Consumer Culture

Imagine footwear boutique Sole engaged in good old-fashioned shoe-leather campaigning. Or Criminal Records mastering the art of retail politics. Or picture Inserection adult novelty store kissing babies. No, on second thought, scratch that image. Whatever the strategy, the votes are tallied and these and other Consumer Culture candidates have topped the Best of Atlanta critics’ list. (Of course, they’re joined on the rostrum by the many winners of CL’s Readers Picks; think of them as the loyal opposition.) And we say, to the victors go the spoils. We expect strong turnout for the winners, from such veteran public servants as Stefan’s Vintage Clothing to newcomers like B Chic consignment store. That said, we could hardly make sense of our own exit-poll data (why are mustard-stained hipsters attracted to comic books?), but that didn’t stop us from going all Zogby. So keep reading and prepare to be pandered to.

– Scott Henry