Month: September 2018

Justin Fox Burks

Best Bar

1. Railgarten

2. The Cove

3. Alchemy Memphis

In 2018, everybody goes to Railgarten. The primo live music selections and diverse entertainment options (beach volleyball! Ping pong!) have put it on top for the first time. They also make a mean meatloaf.

Best Bartender

1. Dave Parks, the Cove

2. Allan Creasy, Celtic Crossing

3. Vincent Hale, Dodici at Bari

He’s the captain of the pirate-themed bar of your dreams, master of the craft cocktail, and pourer of pints. Tip him, and everyone else on our list, well.

Best Beer Selection in a Bar

1. Flying Saucer Draught Emporium

2. Young Avenue Deli

3. Boscos — tie —Lucchesi’s Beer Garden

All we’re going to say about the Flying Saucer’s extensive draught selection is this: They have a beer search engine on their website.

Best College Hangout

1. RP Tracks

2. Railgarten

3. Newby’s

If you go to the University of Memphis, or know someone who goes to the University of Memphis, or know a vegan who likes nachos, you’ve probably been to RP Tracks. It’s one of those places that seems eternal, even when it’s changing with the times.

Justin Fox Burks

Best Dance Club

BOM 1. Paula & Raiford’s Disco

2. Lafayette’s Music Room

3. Rumba Room

Best After Hours Night Spot

1. Paula & Raiford’s Disco

2. Earnestine & Hazel’s

3. Alex’s Tavern

Best Nightclub

1. Paula & Raiford’s Disco

2. Lafayette’s Music Room

3. B.B. King’s Blues Club

The readers have spoken: Paula Raiford is the queen of Memphis nightlife. Raiford’s reign predates the Downtown Memphis revival, making it a true Bluff City original. If you’re down for a good time, you know where to go.

Justin Fox Burks

Best New Bar

1. Carolina Watershed

2. Atomic Tiki

3. The Gray Canary

Carolina Watershed is a cool space, no doubt about it. Set in grain bins with an enclosed garden-like patio out back. The water features and patio envelope diners in a wave of serenity backed up by an excellent beer selection and menu from chef Andy Knight.

Best date bar

1. Alchemy Memphis

2. Loflin Yard

3. Lafayette’s Music Room

Best Happy Hour

1. Alchemy Memphis

2. Bardog Tavern

3. Babalu Tapas & Tacos — tie — The Blue Monkey

Best Craft Cocktails

1. Alchemy Memphis

2. Hog & Hominy

3. Dodici at Bari

Taking the win in three very important categories, Alchemy hits all the right notes for a night out. With a half-price happy hour and creative cocktails like the Memphis Jam, a concoction of Old Dominick Honeybell, fresh lime, cane sugar, and a hint of local jelly, this Cooper-Young spot is a reader favorite.

Best Gay Bar

1. Mollie Fontaine Lounge

2. Dru’s Bar

3. The Pumping Station

Memphians love this historic haunt for its late-night DJ sets, perfectly potent cocktails, and eclectic ambience. Pick your poison at the bar and dance the night away until, as they say, the spirits go to sleep.

Best Jukebox

1. Earnestine & Hazel’s

2. Alex’s Tavern

3. Young Avenue Deli

Best Hole in the Wall

1. Earnestine & Hazel’s

2. Alex’s Tavern

3. The Cove

Always a good choice, Earnestine & Hazel’s Soul Burgers, topped with a perfectly simple mix of mustard and caramelized onions, are known as a middle-of-the-night pick-me-up to usher in a second wind. If the night is without live music, no worries. The E&H jukebox is filled with classics to please even the most persnickety patrons.

Best Karaoke

1. P&H Cafe

2. The Blue Monkey

3. Dru’s Bar

When Memphians are ready to grab a mic and belt out their favorite tunes, on key or not, their go-to is the beloved P&H Cafe. Don’t stop believin’ — their karaoke game is on point, and we’ll be there to kill it with our best rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Best Place to See Stand-up

1. Chuckle’s Comedy House

2. P&H Cafe

3. Minglewood Hall

Nothing heals the soul like a good, hard laugh. At Chuckle’s, comedy is king and our readers enjoy the venue’s lineup of nationally renowned acts — and resulting guttural laughs. Fun just got funnier at this Cordova gem.

Best Place to Shoot Pool

1. Young Avenue Deli

2. Highpockets

3. The Absinthe Room

The game is on at Young Avenue Deli, where the pool tables stay racked and packed. A pocket full of quarters and some geometric strategy line your night up for a straight shot across the green. Eight ball, corner pocket!

