THE LIST OF this year's 152 winners in Los Angeles Magazine's Best of LA includes just one spot in Atwater Village: The Racket Doctor. Best Tennis Shop: A technician refurbishing an expensive Volkl C-10 racket at one of the eight stringing machines at The Racket Doctor wears surgical scrubs. Clerks selling Adidas Barricade shoes and Prince tennis shirts sport shirts labeled FASHION ICU. More than just a gimmick, the staff's wardrobe testifies to the level of service it provides to rank amateurs and ranked pros. Owner Randy Kramer opened the business in 1970 after working at a shop at Griffith Park's municipal courts. He prides himself on his vast inventory (cheap balls and top-of-the-line gut string) and informed employees (who advise beginners to buy intermediate-level rackets they can grow into). 3214 Glendale Blvd., Atwater Village, 323-663-6601, racketdoctor.com
LA Mag's website posts a sampling of other Best of LA 2008 winners. See all of them in August's print edition. |
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1 comment:
I've actually had two regretable restringing experiences with the Racquet Doctor over the years. The first with a stick not being ready when I was told to return to pick it up (and the personnel being pretty snotty about their FAIL), and the second time with another I showed up to pick it up a couple hours closing time (and about two hours after that until a tournament I was playing in), but someone in charge there had arbitrarly decided to shut down operations that day and I was forced to play with a back-up racquet. The next day I called first to see if they'd "decided" to remain open that afternoon and the kid I spoke with wasn't even the slightest bit apologetic in telling me that yeah, sometimes the places locks up early when it's slow. Best of LA? Pffft.
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