Penzey's is everything I never knew that I needed! I first visited their Pittsburgh location and was so excited to find one back at home. Our Cleveland location is far better than the one I first visited. The staff are so friendly and helpful and love to share their favorites in their stock with me. They're also really great at pinpointing exactly what you're looking for - I can describe what I'm cooking and what flavor I'm going for and they'll take me to exactly what I'm looking for.
Since discovering Penzey's about 6 years ago, not only have I stocked my own spice cabinet but I've also given several of their collections as gifts and I always get rave reviews from the recipients.
Some of my favorite Penzey's spices are:
*Pure Vanilla Extract Double Strength - made with double the vanilla beans
*Penzey's Cinnamon - a combination of all 4 of the cinnamons they stock
*Vanilla Sugar - I use this on everything! Toast, cookies, baking, hot chocolate, etc. So good!
I've slowly switched over from purchasing the cheapie spices and replaced with Penzey's. Their prices are very affordable and I love that they last so long and can be refilled. Check them out - I guarantee you'll be happy you did!