Best Sports Bar

1. Brookhaven Pub & Grill

2. Celtic Crossing

3. Bayou Bar & Grill

This neighborhood spot, where everybody knows your name, is loved well beyond its borders. Live music, weekly trivia, and sports on the big screens keep ’em coming in to hang with their favorite friends and bartenders.

Best Strip Club

1. Gold Club

2. The Pony

3. Purple Diamond Gentlemen’s Club

At Gold Club, the pole and patrons get plenty of attention. Whether stopping by for a strip show or settling in with a private lap dance, when our readers want a little risqué action, this is their happy place.

Best Casino

1. Southland Park Gaming and Racing

2. Horseshoe Tunica Hotel & Casino

3. Gold Strike Casino Resort

Here comes Rusty! If it’s gaming you want, it’s gaming you get at Southland. It’s packed with some 2,000 machines, black jack, roulette, and, yep, that great dog track.

Best College Gallery

BOM 1. Memphis College of Art

2. Box Gallery at University of Memphis

3. Lemoyne-Owen College

MCA’s solid exhibitions of work by faculty, students, and alumni — the popular Horn Island show is currently on view through October 5th — reveal the spirit to create art remains. We’ll miss the place.

Best Gallery

BOM 1. Crosstown Arts

2. David Lusk Gallery

3. Orange Mound Gallery

Who knew that an abandoned Sears building could be transformed into such a spectacular art space? But it’s more than just the architectural environment that makes this our readers’ choice; the curators have scheduled a full calendar of local, regional, and national shows. Through November: “Wish Book,” landscape photos on fabric by John Pearson.

Justin Fox Burks

Best Dog Park

1. The Outback at Shelby Farms

2. Overton Bark

3. Tobey Park

If you were a dog, wouldn’t you like a huge park, with 100 acres just for you, where you could shed that leash and run along forest trails and splash in lakes and wander through fields and roll in meadows and when you got tired and thirsty, you could find water stations within easy reach? Oh, and did we mention that you could bark at a herd of buffalo?

Justin Fox Burks

Best Park

1. Shelby Farms

2. Overton Park

3. Memphis Botanic Garden

Readers have consistently chosen Shelby Farms as best park. It was nice when it first opened, but major enhancements have truly made it the place to go when you need to get away from it all.

Justin Fox Burks

Best Family

Entertainment

1. The Memphis Zoo

2. Levitt Shell

3. Memphis Botanic Garden

It started in the early 1900s with a poor bear chained to a tree and is now home to some 4,500 animals. If you want up-close encounters with lions, tigers, and bears (oh my!), this is the place to be.

Best Festival

1. Cooper-Young Festival

2. Beale Street Music Festival

3. Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest

This is one of those events that offers something for everybody: an incredible variety of food, artists, music, and other forms of entertainment. Can you remember when Cooper-Young was just a sleepy neighborhood? We can’t.

Best Local Band

1. Lucero

2. Star & Micey

3. Mighty Souls Brass Band

The mighty Lucero are the people’s choice for best band, an impressive feat given the stiff competition. And the accolades are well deserved. Lucero is one of the hardest-working groups around, and their new album, Among the Ghosts, is a strong statement by a band whose musical muscles have been toned by years of touring, recording, and Annual Block Parties. For a distinctly Southern blend of country, rock, and growling vocals, Memphians choose Lucero.

Justin Fox Burks

Best Local Comedian

1. Katrina Coleman

2. Hunter Sandlin — tie — Mo Alexander

3. Josh McLane

Coleman is the co-creator of the addictive “You Look Like” show, which features the best of often vicious but always hiliarious comedic putdowns. As founder of the Memphis Comedy Festival, she’s also been described, in this very newspaper, as “the person most responsible for assembling the big tent of modern Memphis comedy.” Did we say she was funny? She is indeed.

Justin Fox Burks

Best Local Singer

1. Joyce Cobb

2. Amy LaVere

3. Marcella Simien

Joyce Cobb is Memphis’ Music Ambassador. At concerts, Boscos Jazz Brunch, or her own show on WEVL, Joyce’s amazing voice has made her a genuine musical legend.

Best Movie Theater

1. Malco Ridgeway Cinema Grill

2. Malco Paradiso Cinema Grill and IMAX — tie — Malco Studio on the Square

3. Malco Collierville Towne Cinema Grill

Those sweet, extra-wide seats, that fine choice of eats, the smart selection of movies make the Ridgeway the best theater in town.

Justin Fox Burks

Best Museum

1. National Civil Rights Museum

2. Pink Palace Museum

3. Stax Museum of American Soul Music

The National Civil Rights Museum is the place out-of-towners want to see first. The museum, located in the Lorraine Motel, is living history. It’s an unforgettable place.

