Gift Guide	Shopping Grant Street by Geoff Kelly

Sweet Sound Music is the place to find releases by locala hip-hop artists—and the gear to match the music.

It’s not as there aren’t plenty of reasons to travel to Grant Street the rest of the year, no matter where in the city you live. But during the holidays, especially, those reasons multiply. Certainly Guercio & Sons (250 Grant Street) is worth at least a weekly visit year-round—it has some of the best produce in the city, dried pasta and canned tomatoes—the good brands—are cheaper here than in any grocery store, and the deli is incomparable, stocked with fine olives and cured meats, fresh mozzarella and a variety of cheeses and salads. All things you ought to have on hand for the holidays, when unexpected visitors are wont to stop by for cocktails and snacks. You can also load up on unshelled hazelnuts, almonds and walnuts for stocking-stuffers ($3 per bag), a variety of biscotti, wasabi peas, pumpkin seeds, cashews, sesame sticks—there are shelves and shelves of nibbly things to choose from, all of which will save you worrying what to put out for guests at the last minute. You can also pick up a panettone ($5,95)—an Italian classic for the holiday season—if it suits your taste. Or, for a truly impressive gift—designed to elicit love from nieces and nephews and loathing from their parents—an 11-pound chocolate bar ($34, white, milk or semi-sweet). Who doesn’t want that?

Guercio's will stock your pantry with everything you need for the holidays, except booze—which you can buy down the street at Frontier.

Across the street from Guercio’s is Sweet Sounds Music (257 Grant Street), a record store that specializes in Latin music and hip-hop—most notably local hip-hop releases, with CDs by local hip-hop artists selling for as little as $5 apiece. Sweet Sounds also sells the requisite gear: for example, a pair of Timberlands ($89), an oversized black parka ($49) and a New Era cap with a pro sports logo ($15). You’ll find similar wares at Fadel’s Prime Shop down the street, at the same prices, but only Sweet Sounds has the music. It’s a niche shop, for sure—one of the best places in town for hip-hop fanatics and one of the only places where you can find a wide variety of Spanish-language releases.

The parka is just $49 at Sweet Sound. Add a cap for $15 and you have an ensemble.

Down the street from Guercio’s and Sweet Sounds is Frontier Discount Liquor (121 Grant Street)—you will know it, if you don’t already, by the white horse parked on the sidewalk by the front door. Frontier is cheap, has terrific variety and offers one-stop convenience—beer and soft drinks on one side, liquor and wine on the other. They sell lots of beer by the keg, if that’s the sort of holiday party you throw, and they deliver. If your consumption is measured by the 12-pack, consider Saranac’s 12 Beers of Winter ($11.99). This seasonal special, which Saranac has marketed for 10 years now, used to be two bottles each of six varieties of beer, but now there are 12 varieties. It’s a nice way to stock your fridge. An easy gift for a connoisseur is an impressive-looking corked bottle of Belgian-style ale, such as Ommegang, Hennepin, Three Philosophers or Duvel. On the liquor store side, Frontier offers a reasonable, economically diverse selection of champagne—which is, after all, the most festive drink there is, and suitable for all occasions and virtually any meal. (Red with turkey? White with pork roast? Why worry—bring champagne.) You can go cheaper than Korbel ($15.99), though we don’t recommend it here; if you have the resources, or if you are giving a gift to someone who warrants an impressive show, get a bottle of Veuve Clicquot ($48.99) or Moet & Chandon Star ($41.99). Or you can opt for the classic liquor gift pack, ubiquitous in liquor stores this time of year. A boxed set of Courvoisier with six glasses, for example, will set you back a mere $29.99.

There are plenty of other shops on and around Grant—Spar European Sausage & meats (405 Amherst Street) for seasonal, artisanal sausages; Rainbow (110 Grant Street) for super-cheap fashion; Dibble’s Hardware (262 West Ferry Street) for a thousand and one necessary items—a tree stand for example—and many more. (And yes, you can buy—or sell—human hair at a couple of shops. It’s for extensions.) If you grow hungry while shopping, and if you’re not drawn to a sandwich from Guercio’s deli, you might check out one of the best lunch deals in town: At the Somali Star, $4.99 plus tax buys you a Styrofoam takeaway package of curried goat or chicken with gravy, stewed vegetables, a sambosa, a heaping mound of seasoned rice and a soft drink. Unbelievably delicious.