Best Antiques Store
1. Sheffield Antiques Mall
2. Flashback
3. Palladio — tie — Antique Warehouse Mall
Sheffield Antiques Mall has it all. You can design your home with “chic, unique antiques” or consign your own pieces. They can also custom-build furniture. And, of course, they offer the four Rs: repair, restore, reupholster, and research. If you get tuckered out while you’re there, you can stop and eat at Ronnie Grisanti’s Italian Restaurant inside the mall.
Best Bicycle Shop
1. Peddler Bike Shop
2. Outdoors, Inc.
3. Bikes Plus
Now that the Greenline and bicycle lanes are things of the present, you ought to take advantage of them. Ride along to any of Peddler Bike Shop’s four locations, and they’ll get you a fresh pair of wheels in no time.
Justin Fox Burks
Burke’s Book Store
Best Bookstore
BOM 1. Burke’s Book Store
2. Tiger Bookstore
3. 901 Comics
When in the Cooper-Young area, we highly suggest grabbing a coffee from around the corner and then slipping into Burke’s Book Store to check out their unique book collection full of new, used, and hard-to-find books.
Best Creative Agency
1. Archer Malmo
2. Farmhouse
3. Hemline — tie — Ray Rico Freelance
Jack of all trades. Artsy PR. The Swiss Army knife of PR. Whatever you wanna call it, Archer Malmo will help your company or organization succeed in any way it needs, whether it’s data analysis, research, building a website, social media, PR, event planning, advertising, marketing, or video/audio/print production.
Best Event Rental Venue
1. Memphis Botanic Garden
2. Dixon Gallery & Gardens — tie — Wiseacre
3. 409 South Main — tie — Annesdale Mansion
Want to host an event to remember? Memphis Botanic Garden’s beautiful scenery has already set the scene for you. You can book an inside venue or outside garden space for weddings, birthday parties, conferences, and everything else.
Best Farmers Market
1. Memphis Farmers Market
2. Agricenter Farmers Market
3. Cooper-Young Community Farmers Market
Memphis Farmers Market is doing it right. They’re a nonprofit organization that features local farmers and companies selling their food products and locally grown produce in order to educate the public about eating healthy. They make it fun by organizing weekly events, programs, and more.
Best Grocery Store
1. Kroger
2. Fresh Market
3. Sprouts
The grocery behemoth blankets the city with its stores. Not only are there pharmacies and gas stations, but the company has been serving up its ClickList service at several stores around town. With that, customers can order groceries online and schedule a time to drive by and pick them up.
Best Butcher
1. Charlie’s Meat Market
2. Porcellino’s
3. High Point Grocery
Memphis’ most dedicated carnivores know the first stop in getting their protein on is Charlie’s Meat Market, which is marking its 50th anniversary this year. The eyes widen at Charlie’s array of meats, from house-made sausages and Italian-marinated chicken breasts to ground round and their popular bacon-wrapped tenderloin.
Best Florist
1. Pugh’s Flowers
2. Holliday Flowers
3. Garden District
That cute little skunk is emblematic of the sweet floral prowess of Pugh’s Flowers, a company that has been beautifying the city since 1976. Fresh-cut flowers are delivered quickly with the promise of good customer service from start to finish. Pugh’s has four locations in town, fruit and gourmet baskets, houseplants, and speedy delivery seven days a week.
Best Garden Center
1. Dan West Garden Center
2. Midtown Nursery
3. Digger O’Dell Nursery
Dan West has a wide selection of the usual garden goodies, but it also has more than six decades of digging up the dirt on your questions about buds, bulbs, bugs, books, and blossoms. Just ask ’em.
Best Home Furnishings
1. IKEA
2. Stash Home
3. Frugal Home Finds
Some of the product names might look funny to us (SLÄKT, LISABO, NIPPRIG), but the Scandinavian chain wows customers with easy-to-assemble furniture and attractive housewares in its huge but briskly efficient warehouse environment. And then there are the Swedish meatballs. Gotta have the meatballs.
Justin Fox Burks
IKEA
Best Gift Shop
1. More Than Words Gifts
2. Maggie’s Pharm
3. Babcock Gifts
You might not know what gift to get for that special someone, but More Than Words can figure it out. LeeAnn McGhee’s store has jewelry, accessories, works by local artists, collegiate goodies — something singular for that single someone. Plus, they’ll put a bow on it — for free.