Justin Fox Burks

Best Performing Arts Venue

1. The Orpheum

2. Levitt Shell

3. Playhouse on the Square

Best Live Theater

1. The Orpheum

2. Playhouse on the Square

3. Hattiloo Theatre — tie — Theatre Memphis

With its chandeliers, boxes on either side of the stage, and all the golds and reds, The Orpheum is also the most beautiful theater as well as a great venue for performing arts and live theater. The stage is perfect for touring shows, concerts, and other events. And the list of famous people who’ve performed there — just check out their stars on The Orpheum’s sidewalk.

Best Place to See Live Music

1. Levitt Shell

2. Live at the Garden

3. Lafayette’s Music Room

You can sprawl on the ground and even sip some wine or other beverage when you go to a concert at the Levitt Shell. And if you sit too far away, you can watch the action on screens on either side of the stage.

Justin Fox Burks

Best Antiques Store

1. Sheffield Antiques Mall

2. Palladio Antiques

3. Antique Warehouse

In its nearly 80,000 square feet of showroom space, treasure hunters can spend a full day looking for loot at Sheffield Antiques Mall. From knick-knacks and collectibles to art and outdoor furnishings, the mall’s 300 dealers have reeled in our readers since 1995.

Best Beer Selection (in a store)

1. Madison Avenue Growler Shop/Cash Saver

2. Buster’s Liquors & Wine

3. Joe’s Wines & Liquor — tie —Kroger

There’s a reason why 901ers frequently head to Midtown for a beer run. Cash Saver has an unparalleled selection (over 330 brands) of local, national, and international brews, and at great prices to boot! If you’re in the mood for more volume, the specially curated 30 taps at the Growler Shop provide a fresh option.

Best Bicycle Shop

1. Peddler Bike Shop

2. Outdoors, Inc.

3. Victory Bicycle Studio

With so many trailways and routes around Memphis these days, it would be a shame not to take advantage. Peddler Bike Shop keeps all the right wheels spinning, providing the best bike outlet for veterans and new cyclists alike.

Best Bookstore

1. Novel

2. Burke’s Book Store

3. Tiger Bookstore

Let’s hear it for Novel’s founders, who could not bear a Memphis without a locally owned bookstore. The space is small, smart, and has books and magazines galore for those who like nothing better than settling in with a good read.

Best Butcher

1. Charlie’s Meat Market

2. Thomas Meat & Seafood Market

3. Superlo Foods

That’s one fine piece of meat! We aren’t sexually harassing anyone, we swear. We’re just admiring the offerings at Charlie’s Meat Market — chops, tenderloin, roasts. You name it, they’ve got it. Even veggies! 

Best Creative Agency

BOM 1. Sauce Marketing

2. Archer Malmo

3. Neon Canvas

With a name like Sauce, this small firm has blended the best ingredients to garner their first-ever win as Best Creative Agency. Founded in 2007 by “Sauce Boss” Kim Garmon Hummel, the firm’s tools include brand strategy, market analysis, web design, and other services for NeuroSource, Mid-South Orthopedic, Fusion Fitness, and other clients.

Best Day Care for Kids

1. Lindenwood Christian Child Care Center

2. Memphis Jewish Community Center

3. Germantown Baptist Church Weekday Preschool — tie — La Petite Academy of Cordova

It’s a tough decision when parents are trying to find somebody (or someplace) to take care of their children, but readers obviously think Lindenwood is the next best thing to home.

Justin Fox Burks

Best Event Rental Venue

1. Memphis Botanic Garden

2. 409 South Main

3. Balinese Ballroom

From small to grand and from indoors to outdoors, the Garden can accommodate whatever your event. It’s been the site for some of the city’s grandest fund-raisers and most gorgeous weddings.

Best Farmers Market

1. Memphis Farmers Market

2. Agricenter Farmers Market

3. Cooper-Young Community Farmers Market

When it comes to fresh produce and handmade wares, the Memphis Farmers Market is the place to be. Open every Saturday from April to October in the Central Station Pavilion Downtown, this market is the perfect place for Memphians looking to buy the freshest produce and enjoy delicious foods from more than 70 vendors.

Best Florist

1. Pugh’s Flowers

2. Holliday Flowers & Events

3. Garden District

Quite frankly, we never thought a skunk would be the best logo for a florist. Well, that just shows what we know about noses. Pugh’s Flowers, in business since 1976, has been a reader favorite for years, with four shops in Memphis and landscape companies in Tennessee and Arkansas.

Best Garden Center

1. Dan West Garden Center

2. Midtown Nursery

3. Urban Earth Garden Center

It’s an unassuming place, jammed into a former gas station, but don’t let the humble surroundings fool you. Year after year, Dan West is our reader favorite. Need advice about plants, mulch, watering, shade, insects? Everyone who works here has a green thumb.

