Melanie G.

Hillcrest Animal Hospital

Conveniently located in the middle of Hillcrest, right next door to US Pizza, the HIllcrest Animal Hospital has friendly, helpful staff that provide wonderful customer service. While they are busy, they can nearly always get you scheduled to come in on the same day and are very happy to accomodate any needs you may have, as far as when you drop your pet off and pick them up, etc. If you have your hands full, they offer to help you out to your car (a big plus if you're toting kids as well as pets!). If you're looking for a vet who is professional, friendly, yet easy to get into, consider the Hillcrest Animal Hospital.

Hillcrest Junk Company

Located right by the HIllcrest Kroger, the Hillcrest Junk Shop carries a good number of small decorative antiques. It occupies a former home and the entire lower level of the bungalow is filled with room after room of knick knacks, dusty books, old clothes, jewelry, and other miscellany. It is a crowded, busy-looking shop (not for strollers!) with a lot of stuff to sort through. Prices are quite high; much higher than one would expect from a supposed "junk shop". Even so, strolling through the shop can be a fun break after a grocery trip.

Crystal Hill Antique Mall

In the mid-1990s, when I began visiting the Crystal Hill Antique Mall, it was more of a flea market than an antique shop. Many treasures were there, but all were priced reasonably. In the past few years, with the rise of population in nearby affluent Maumelle, its prices have skyrocketed. It does have a wonderful selection of high-end antiques, especially glassware, jewelry, and breakable collectibles, but the prices are quite, quite high. For example, on my last visit, I saw a Beatles party tray marked $95; the day before, I had found the exact same tray (and in better condition) at another flea for $5.

If you want to look at beautiful things, by all means visit Crystal Hill; but if you want a good find at a good price, go elsewhere.

Carrie's Antiques Crafts

Southwest Little Rock's Carrie's is the largest flea market in the city, as well as the oldest. It is huge, generally dirty, most of the stalls are unkempt, but it is absolute heaven if you enjoy a good hunt. Merchandise changes very often, but they usually have the normal flea market miscellany, as well as a large selection of new discount furniture (located in the rear of the store). Most prices are fairly reasonable and Carrie's is certainly not as pricy as many metro fleas have become over the past few years. They have a public restroom in the rear and a snack stand in the front.

Competitive Cyclist

Bikeseller.com, which recently merged with Competitive Cyclist, has a decent selection of very pricey, high-end luxury bicycles. They are ideal for the seasoned athlete, but beginning cyclist should look elsewhere for their first bike, unless they have quite a large budget indeed. They offer a repair service, but are often backed up (and have, in the past, not had repairs done when the said they would be) and charge prices that are higher than other bike shops in the area. Their selection of helmets and cycling accessories is fairly good and they are generally priced competitively.

Chainwheel Inc

Chainwheel is a truly excellent full-service bike shop. They carry most major brands, such as Cannondale, Giant, and Merlin, and have many different models in stock at any given time. They also normally have a selection of used bikes at decent prices. They really excell in their repair; they are consistently much quicker than other stores and their repair prices are about half of what Bikeseller.com charges.

Midwest Womens Healthcare

I had my daughter in Spring 2005, with the help of the midwives at Midwest Women's Healthcare/Midwest Midwifery. They were very helpful throughout my pregnancy, though, naturally, the three midwives there at the time did differ in their outlook. They did their best to empower me as a mother, having me take my own blood pressure, weight, do urine tests, etc---small things that truly make a big difference mentally. Unfortunately, they were not receptive to my wanting a specific midwife at the birth; however, luckily, that did not end up being an issue. The midwives' cesearean and induction rates are much lower than the practice's as a whole, and they are very low-intervention. Finding midwives who are able to deliver at a hospital is a rare thing indeed and provides a wonderful opportunity for a mother who wants to experience natural childbirth in a supportive environment, without the risks (small though they are) associated with an out-of-hospital delivery.

Wild Card

Wild Card is a fun little shop with an eclectic mix of stuff: everything from greeting cards to jewelry, from housewares to stuffed toys. it is a great place to find unusual gifts and they frequently have clearance items. The staff is very friendly and helpful.

J Pruitt Shoes

J. Pruitt Shoes, located on Rodney Parham just west of the intersection with the freeway, is one of the older independent shoe stores in Little Rock which is still operating. They carry a wide variety of European shoes (Dansko, Mephisto, Birkenstock, etc). The staff is very helpful and does wait on you (a big change from most shoe stores these days!), though prices are generally high and sales rare.

Ozark Outdoor

This is a great outdoors store, though calling it that is a bit misleading. The bulk of Ozark Outdoor's products is made up of clothing which is just as at home on the street as in the woods. They have most of the big sportswear names (Columbia, Patagonia, Ex Officio, etc) and also have a good selection of footwear (one of the only Keen dealers in Arkansas). Sales are rare, but they do have end-of-season clearance.