The Best Things to Do in Midtown Phoenix

A sneaker resale shop on Central Avenue that also stocks Labubus, those unsettling little monster toys currently colonizing every shelf on social media. Archive AZ is a buy-sell-trade hub for high-end kicks, mostly Nike-heavy, with rare past releases alongside current drops. The storefront is easy to walk past, which somehow feels right for a place that lets the inventory do the talking.

1. Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best High-End Sneakers · Best of Phoenix
2. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best High-End Sneaker Shop · Best of Phoenix

Every summer, somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000 Mexican free-tailed bats take up residence in a flood-control tunnel near Camelback and 40th Street, and every evening from May through October they pour out at dusk to eat their weight in insects. Park at the intersection, walk the canal, and stay quiet. The bats genuinely do not care that you exist, which is both reassuring and a little humbling.

1. Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Bat Colony · Best of Phoenix
2. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Communing With Creatures of the Night · Best of Phoenix

A gallery-shop in northern Phoenix where the inventory changes constantly because everything is made by hand and no two makers work the same week. Forged knives, blown-glass tumblers, ceramic oil pourers, and natural-edge cutting boards share shelf space in proportions nobody can predict. It's the kind of place where you come in for a gift and leave reconsidering your kitchen entirely.

1. Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Place to Support Local Artists · Best of Phoenix
2. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Place to Buy Local Art · Best of Phoenix
3. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Local Art · Best of Phoenix

The showroom occupies a restored 1954 Ralph Haver building, which feels less like a coincidence and more like the whole point. Red Modern Furniture deals in authentic midcentury pieces, no reproductions, so you'll find Eames, Knoll, and Saarinen chairs alongside Murano glass lamps and one-of-a-kind finds. Price tags are serious, but browsing is free, and the website even archives sold pieces for the committed window-shopper.

1. Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best Vintage Furniture · Best of Phoenix
2. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Midcentury Modern Furniture · Best of Phoenix

Flat-rate pricing by rack runs this midtown Phoenix thrift and vintage shop: $6 buys a T-shirt, $13 a jacket, and $20 is about as steep as it gets. The store's own flyer forgives the odd missing button by blaming Grandma's casino trip, which tells you exactly what kind of place this is. Vintage guitars hang beside the clothing racks, and the curios section covers old maps, childhood dishware, figurines, and board games.

1. Phoenix New Times 2025 · Best New Vintage Shop · Best of Phoenix

The name came from an old boot shop whose sign was too expensive to replace, which tells you everything about how Cowtown operates. It's a skate shop with a lived-in feel, stocking boards, trucks, and apparel for everyone from serious park rats to people whose knees have filed a formal complaint. Staff who actually skate work the counter, and the shop runs a nonprofit keeping younger riders in the scene.

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Skate Shop · Best of Phoenix
2. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Skate Shop · Best of Phoenix

A cactus-shaped shot glass and a roadrunner onesie in the same basket is a good sign that a shop resists easy categorization. Frances is a gift and lifestyle boutique tucked into a Camelback Road shopping center, stocking menswear, kids' clothes, home goods, jewelry, and Arizona-made finds alongside greeting cards and complimentary gift wrap, so you can walk in scrambling and walk out sorted.

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Place to Shop for Gifts · Best of Phoenix
2. Phoenix New Times 2023 · Best Boutique · Best of Phoenix

Natural fabrics and neutral tones dominate the racks at Local Nomad, a lifestyle boutique tucked into Uptown Plaza that stocks women's clothing, accessories, bath products, home goods, and a small kids' section. The edit skews breezy and warm-weather-ready, which makes sense given the setting. Buy online and pick up in hours if you'd rather not browse in the heat, though the store itself is worth the stop.

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Women’s Clothing · Best of Phoenix

Stinkweeds has been a fixture on Camelback forever, the kind of independent record shop where the staff actually knows what's in the bins. The focus leans toward indie labels, which means a healthy selection of local acts and obscure up-and-comers alongside the expected classics and new reissues. Vinyl, CDs, and the occasional find you weren't looking for all coexist here, which is the whole point of going in person instead of just opening an app.

1. Phoenix New Times 2024 · Best Record Store · Best of Phoenix