Best Gift Shop

1. Babcock Gifts

2. Falling into Place

3. The Broom Closet — tie — More than Words Gifts

Is there a bride in Memphis who hasn’t listed Babcock Gifts on her wedding registry? With a seemingly endless selection of fine china, silverware, cookware, pottery, and more, if you can’t find a gift here for the newlyweds, you just aren’t trying.

Best Grocery Store

1. Whole Foods Market

2. Kroger

3. Sprouts

Opened in East Memphis and with another location in Germantown, Whole Foods is dedicated to providing high-quality organic products — including food, household, and health items — to its customers. If you’re looking for a quick way to pick up something healthy and delicious, this is the place.

Best Specialty Food Shop

BOM 1. Dinstuhl’s Fine Candies

2. Cordova International Farmers Market

3. Viet Hoa

Dinstuhl’s Fine Candies is a perennial favorite for Memphians with a sweet tooth. And after five generations making cashew crunch, chocolate-covered strawberries, and other delectable desserts all with only the most wholesome ingredients, the folks at Dinstuhl’s know what they’re doing in the candy kitchen.

Best Shopping Center

1. Shops of Saddle Creek

2. Carriage Crossing

3. Laurelwood Shopping Center

Shops of Saddle Creek offer the savvy shopper a shopping center with class to spare. With Apple Store, Chico’s, American Threads, and Rise Biscuits Donuts all on the premises, the Germantown center has everything from technology to fashion to food all in one spot, offering a whole experience.

Best Home Furnishings

1. IKEA

2. Stash Home

3. The Find by Frugal Home Finds

If you want to furnish your home for cheap, you go to IKEA. Whether you’re in the market for a new bed or dining room table, IKEA has it. The massive Swedish store is a maze of furniture, decor, and everything else one might need in their home. The prices are reasonable, and the products never disappoint.

Justin Fox Burks

Best Hotel

BOM 1. The Peabody

2. The River Inn of Harbor Town

3. The Guest House at Graceland

Ornate interior, a rooftop with a view of Downtown Memphis, and of course, the world-famous ducks easily make the Peabody Hotel the best hotel in town. Marble floors and columns accented with gold decorate the hotel’s two-story lobby, drawing visitors into its historic grandeur.

Best Law Firm

1. Nahon, Saharovich, and Trotz

2. Baker Donelson

3. Ballin, Ballin & Fishman

NST gets the job done. The law firm has been around for 30 years, advocating for injured people. The staff is polite, efficient, and eager to help people get the compensation they deserve.

Best Lingerie Shop

1. Coco & Lola’s

2. Trousseau

3. A Fitting Place

Coco & Lola’s is bringing sexy back with vintage, contemporary, and exotic lingerie. The shop has lingerie for all occasions, from body suits to bridal whites to corsets. You’ll find garments made of lace, silk, leather, fur, latex, and fishnet in the homey Midtown shop.

Best Liquor Store

1. Buster’s Liquors & Wines

2. Joe’s Wines & Liquor

3. Kirby Wines & Liquors

They have everything. That’s what you’ll often hear people say about Busters on Highland. It’s like a mall for alcohol. Other than having the largest wine selection in Memphis, the spacious store has all kinds of craft beer, spirits, and even some staple mixers.

Best Local Athletic Goods Store

BOM 1. Outdoors, Inc.

2. Academy Sports + Outdoors — tie — Fleet Feet Sports

3. Breakaway Running

If you need a water bottle or some hiking sandals, Outdoors, Inc. is the best place in town to find them. They’ve got all the quality brands outdoorsy people know and love, like Chaco, North Face, and Patagonia. And the friendly staff makes the great Outdoors experience even better.

Best Local Bank or Credit Union

1. Orion Federal Credit Union

2. First Tennessee Bank

3. Southern Security Federal Credit Union

Banking is how it should be at Orion Federal Credit Union — secure and easy. The staff is efficient, knowledgeable, and helpful.

Best Local Fine Jewelry Store

1. Mednikow Jewelers

2. Ed Harris Jewelry

3. Las Savell Jewelry

At Mednikow Jewelers, where timeless, elegant diamonds and other precious jewels abound, everything that glitters is gold — or another hand-selected precious metal. Mednikow has a vast selection of rings, necklaces, watches, and other fine jewelry for every occasion.

Best Local Store for Men’s Clothing

1. Baer’s Den

2. James Davis Men’s Store

3. Oak Hall

A cozy boutique in Laurelwood, Baer’s Den offers the season’s best men’s fashions. They carry high-quality brands like Hugo Boss, Polo, and Citizens of Humanity. The racks are lined with all the wardrobe essentials, like jeans and button downs.

