Aerobic shopping: Burn money — and calories — at six Sound hot spots

Pretend it's tomorrow — the morning after Thanksgiving — and you're trying to decide if you'll ever want to eat again.

The kitchen counter is littered with cranberry goop, the fridge is crammed with overstuffed Tupperware, and the barrage of chirpy seasonal jingles has already descended, like so many well-timed locusts, upon your television. The holidays are barely upon us and perhaps you're already feeling a bit like Scrooge — a chubby, overwhelmed Scrooge, who's seriously regretting last night's second helping of pumpkin pie.

Don't panic. We have some suggestions for you.

Jump-start your holiday shopping this weekend at six of the newest, trendiest and/or most interesting shopping places around Puget Sound — and do it while burning off those mashed potatoes: We include tips on how to stretch your legs as you empty your wallet.

At the very least, you'll discover a neat new boutique, cross Uncle Fred off your list, and, by the time you get home, you just might be hungry for leftovers.

— Haley Edwards, Seattle Times staff reporter

• • •

Pike Street on Capitol Hill

The place: The strip of East Pike Street book-ended by Boylston and 13th avenues on Seattle's Capitol Hill is a perfect place to shop for and with the under-40 crowd. While the neighborhood is certainly pocked with some grittier façades (The War Room's vodka-drenched wood paneling is not exactly inviting at 10 a.m.) and the independent coffee shops cater to an edgier crowd, there's something sweet about the shops on this strip. Alternative boutiques are eco-friendly, a fabric shop lures young knitters, and even the local sex shop, Babeland, boasts cordial customer service.

Hot Shops:

• Design your own T-shirt, sweatshirt or baby jumper at B-Bam Custom Tees, a do-it-yourself clothing design store that will emblazon any garment with the slogan or decal of your choice.

• R.E.Load, a bike commuter's heaven, specializes in bike messenger bags in every style, size or color — all made-to-order in the back of the shop.

• Knitting is the new big thing in the senior community. Seniors in college, that is. Stitches, primarily a fabric shop, offers an array of Cascade wool yarn that will make an aspiring craft-maven of any age salivate.

Counter culture: "You get an incredibly artistic group of people in here, in the whole neighborhood, a younger crowd that's really into doing it the way they want," says Leslie Lippi, behind the counter at B-Bam Custom Tees.

Caught my eye: For your pre-teen niece who's just getting into girly potions, pick up a box of Jelly Bath ($25 at Retail Therapy). The powder looks like laundry detergent, smells like a bubble bath but feels like Jell-O.

Buffing up: Shopping downtown, too? Try walking up the hill to Pike Street. (If you really overdid it on dessert, try out Samadhi Yoga's 2:30 p.m. Saturday class, which is free every week for new students.)

Snack attack: Are your calories already running low? The ticky-tacky tiki-meets-kitsch décor of HoneyHole Sandwiches somehow makes the toasty fare at this often-overcrowded hole-in-the-wall taste better.

— Haley Edwards

• • •

Ballard Avenue

The place: If Seattle neighborhoods were pastries, Ballard would be a simple chocolate cake: Everyone likes it, it's really hard to mess up, and it's nostalgic while not being old-fashioned. Old Ballard Avenue, a six-block stretch with a Northern European vibe, is lined with brick historical buildings that have been converted into watering holes, quirky vintage boutiques and home-furnishing outlets.

Hot Shops:

• If you had a legion of personal shoppers who culled through every thrift shop around Puget Sound and chose only the cutest used T-shirts, belts and jackets for your viewing pleasure, you'd have the selection at Twenty-Twenty, a quality five-and-dime.

• Second Ascent, a used outdoor-clothing outlet, is perfect for anyone who loves outdoor sports but can't afford the $120 long johns at REI.

• Billed merely as a clothing store for women and babies, Damsalfly offers a collection of funky bags, picture frames and jewelry made by independent local artisans that outdoes itself in every way except for price.

• Bark, a pets' boutique, sells handmade doggy treats ($1.99 Pupcakes), chew toys, kitty bowls and a selection of designer collars that would make even Paris Hilton's puppy envious.

Counter culture: "The place has got character. It's about the mix. The historical buildings, the people who've been here forever, and the hipster girls who've just started coming for the little shops," says Michelle Branom, a barista at Cugini Café.