Best Hotel
BOM 1. The Peabody
2. Madison Hotel
3. The River Inn of Harbor Town
There was a time (1869) when you could get a room and meals at The Peabody for $3 to $4 (extra for gas light). Those days are long gone, but it’s still the place to go when you want to be seen sipping a little something in the lobby as the ducks splash about. It carries all sorts of designations, like “historic Forbes Four-Star, AAA Four-Diamond hotel,” and pretty much represents what it means to be luxurious.
Best Liquor Store
1. Buster’s Liquors & Wines
2. Joe’s Wines & Liquor
3. Corks Wine and Spirits — tie — Doc’s Wine, Spirits & More
For several decades, Buster’s has established itself as a tradition for those who believe that varietals are the spice of life — along with a host of other wines and liquors. Its large inventory is complemented by a savvy staff that can guide you through the selection and will remind you of the store’s slogan: “If we don’t have it, you don’t need it.”
Best Local Athletic Goods Store
1. Outdoors, Inc.
2. Breakaway Running
3. Fleet Feet Sports
Outdoors, Inc. doesn’t win this category by staying inside. For more than 40 years, the folks who work there have been going out to boat, bike, hike, camp, and soak up nature. That means they know of what they speak when it comes to gear that will do the job.
Best Local Bank/Credit Union
1. Orion Federal Credit Union
2. First Tennessee Bank
3. Regions Bank
If you’ve been around a while, you might remember the Memphis Area Teacher’s Credit Union that got started in 1957. In 2011, it morphed into Orion FCU, which is now the largest credit union in West Tennessee. It has more than 60,000 members and more than $675 million in assets. Locations are all over the city, and it has services to handle just about any banking need.
Best Local Jewelry Store
1. Mednikow Jewelers
2. Sissy’s Log Cabin
3. Las Savell
For more than 125 years, the family-owned Mednikow has promised the highest standards of jewelry. Top global brands are available for top luxury customers, but it also offers something for all customers who appreciate the timelessness of fine jewelry, gems, and timepieces. Mednikow has long been the example of a business that knows the customer comes first.
Best Local Store for Men’s Clothing
1. Oak Hall
2. James Davis
3. Dixie Pickers — tie — Lansky Brothers
Best Local Store for Men’s Shoes
1. Oak Hall
2. Outdoors, Inc. — tie — James Davis
3. Kaufman Shoes — tie — Lansky Bros.
For men looking to sharpen up their wardrobe, there’s no better place than Oak Hall. With over 150 years of fashion experience, the Oak Hall experts can find a style to suit your needs for any occasion with some of the hottest designer brands today.
Best Local Store for Women’s Clothing
1. Crazy Beautiful
2. Indigo
3. The Ivory Closet
Hop on down to Overton Square for Crazy Beautiful’s collection of funky and fun clothing. Let out your wild side with some true rock-and-roll throwback outfits, or take a step back with some more “chill” apparel choices.
Best Local Store for Women’s Shoes
1. Joseph
2. Cook & Love
3. Indigo
It’s not just the devil that wears Prada; any lady seeking some fancy new footwear need look no further than Joseph, with all the hottest brands just waiting to be shown off.
Justin Fox Burks
Coco & Lola’s
Best Lingerie Shop
1. Coco & Lola’s
2. Trousseau
3. A Fitting Place
What does it mean when your thoughts turn to bustiers, babydolls, waist cinchers, chemises, fishnets, garters, and steel-boned corsets? Gracious, don’t make us spell it out for you. But Coco & Lola’s will gladly guide you through things sheer and lacy to bring about the desired result.
Best Place to Get Vintage/Used Clothing
1. Flashback
2. Goodwill
3. Salvation Army
Take a trip back through the 20th century with Memphis’ best vintage department store. Stax aficionados, Elvis impersonators, and anyone looking for a wearable visual aid into the different stylistic decades will find what they’re looking for at Flashback.
Best Music Equipment Store
1. Amro Music Stores
2. Memphis Drum Shop
3. Yarbrough’s Music
Whether you’re looking to join a string quartet, play some classically composed piano arrangements, or unleash a smooth saxophone solo, Amro Music Stores has the instrument you’re looking for.
Best New Car Dealer
1. Wolfchase Honda
2. Jim Keras Subaru — tie — Wolfchase Toyota
3. Roadshow BMW
Aided by some stellar sales staff, consumers will have no problem walking out happy with some keys after a visit to Wolfchase Honda. If you’re set on a shiny new set of wheels, Wolfchase Honda offers the best of the Honda line.
Best Used Car Dealer
1. City Auto
2. It’s All Good Auto Sales
3. AutoMax of Memphis — tie — Collierville Auto Sales
Buying a car can be a trying process, but at City Auto, easy is the name of the game. Salesmen there are friendly, thorough, and don’t push customers into making a rash decision. The dealer sells cars and trucks in nearly every make and model at low prices.