Best Local Store for Men’s Shoes

1. Oak Hall

2. Fleet Feet Sports

3. Outdoors, Inc.

Shoes from Oak Hall will make your feet happy. They’ve got the best selection of stylish, comfortable, and quality shoes for men in town.

Best Local Store for Women’s Clothing

1. Paisley Rooster Boutique

2. Baer’s Den

3. Indigo

Look smart and shop smart at this store with locations in Collierville and Arlington, although if you just can’t get out to either one, hit them up online and make your wish list come true.

Best Local Store for Women’s Shoes

1. Joseph’s

2. Cook & Love

3. Kaufman Shoes

Who doesn’t need a Valentino ankle strap for the evening, or a Louboutin glitter sandal, or a Gucci over-the-knee boot? You’d best hike on over to Joseph to treat your feet stylishly right.

Best Music Equipment Store

1. Amro Music Stores

2. Memphis Drum Shop

3. Martin Music

The fourth generation family-owned music store can get you a piccolo or a piano, some music to go with your choice, and service it as well. And if it was good enough for Elvis, B.B. King, and John Mayer, then it should be for you, too.

Best Pet Boarding/Day Care

1. BrownDog Lodge — tie — Camp Bow Wow

2. Dogs Rule Day Care & School

3. Barks and Recreation

Luxury pet hotel BrownDog Lodge and pet care experts Camp Bow Wow are where you can feel confident taking your furry loved ones. They’ll miss you, but they get to socialize with their pals, are well fed, and well taken care of.

Best Pet Store

BOM 1. Hollywood Feed

2. PetSmart

3. House of Mews

With half a dozen stores around town (and expanding around the country), this is the place to get your natural, holistic, and American-made pet food and products. And it supports local rescues.

Best Vet

1. Walnut Grove Animal Clinic

2. Utopia Animal Hospital

3. McGehee Clinic for Animals

The doctors and staff make your four-legged family members their number one priority. And now that its big expansion was completed earlier this year, the treatment, amenities, and care are better than ever.

Best Place to Buy a Motorcycle

BOM 1. Bumpus Harley-Davidson

2. Southern Thunder Harley-Davidson

3. Honda-Yamaha of Memphis

With five dealerships from here to Lynchburg, Bumpus provides everything Harley lovers need in new and used motorcycles, from service to support and including the most awesomely legit gear.

Best Place to Get Vintage/Used Clothing

1. Goodwill

2. Flashback

3. City Thrift

There’s a great satisfaction in getting compliments on your stylish ensemble and only you know it came from Goodwill. That’s good for the ego, great for the budget, and it’s all going to a good cause.

Best Realtor

1. Ashley Onsby, MidSouth Residential LLC

2. Todd “Too Tall” Adams, Keller Williams

3. Max Rubenstein, Keller Williams

Is it a buyer’s market or a seller’s? Doesn’t really matter since, with years of experience in the real estate industry, Ashley is a go-getter who dedicates herself to moving that property of yours.

Best Record Store

1. Goner Records

2. Shangri-La Records

3. Dixie Pickers

Not every record store hosts its own music festival or its own music label, but Goner Records in Cooper-Young is not your average record store. The little shop is so crammed with limited-edition vinyl, rock memoirs, and used CDs that it’s a wonder they can make room for a drum set when they host their occasional in-store shows. If you respect serious garage-rock riffage, go give them a visit. Tell them the Flyer sent you.

Best Sex Shop

1. Christal’s

2. Inz & Outz

3. Romantix

For a little something to add some spice between the sheets, Memphians choose Christal’s. And it’s no wonder. The selection is, well, massive, and the staff are friendly. The nighttime is the right time, and Christal’s is the right place — Memphians’ choice for Best Sex Shop.

Best Tattoo Artist

1. Anthony “Tony” Max, No Regrets

2. Jordan Epperson, No Regrets — tie — Claire Faulhaber, Underground Art

3. Sarah Workman, Underground Art

Anthony “Tony” Max has got skills with an electric needle. He excels at detail work, and he’s on staff at BOM-winning tattoo studio No Regrets. Maybe it’s time to finally get that shoulder piece you’ve been dreaming of.

Best Tattoo Studio

1. No Regrets

2. Underground Art

3. Trilogy

It’s reassuring to see the words “No Regrets” in big, bold letters on the sign before taking the tattoo leap. And this Midtown studio, Memphians’ choice, employs some of the best artists in town. So there are no worries, no regrets. Now just go get that sick zombie Elvis tattoo.