Caught my eye: Any 5-year-old worth his salt will love a shiny red scooter ($90 at Clover Toys). Or stuff those nieces' and nephews' stockings with the shop's wooden tops, kaleidoscopes and cork guns ($1.40-$4) to make your holiday truly Norman Rockwell-esque.

Buffing up: If you're really feeling ambitious, head on down Market Street to Stone Gardens rock-climbing gym, where first-timers climb for free.

Snack attack: Several watering holes pepper Old Ballard Avenue, but only the frontier-themed King's Hardware offers hearty pub grub along with a haircut (the funky icon of hipster hairdos, Rudy's Barbershop, shares the space).

— Haley Edwards

• • •

Lincoln Square

The Place: The newest addition to Kemper Freeman Jr.'s gleaming triumvirate of money-making centers crouching around the busiest crossroads in downtown Bellevue, Lincoln Square has a 16-screen cinema, five restaurants, a hotel, plus a handful of home furnishing shops. Expect slate floors, a three-story waterfall wall and art glass out the Chihuly.

Hot shops:

• Bombay, the chain of interior décor and gift shops, offers a steamer-trunkful of under-$100 gifts for the home. Expect glowing woods and lacquers (and they could teach IKEA a thing or two about veneers).

• Vino 100 features 100 artisan wines from around the world, grouped by body, color and flavor — from "white, light and fruitiest" to "red, dry and fullest."

Counter culture: "If people have a little wait for a table at one of the restaurants or arrive early for a movie, they can come look around," invites Bombay's Richard Gentry.

Caught my eye: Your wife might need the Muriel Jewelry Box, with ebony finish, brass trim and glass top ($49 at Bombay). You've won the lottery? Your teenage daughter with the zebra-stripe coat might like the Duke's Host Chair by Ralph Lauren, with zebra-pattern upholstery and gilded arms carved in cornucopia designs ($6,015 minus a 25 percent discount at Henredon furniture gallery).

Buffing up: It's Bellevue; you're supposed to drive. But you can always take the stairs instead of the escalator: It's 79 steps to the third floor.

Snack attack: A mug of hojicha (heavily roasted green tea) and an azuki-bean brioche at Koots Green Tea: about $5. Or duck into Maggiano's Little Italy for a Meatball Sandwich, $8.95. Don't miss lobby photos of Bellevue from the 1930s to 1950s.

— Brian J. Cantwell, Northwest Weekend editor

• • •

Seattle premium outlets

The Place: Just off Interstate 5 next to Tulalip Casino, this 18-month-old complex of more than 100 outlet stores dazzles with designer names and prestige retailers, all huddled beneath canvas awnings like sails billowing in a fresh northerly.

Hot shops:

• A Gap store is a Gap store is a Gap store — until you step inside and "30 percent off" signs sprout like Scotch broom on a freeway median.

• Restoration Hardware is chockablock with the same fancy furniture and housewares you'll find downtown. But a retro-style Teac record player with Edsel-like chrome grill was chopped to $104.99, down from $150.

• It's like a name-dropping cocktail party of celebrity retailers: Calvin Klein, Perry Ellis, Ralph Lauren, Liz Claiborne, Tommy Hilfiger, Kenneth Cole. They're all here.

Counter culture: "There's basically a store here for just about anybody," says Peggy Golden, behind the counter at Le Gourmet Chef, a kitchen shop. "And prices at most places are about the same or less than Target."

Caught My Eye: Your father-in-law who built airplanes might like the pedestal-mounted Pan Am China Clipper model, with props that really turn ($23.99 at Restoration Hardware). For that friend who's always reaching for the Tabasco, a bottle of D.L. Jardine's Blazin' Saddle habañero pepper sauce ($3.99 from Le Gourmet Chef) might help stoke the holiday fires.

Buffing Up: Park 'n' Walk. The casino next door has elaborate landscaping and fountains. Park by the leaping-orca water feature, and it's 450 brisk steps to the mall.

Snack attack: Lunch at Tulalip Casino's Eagles Buffet: $9.95.

— Brian J. Cantwell

• • •

Roosevelt Way and 65th Street

The place: Shop with a conscience in the Roosevelt district near the intersection with Northeast 65th, where a cluster of retailers encourage fair trade, spiritual awareness, educational gift-giving and healthy eating. This is feel-good shopping at its best.