Best Auto Repair
1. Steve’s Tire & Auto
2. Joe Stewart Body Shop
3. Barton’s Car Care — tie — Wolfsburg Automotive
So you’re driving down Poplar and your tire gets a flat. You can feel the dread wash over you as you ponder what the heck you’re gonna do. Have no fear, Steve’s Tire & Auto is here. They offer full warrantied automotive service and will get you where you need to go while your car is in the shop, whether by shuttle or rental car.
Best Pet Store
BOM 1. Hollywood Feed
2. Petco
3. Petsmart
Hollywood Feed has been dominating the pet scene for years with its incredible selection of natural and artisan pet food, treats, and accessories. If you’re looking for the most nutritious food, a snuggly sweater, or a bed for ol’ Spot, then Hollywood Feed is the way to go.
Best Place to Buy a Motorcycle
1. Bumpus Harley-Davidson
2. Southern Thunder Harley-Davidson
3. Indian of Memphis
It’s never too late or too early for a midlife crisis; take off down the highway with your own specialty Harley hog from Bumpus-Harley Davidson and don’t look back. Isn’t that what the American dream is all about?
Best Realtor
1. Ashley Onsby, Mid-South Residential
2. Todd Adams, Keller Williams
3. Leslie Zarshenas, Crye-Leike
Are you looking for a fast and effective resolution to your housing need? Mid-South Residential’s Ashley Onsby will find the right option for buying or selling a home in no time flat.
Best Record Store (new)
1. Goner Records
2. Spin Street Music
3. Shangri-La Records
Best Record Store (used)
1. Goner Records
2. Shangri-La Reocrds
3. Spin Street
You mean it sells great records AND produces them? Goner Records has been a staple of the Memphis Midtown music scene for years now, buying and selling all manner of interesting deep cuts, and helping get local artists featured more in the public eye.
Best Sex Shop
BOM 1. Christal’s
2. Inz & Outz
3. Paris Adult
Looking to liven things up a little? Christal’s has all the right tips and tools to improve romance in the bedroom (or wherever you like to go) and provides useful sex ed information. Really, nothing sums it up better than the store’s motto: “The Fun Starts Here.”
Best Shopping Center
1. Shops of Saddle Creek
2. Laurelwood Shopping Center
3. Carriage Crossing
The Shops of Saddle Creek — a “lifestyle” shopping center located at the edge of Germantown — offers high-end retail and dining options in a setting of decorative fountains and archways. Shoppers can find everything from makeup to leather purses to Apple watches. Some of the stores include Banana Republic, Brooks Brothers, Michael Kors, and Vera Bradley.
Best Specialty Food Shop
1. Dinstuhl’s Fine Candies
2. Lucchesi’s Ravioli & Pasta Company
3. Sweet Noshings
Dinstuhl’s Fine Candies has been satisfying sweet teeth in Memphis since 1902. With a trio of shops in the city, Dinstuhl’s hand-crafts assorted boxes of chocolate, peanut brittle, fudge, and chocolate bars. There’s even an entire Elvis-themed line complete with record-shaped chocolate treats.
Justin Fox Burks
Joe Stamp, No Regrets
Best Tattoo Artist
1. Joe Stamp, No Regrets
2. Brent Hale, Inked Memphis
3. Sarah Workman, Underground Art
Best Tattoo Studio
1. No Regrets
2. Underground Art
3. Trilogy
If you want ink of a BLT sandwich or a scene from The Magic School Bus, then No Regrets Tattoo Emporium is the place to go. And if you want a very life-like portrait of Jack Nicholson from The Shining, then it’s the place to go, and Joe Stamp is the person to see. When it comes to getting a seamlessly detailed realism tattoo or a portrait in black and white or in color, you will not regret visiting No Regrets.
Best Tobacco Shop
1. Tobacco Corner
2. Tinder Box
3. Whatever
Tobacco Corner in East Memphis is the place to get cigars, pipes, other smoking accessories, and fine writing instruments. Since 1969, many a friendship has formed around the Round Table — the spot in the store where guys sit, smoke, and shoot the breeze.
Best Alternative Smoke Shop
1. Whatever
2. Wizard’s
3. Cooper-Young Glassworks & Gifts
If someone tells you they are going out, and you ask them where, and they tell you, “Whatever,” they’re probably not just being nonchalant. Instead, you should just go with them. Whatever literally sells whatever, with a wide selection ranging from smoking accessories and incense to clothing and home décor.