Best Tobacco Shop

1. Whatever Shop

2. Tinder Box

3. Havana Mix

Best Vape Shop

1. Whatever Shop

2. Create A Cig

3. VaporWize Highland

Best Alternative Smoke Shop

1. Whatever Shop

2. Wizard’s

3. Tater Red’s Lucky Mojos

Whatever Shop pulled a hat trick this year, taking first place in Best Tobacco Shop, Best Vape Shop, and Best Alternative Smoke Shop. The shop is always cool and dark and faintly smelling of incense, with something spaced-out trickling from the speakers. It’s pretty much the Platonic ideal of a little, tie-dyed smoke shop. But don’t take our word for it; go see for yourself.

Best New Car Dealership

1. Wolfchase Honda

2. Principle Toyota

3. Jim Keras Subaru

Do you need Clarity in your life? Then head on over to Wolfchase Honda for this hybrid plug-in. They can set you up in an Accord or Civic or whatever Honda model is your preferred wheels. Great service, too.

Justin Fox Burks

Best Used Car Dealership

BOM 1. Collierville Auto Center

2. City Auto

3. Gossett Motor Cars

Best Auto Repair

BOM 1. Collierville Auto Center

2. Steve’s Tire & Auto

3. Barton’s Car Care

It should put your mind at ease that the best place to buy used cars just happens to be the best place to repair them, if it comes to that. Collierville Auto Center is our readers’ choice for anything from a tune-up to a complete overhaul.

Best Barre Studio

1. Barre None @ Kroc

2. Pure Barre

3. Cardio Barre

Barre None reached the highest rung this year as our city’s fave place to stretch, sculpt, and tone their bodies. We like to move it, move it — and flex our our rockin’ bods at Kroc.

Best Crossfit

1. CrossFit Hit and Run

2. CrossFit 901

3. CrossFit Chickasaw — tie — CrossFit Memphis

With an emphasis on sense of community and elite fitness, CrossFit Hit and Run teaches exercise regimens that include aerobic exercise, body weight exercises, and Olympic weightlifting and offers nutrition counseling.

Best Day Spa

1. Gould’s

2. Pavo Salon Spa

3. The Skin Clinics

Best Place to Get a Facial

1. Gould’s

2. The Skin Clinics

3. Pavo Salon Spa

For more than 80 years, Gould’s has been a prime go-to spot to “treat yo’self,” whether

that be for a massage, facial, or other beauty and cosmetic services, so it’s no wonder they continually end up at the top of our BOM lists.

Justin Fox Burks

Best Hair Salon

1. Pavo Salon Spa

2. Gould’s

3. Rachel’s Salon & Day Spa

Pavo Salon Spa prides itself on quality and excellence, and it shows on their clients as they leave the salon singing to themselves, “I feel pretty, oh, so pretty.”

Best Hair Stylist

1. Sarah Coward, Pavo

2. Barbara Barnett Blakey, Dabbles

3. Kristin Watson, Gould’s

Pavo hair stylist Sarah Coward comes highly recommended on Yelp, Google, and, once again, on our BOM list for her level of care and attention to detail.

Best Nail Salon

1. Nail Bar & Co.

2. Gloss Nail Bar

3. Diva Nails & Spa

Shellac, gel, and vinyl, oh my! Nail Bar & Co. offers a variety of mani and pedi packages (for both men and women), and they even take groups and parties.

Best Health/Fitness Club

1. Salvation Army Kroc Center

2. Germantown Athletic Club

3. YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South

The Kroc Center is a community center, gym, church, and theater all rolled into one, and members from all walks of life can utilize its many sports and fitness programs, gym, church services, art and theater programs, and more.

Best Place to Get Waxed

BOM 1. European Wax Center

2. Gould’s — tie —Rachel’s Salon & Day Spa

3. Pavo Salon Spa

Hairy situation? European Wax Center has you covered (literally) with waxing options and skincare products for the entire body.

Best Tanning Salon

1. The Skin Clinics

2. Eden Spa & Laser

3. Southern Tans

The Skin Clinics have the whole gamut of skin services, one of those being custom spray tans, and our readers think they’re pretty darn good at it.

Justin Fox Burks

Best Yoga Studio

1. Midtown Yoga

2. Better Bodies Yoga

3. Delta Groove Yoga

Midtown Yoga offers a variety of classes, from Vinyasa to hot and aerial yogas, that help align and heal the body and soul.