Hot shops:

• Ten Thousand Villages: "Together we can invest in our world," is the motto of the Seattle branch of this national nonprofit that works with unemployed or underemployed artisans in more than 30 countries. Sip on a free sample of Colombian coffee and browse to the beat of Brazilian music. Buy a $3 Christmas ornament made in Peru or an $11 basket woven in Vietnam, and know that the money goes to support artists and their families all over the world.

• Science, Art and More: Backyard scientists, teachers, parents and kids will enjoy browsing through the bins filled with inexpensive items such as plush toys shaped like microbes (the $5.95 red blood cell is especially cute) and placemats that explain the periodic table of the elements ($3.25). Why give a kid a doll or a model airplane kit when he or she could spend the day after Christmas building a giant ant farm or making a clock out of potatoes?

• East West Bookshop: Much more than a bookshop, East West bills itself as a "resource center for conscious living." Established as a nonprofit by members of Ananda, a worldwide organization of churches and meditation groups, the shop is all about slowing down and nurturing mind, body and spirit. Incense and Indian music make shopping here a soothing experience.

Counter culture: "The people who live here are traditional Seattleites. They're well-educated and well-traveled, and they love to find things from other parts of the world that remind them of their travels," says Jennifer Jones of Shirazi, 6408 Roosevelt Way N.E., specializing in clothing and jewelry from Asia.

Caught my eye: Your mom, your sister or you will fall in love with the smart and almost weightless tote bags crafted from bamboo, silk and wood ($48 at Ten Thousand Villages) by a cooperative of Lao weavers. For your can't-sit-still 11-year-old nephew, the Disgusting Science Kit ($14.95 at Science, Art and More) promises hours of educational experiments designed to gross-out his sisters.

Buffing up: Park for free a half-mile away at Green Lake and work off the calories with a walk around the lake after shopping.

Snack attack: Long before Whole Foods moved into the neighborhood, the Sunlight Cafe was serving nut burgers and sprout salads to the health conscious.

— Carol Pucci, Seattle Times travel writer

• • •

Burien

The place: In "Olde Burien," Pleasantville meets SoHo. While urban rejuvenation is incomplete and several empty storefronts pepper the strip, most of the small-town business district exudes the comfortable confidence of good returns. Charming windswept sidewalks and a conspicuous absence of franchised names feels like something out of the 1940s, but locally owned specialty stores are packed with the hottest new threads as well as retro kitsch.

Hot shops:

• From the enormous stuffed giraffe that greets you at the door to the super stash of Silly Putty, Goodie Gumdrops toy store is a color-saturated gizmo haven.

• Packed to the gills with "European flavored" gifts, Poggi Bonsi is the place to buy anything from amulets to umbrellas. Two doors down, the eponymous kitchenware shop sells both whimsical and utilitarian kitchenware for the chef on your list.

• Gehl's Gifts is your ordinary ornaments-and-flower-arrangements kind of shop, but everything from crystal vases to pewter mantel decorations is consistently $10 less expensive than you'd expect.

• Grass Roots, a partially open-air garden shop, sells pungent potpourri, bulbs, indoor plants and an array of stylish garden wear perfect for anyone whose green thumbs don't fade during the winter rain.

Counter culture: "The people are very friendly and very pro-Burien — They just want to make people comfortable, offer them a lot of choices and make sure they come back next time!" says Joe Scott, behind the counter at Gehl's Gifts.

Caught my eye: A red-and-white polka-dotted, retro-hip apron ($35.95 at Poggi Bonsi) is perfect for your old college roommate — the only gal you know who can make baking Christmas cookies look like an act of feminism. The spicy El Paso Chile Co. box of premixed chili seasonings ($7 at Gehl's Gifts) will keep your new-to-the-Northwest co-worker warm for the winter.

Buffing up: Most of the area's shops are concentrated in the few blocks west of Ambaum Boulevard Southwest on Southwest 152nd Street, but to work off that extra ladle of gravy, hoof it down to First Avenue South. On the way, you'll find some great consignment stores, like Sugar Plum's, which specializes in kids' clothes and toys.

Snack attack: The Tin Room, an old metal shop converted into a bar and restaurant, will lure you in with homemade sausage, hot buttered rum and a hefty dose of nostalgia. The freshly packed sausage is also available next door in gift baskets at Dan the Sausage Man, a foodie's boutique.

— Haley Edwards