 2006 What it sells: Interesting clothing that is both hip, and different. From sunglasses to sweaters, this store has it all. It's a sister to the other Riot Clothing store on Commercial Ave. in Vancouver. Clientele: Both the young and old. People of all ages come to shop in this little boutique. What makes it special: The clothing is both new and interesting. The special little add-ons that the store also sells are amazing. Jewel- ry, scarves, and other accessories are all sold here. Best time to go: Whenever they're holding one of their fashion shows or monthly sales. e & ax Kumbayaz Native Arts ANNA GRADOWSKA " STAFF WRITER Location: 1479 3rd. Ave. Hours of Operation: 11-5 M-Sa Contact: 564-8280 What they sell: -native art (paintings, cards, crafts, carvings, etc) -native art supplies Clientele: -people interested in gifts and art -mainly First Nations people, both as artists and art buyers What makes them special?: -has wide selection of local art -custom ordering from artists Student discount?: ISIC discount ANDREW KURJATA EDITOR IN CHIEF Location: 1364 3rd Ave. Hours of Operation: M-F 9-5:30, 9-5 Saturday Contact: 563-1277 Operating from almost the same location (they were origi- nally next door to the current shop) since 1946, WD West Stu- dios is the place to go when you want your pottrait done. This company is in charge of the UNBC grad photos as well as most of the team photos that are-done locally, so you know you'te in good hands. They also sell frames, have custom labs and a one hour photo service. For a limited time they are also selling off some old equipment, so hurry down. Final Chapter COREY WINTEMUTE STAFF WRITER Location: 427 George St. Hours of Operation: 10-5:30 W.D. West ital Source & Happy ANNA GRADOWSKA STAFF WRITER Monkey Tattoo Location: 1177 3rd Ave. Hours of Operation: by appointment Contact: 564-8280 What they sell: Tattoos! And body piercing, too. Clientele: parent with them). ists. When to go: People of all backgrounds who like tattoos (and are 18+ or have a What makes them special?: One of the few actual tattoo shops in town, and they have guest art- Oct. 7-13th for guest Dutchman tattoo artist Dave Nicholson Also, Trevor Shea will be coming in October as a guest tattoo artist 5 Seasons Sports Location: 365 George St: Hours of Operation: 9-5:30 T-Sa Final Chapter is a locally owned used bookstore that has been in Prince George for 13 years. You won't have to worry about digging around to find the book you are looking for as they keep the store well-organized into many different genres. The best part of Final Chapter would have to be their very affordable prices, as most of us know the price of a brand new book can be quite shocking at times. Final Chapter offers more than just books too, they have reflexology and shiatsu massage right in the back of the store, and they have various trinkets that would make for a delightful gift. A mainstay since 1977, 5 Seasons Sports deals in the five team sports-- soccer, hockey, football, basketball, and baseball. It has one of the better selections of soccer jerseys in town, and you can also grab some classic NHL sweaters. Students receive 10-15% off. _ ANew Prince George Tradition is Born ANDREW KURJATA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF This past summer I was visiting the new tourist centre in Squamish, and I picked up a booklet about the attractions in Prince George. It was pretty good, portraying PG as a good outdoors city with a decent smat- tering of the arts. However, I was a little surprised when I looked at the list of “Nine Things to do in Prince George” (apparently they couldn't find ten) and saw smack-dab in the middle the word" bowling.”"People in Prince George like to go bowling,’ it read, and went on to talk about the wide variety of bowling alleys in Prince George (three, to be exact). While it is true that people go bowling in Prince George, it had never oc- curred to me that it was a civic activity along the lines of going to the museum or hiking on one of the local trails. But then I started thinking about it-- a friend of mine living in Vancouver had just told me they had been unable to find a bowling alley. Maybe our rich bowling alley culture was something to be treasured after all. A while later, the thought of bowling al- leys was still kicking around in my brain when it was joined by a couple of drinks. They got together and decided thac, given the importance of bowling to the Prince George nightlife, it was time to take things to the next level. People go bar hopping-- why not do the same with bowling? After all, the five pin alleys are within blocks of each other, and the ten pin alley is just a short cab ride away. Surely this was some- thing that had to be done! I managed to shanghai a few people into going along with this scheme, and before long we found ourselves at the 5th Avenue Bowladrome. This multi-level facility is pretty popular on a Friday night-- we were moved up to the second floor and couldn't partake in the cosmic bowling, We could, however, partake in their snacks and bever- ages (yes, they are licensed-- all the alleys are). It was like going to a pub, except you wear funny shoes and haye to get up every couple of minutes to throw a ball. Prices were reasonable, music wasn't too loud- - overall it was a good way to start off the night. Next we wandered over to the Nechako lanes, located beside Books and Co. on 3rd Ave. Unfortunately, Friday is their league night, so we had to wait until that was fin- ished before we could begin. We took a stop off at Pizza Rico's and browsed Books and Co., both excellent places to go if you're out and about before ten oclock-- especially Books and Co., it's like your own private library when no one else is there. Eventu- ally, the league cleared out and we began round two. Of the three alleys, I would say Nechako was the best one that night. Sure, it didn’t have much in the way of bells and whistles-- no “cosmic bowling,’ 4 limited number of alleys-- bur the price is low and the staff is friendly. The night was topped off with a yisit to the Strike Zone-- the one ten-pin alley in town, and by far the most popular place for bowling. Despite the fact I am better at ten pin bowling, Strike Zone was the least enjoyable, mostly because it constantly plays top 40 music at levels chat make con- versation nigh-impossible. However, for those who don't mind this, it certainly has plenty to offer: a jukebox, a greater variery of drinks and snacks, cosmic bowling, and late nights. It's like the Cadillac Ranch of the bowling scene. So what did I learn? (1) People who drink while bowling also seem to get better as they drink, (2) even though the balls are lighter and there are less pins, five pin is more chal- lenging than ten pin, and (3) bowling IS popular in Prince George. On a cold, wet Friday night, all the alleys were just about full, and there was a pretty steady stream of customers-- a couple of places even had line-ups. If you're ever tired of just going to the bars (and you really should be once in a while) bue still want to go out, bowl- ing alley hopping is a quintessentially PG alternative,