Funnest New Thing

Call me basic AF. But Birds are fun AF. Will they *super official voice* “change the face of Memphis transit?” DKDC. They’re easy, fast, cheap, and a little dangerous (sounds like a pulp novel). Fight me, bro. I’ll die on this hill, until I bust my ass on one. — Toby Sells

Slowest-Burning Dumpster Fire

It’s been hard to watch Gannett gut The Commercial Appeal and drive our once-proud daily into near-irrelevance. It started with layoffs and continued with a rash of laughable-but-awful typos, and obliteration seems to be Gannett’s end game with jacked-up subscription rates. Memphians see you, Gannett, and we ain’t happy. — TS

Best Hire

The University of Memphis hired Tiger legend Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway to breathe life into a basketball program that had fallen on hard times in recent years under Josh Pastner and Tubby Smith. A former All-America at then-Memphis State and first-team All-NBA player with the Orlando Magic in the mid-’90s, Hardaway immediately signed the city’s top two recruits — Cordova High School’s Tyler Harris and Alex Lomax, who helped Hardaway win three state titles at East — and targeted none other than John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats among future Tiger opponents. Can one man — one Penny — fill seats at FedExForum when the likes of South Dakota State visit the Tigers on a December night? We’re convinced the answer is yes. — Frank Murtaugh

The Best Bookend to 2017

When the Confederate statues were removed from city parks late last year, it was the culmination of months-long efforts by city officials and local activists. The statues were symbols of an unsavory past. It was long overdue for them to come down and for Memphis to be propelled out of a past marred by racism and into the modern era.

— Maya Smith

The Best Gathering of People

On the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s death, thousands gathered peacefully Downtown to commemorate the civil rights leader. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen before in Memphis. People of all different shades stood side by side that day, paying homage to a man who quite literally died to make scenes like that possible. — MS

Best Class Pet

Many school classrooms have a beloved class pet: perhaps a cute little hamster, or maybe even a lizard? Kirby High School, however, took it to the next level by playing host to a swarm of rats. The school closed for weeks, and the district is preparing to divide the students up between several different schools until the new year. On a serious note, it’s an extreme example of the issues Shelby County public school students have to deal with.

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Samuel X. Cicci

Best Robin Williams Tribute

Dead Poets Society is a cinematic classic featuring a top performance by the late Robin Williams. During a trial’s closing remarks, Assistant District Attorney Joshua Corman decided to pay tribute by standing on a desk similar to Williams’ character, John Keating. What seemed to be forgotten amid the dramatic reenactment is that Keating is fired at the end of the film. Coincidentally, Corman’s website now lists him as a “former prosecutor.” — SC

Best New Sports Team

Memphis is about to turn into a soccer city with the introduction of 901 FC. The team will kick off its 2019 season as a member of the United Soccer League, the second tier of professional American soccer. With experienced staff in place and Tim Howard on board as an advisor, Memphis’ soccer contingent can’t wait for the season to kick off.

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SC

Best Demonic Dust-up

The City Council was up in arms over a zombie-themed mural overlooking Lamar by local nonprofit Paint Memphis. The mural, which the council called “satanic” despite no overt religious motifs, was deemed offensive enough to merit censorship. The only problem? The city scrubbed the wrong mural, painting over other, not-so-undead murals elsewhere. — Jesse Davis

Best Mural Meltdown, Part Two

Critics of the city’s (now aborted) plan to remove a civil rights-themed mural Downtown called the move “mystifying.” The mural, which is painted on a garage at the corner of South Main and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, depicts a civil rights timeline with historical figures like Ida B. Wells, but some perceived historical inaccuracy and the inclusion of the phrase “Black Lives Matter” had some officials questioning the appropriateness of the mural and calling for its removal. Thankfully, Mayor Strickland vetoed that “mystifying” idea.

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JD

Best Reason to be Optimistic: Student-Led School Walk-Out

Okay, so this is a fun issue, all about our favorites in the Bluff City, but if we’re being honest, 2018 had plenty of “worst of” moments on offer, too. But if there’s any reason to be optimistic, I can’t think of a better one than this: In March, students from around 20 high schools staged a school walk-out in protest of gun violence. Whatever your thoughts on a solution for gun violence, that such a big group of high school students got involved in such a huge way makes us feel pretty hopeful. — JD

Best reason to Listen to Memphis

Beale Street Caravan has recorded and broadcast some of the best live performances from Memphis for a while now, but this year, with “I Listen to Memphis,” they’re expanding and evolving. With performances from Negro Terror and Marcella Simien, the program is all over the map, genre-wise, and the addition of a video component puts the project over the edge. What better showcase for the musical diversity of the Bluff City? — JD

Best Contribution to Civilized Life in Memphis

Thanks should go to the Tennessee legislature (a sentence I seldom write) for finally passing a state law allowing alcohol sales on Sunday. No longer do Memphians wake on Sunday morning and think, “Oh crap, I forgot to buy booze yesterday,” which — let’s be honest about it — is a lousy way to wake up on Sunday morning. Now, thanks to the semi-enlightened hicks in Nashville, if you need to pick up a bottle of Maker’s Mark to take to your buddy’s NFL watch party, you just pop over to your local spirits store, Sunday or not. No more Blue Laws blues, praise Jeebus.

