SHOPPING & SERVICES Carmel Valley. Despite shipping produce across the country, Earthbound Farm Stand remains our local outpost for organic produce, as well as prepared food to go, drinks and a fun and relaxing outdoor space to enjoy. BEST WINE MARKET Star Market 1275 S. Main St., Salinas (831) 422-3961, starmkt.com Sometimes trying to find the right wine feels like cramming for a game of Trivial Pursuit. If you’re looking for a trustworthy selection without doing the research, Weekly readers suggest Star Market. This Salinas grocery store prides itself on playing its own game and staying dedicated to the local market experience, including friendly customer service. Readers love Star Market’s extensive selection of unique products, including a vast local wine department. And if you love niche trivia of all kinds, Star Market can even special-order unique products. BEST SELECTION OF LIQUOR Total Wine & More Sand Dollar Shopping Center, 808 Playa Ave., Sand City (831) 920-0154, totalwine.com Say you are feeling nostalgic for those carefree days of college. What better way to celebrate than with a good old-fashioned drinking game? Stream How the Grinch Stole Christmas and take a swig of inexpensive vodka every time they say “who.” Better yet, be the more responsible person you’ve become and sit back with a good bottle of scotch, cognac or mezcal and sip leisurely with your friends. Either way, the folks at Total Wine & More can fix you up. They have shelves of the good stuff, rated 90 points or more. But they also stock bottles that are lower in price, but still high in quality. The selection is not endless, but it sure seems so. BEST HARDWARE STORE Pacific Grove Hardware 229 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove (831) 646-9144 If you’re playing the streaming game House Flipper, you’re going to need a lot of supplies to renovate all those rundown houses. In real life you also need a lot of supplies and expert advice to renovate a home, or maybe just shine it up a bit. For that, Weekly readers turn to Pacific Grove Hardware, frequently voted Best Hardware Store. The friendly and knowledgeable staff will direct you to just the right screwdriver or paintbrush—no wandering around a big box store looking for help or scrolling through online pages. You might fumble playing House Flipper but you’ll be a winner visiting Pacific Grove Hardware. BEST LUMBER YARD Hayward Lumber 1140 Sunset Drive, Pacific Grove. (831) 373-1326 429 Front St., Salinas. (831) 754-3300 haywardlumber.com Sometimes tabletop games just don’t cut it. You dream of having one of those life-size Jenga towers in your backyard but don’t know where to start. Might we suggest a visit to the best lumber yard in Monterey County? Your dream of building your outdoor playscape might just be a reality after all. With every type and species of lumber and a list of building materials longer than the instructions in Sorry Sliders, you might even walk away with enough lumber to build that deck you’ve been talking about. 56 BEST OF MONTEREY COUNTY® 2025 montereycountynow.com/bestof Open 8AM-8PM Daily •831.324.4920 •SudzCyberLaundry.com 709 Lighthouse Ave. (Next to Passionfish) • Pacific Grove Monterey County’s Thanks for voting Sudz ’25 BEST PRICES on the Peninsula! ’14 ’15 ’16 ’17 ’18 ’19 Announcing 2 new locations to serve you! ’23 ’22 ’21 ’20 ▶ Ranked #1 on Google & YELP ▶ Helpful & Friendly Attendants Always ▶ Free WiFi & 3 Large HD TVS - 260 channels ▶ Free Organic Coffee & Tea Bar ▶ Free Magazine and Book Exchange ▶ Speedy Fluff & Fold Service ▶ Debit & Credit Cards Accepted ▶ 21st Century “quarter-less” Cybercard Technology Best Laundromat ’24 SUDZ Cyber Laundry Carmel Valley at 201 Mid Valley Center * 831-250-7511 SUDZ Cyber Laundry Monterey at 23 Soledad Drive * 831-717-3141
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