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Bruce VanWyngarden

Best Oil Change

No, I’m not talking about dropping off your Subaru for a lube job. I’m talking about CBD oil, the hemp-based product that is flying off the shelves of various and sundry shops around town. It’s purportedly good for relieving anxiety, inducing sleep, and easing various aches and pains, and until the day when our legislators see the light and legalize medical marijuana in Tennessee, it’s the next best thing going. It’s even good for your pets. — BV

Best Double Dip

Memphis City Council members Janis Fullilove, Bill Morrison, and Edmund Ford Jr. each won county offices in the August 2nd election. They had the option to resign their council seats immediately, thereby giving their council constituents a chance to vote on their replacements. Or, they could continue taking their council salaries for 90 days and also start receiving the salaries from their new county jobs — the ol’ double dip into taxpayer funds. Which option do you think they took? Hint: It involves two paychecks.

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BV

Best Close Encounter with a Rock Star

A lot of parents take their kids to the Memphis in May Music Festival, hoist them on their shoulders, and let them see the bands work their sonic magic. Some such parents, taking their kid to a Flaming Lips show, might even expect the wild onstage and offstage spectacles that the band is famous for. But no parent can guess that when Wayne Coyne launches over the upraised hands of the audience in his giant bubble, he’ll somehow be propelled straight to your child’s head, and (harmlessly) roll right over him. One can only surmise that, at that moment, the Lips won another lifelong fan in Memphis.— Alex Greene

Best Mechanically

Powered Musical Event

Since the digital revolution, all sounds have become possible, and, seemingly, unavoidable. A ukulele can be made to sound like an orchestra, a mouse like an elephant. But amid all this, older inventions persist. Take the Mellotron. A curious Rube Goldberg Machine of an instrument, it was developed over 50 years ago to play tapes of real instruments at the touch of an organ key. Because it uses motors, springs, and tape heads, every performance is uniquely tweaked. Packed houses at Crosstown Arts’ Mellotron Variations concerts this spring heard it, especially when a quartet played (probably) more Mellotrons than have ever graced a single stage at one time. — AG

Best Makeover of a Stately Midtown Home

Many live music fans had seen shows at the Memphis Music Mansion before, but few were prepared for the mise-en-scène that greeted us at the Harlan T. Bobo show. Designer Charlotte Davis used once-luxurious curtains to transform the spiral staircase into a wall-to-wall, velveteen tableaux. The focal point was the antique grand piano that had lured Bobo into playing there in the first place. Above the performers hung a crude portrait of “Grandpa Hector,” paterfamilias of the Bobo universe. Flanking the piano was a rather eclectic band, including vibes, pedal steel, noise guitar, and cellist Jonathan Kirkscey in his concert tux. It was the picture of decadence, and an ideal setting for Bobo’s songs of dissolution. — AG

Best Wave

Local Democrats not only reconstitute defunct party, but within a year’s time generate a genuine Blue Wave at the polls.

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Jackson Baker

Best Entrepreneur

Memphis entrepreneur Journi D’Khaos Prewitt decided, at age 16, that African-American youth needed to read more, especially about their culture and history. Thus was born Black Butterfly Beautiful, a monthly subscription box for ages 5 to 19. Each box is based on subscriber age, gender, and the month’s theme, and it contains a book, at least one product from a black-owned business, and other relevant items.

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Jon Sparks

https://blackbutterflybeautiful.com

Best Makeover

If you’re already “Best Chef,” “Best Restaurant” and “Best Fine Dining,” one would think you were at your zenith, but Kelly English closed his Restaurant Iris this year so he could come up with a new look and a new menu. And people love it. A generous-but-cozy bar greets guests as they enter the now darker but more magnificent-looking restaurant. Food-related paintings, including a portrait of English, grace the walls. And the food is fabulous. As English said of the new menu, “We’ve pulled in more groups of people that are represented around town. There’s a large portion of people who live here that have come here to make our community better and we take notice of that.”

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Michael Donahue

Best Views for an Existential Crisis

If you find yourself asking questions like, “What’s it all mean?” or “Where do I fit in?” don’t go laying all that heavy shit on some unsuspecting friend or stranger at the bar. Instead, bike the West Memphis trails accessible by way of Big River Crossing. You may not find any answers on the other side, but it’s peaceful there. And, for shifting perspectives, there’s nothing like an unobstructed view of Memphis, hovering on its bluff, like an island in a sea of green. — Chris Davis