Category: Best of Memphis

Stubby Clapp

Best Backflip in Time

A baseball generation ago — in a year of innocence we knew as 2000 — a back-flipping second baseman named Stubby Clapp led the Memphis Redbirds to a Pacific Coast League championship. It was the inaugural season of baseball at AutoZone Park, and the sunshine felt permanent. Clapp played his last game for Memphis in 2002, though, and departed for various jobs as a player and coach over the next 14 years. But he’s back now. As a rookie manager in 2017, Clapp guided the Redbirds to a franchise-record 11-game winning streak and the most wins (91) for any Memphis baseball team since 1948. His Redbirds managed the unthinkable record of 13-0 in extra innings and won the franchise’s third PCL title in a five-game series over defending champion El Paso. Of course they did.

— Frank Murtaugh

Best Place to Hear and Play Jazz

I typically have no truck with organized religion, but, hey: That’s why God made Unitarians. The real spiritual experiences, for me, have always been musical. Most often while straining to see over a club crowd. But on the occasions that the Church of the River includes jazz in their Sunday service, what a gift to be able to see a barge snaking along the Mississippi out the wall-sized window while the sounds of reeds and bass and a piano — a real piano, by God — resonate around you. — Alex Greene

Best Reason to Tear Up at Christmas

Nut ReMix by the New Ballet Ensemble, a wholly original pastiche of Tchaikovsky, Duke Ellington, Booker T. and the MGs, and hip-hop. It always gets me right in the gut. Yes, my daughter has been up on the stage in recent years, but it’s the inspired re-imagining of Memphis as the backdrop to a magical realist, globe-trotting romance that really gets me, every time the marvelous Memphis Symphony Orchestra fires up a pitch-perfect “Green Onions.” — AG

Best Ambassador for Memphis

Cory Branan. Sure, I was playing bass for the guy, with the band backing his new album through 14 states. But every night, he sent us off to drink while he took the stage alone and played songs from his back catalog. And every night it struck me, as the crowd pulled in closer to hear it, that “The Prettiest Waitress in Memphis” is a perfect composition — seemingly plucked out of the ether. Perhaps it fell from a balcony on the Tower of Song. It may have a cracked rib, but it had everyone singing along, every night, imagining life here and that feeling of “what if?,” borne of a land where poverty and beauty frequent the same bar. — AG

Best Reason to be Proud of Memphis Politics

Steve Cohen. From keeping tabs on water contamination to filing articles of impeachment, the guy has principles, character, and ideals. Just what the Beltway needs. — AG

Best Newspaper Columnist Not In Print Much

Chris Herrington’s “The 901” column goes online at (duh) 9:01 a.m. on The Commercial Appeal website each day, and if you’re not reading it, well, you ought to be. The former Flyer music and film editor offers a smart and (mostly) concise look at the city’s news and events and music and sports that should be one of every sentient Memphian’s “must-reads.”

— Bruce VanWyngarden

Best Addition to the Best Thing That Happened Last Year

In 2016, Memphis opened Big River Crossing, which allowed joggers, cyclists, hikers, and just plain ol’ strollers to cross the Mississippi River on the Harahan Bridge. Now Arkansas has upped the ante with the addition of the Delta Regional River Park, which offers a six-mile trail along the river through vast low-land fields, with spectacular views of the Memphis skyline. — BV

Best Daily Giggle — and Outrage

Nextdoor.com offers a daily thread of accidental humor, lost puppies, “suspicious” teens, doorbell videos, hummingbirds, curb alerts, broken-into cars, missing newspapers, dog-poop-in-the-yard drama, stolen bikes, found kittens, ill-founded rumors, and every other possible human variant that can be explored in an online forum. — BV

Best Over-Hyped Event of the Year

The great eclipse in Memphis was … meh. Thousands of us got the glasses and waited eagerly to see the most spectacular solar event of our lifetimes. Only to discover that a 94 percent eclipse is more like a kinda, slightly, cloudy day. If we hadn’t sat out there in the heat and stared at the sun, we probably wouldn’t have even noticed it happened. — BV

Best Missed Opportunity

City officials could’ve covered up the statues of Nathan Bedford Forrest and Jefferson Davis right after the Charlottesville rally in mid-August. But they didn’t. They said they didn’t want a short-term solution. I get that. But boarding them up (which attorneys here say is perfectly legal) would have sent a clear message to the community: You hate them. We hate them. We want to do as much as we can to ease this pain as quickly as we can.

— Toby Sells

Best Unifier/Divider

The Tom Lee Storm. Hurricane Elvis 2. Hurricane Priscilla. The Memorial Day Weekend Storm. Or, as the National Weather Service called it, the Memorial Day Weekend Derecho Wind Event. Wind and rain power-washed Memphis in late May. Trees were down. Power was out. It sucked, but I loved seeing neighbors take care of each other. Rides were given. Provisions were shared. GoFundMe pages were opened. Power cords were run across streets. The only thing that divided Memphians that week was what to call the darn thing. (Except nobody anywhere ever calls it the Memorial Day Weekend Derecho Wind Event.) — TS

Best Low-Hanging Fruit

If a politician ever wanted to be brilliant at the basics, they’d make sure all city payments could be made electronically, at least with a damn debit card. It’s 2017, y’all. C’mon. — TS

Best Butthole Buzz

The only butthole-related scandal that mattered this year was ButtholeGate, of course. This mighty beast of social-media hilarity and hurt feelings rose in July from a Google review (yes, a Google review) of Imagine Vegan Cafe in Cooper-Young. ButtholeGate paralyzed Memphis Facebook and Twitter for nearly two days, and the story finally spread as far as The Washington Post (yes, that Washington Post). Before it was all over, the humor harvest yielded “Butthole McYodelTown,” a puckered logo for “Hole Foods Memphis,” and #buttholesoutforchelsea.

— TS

Best Smoke and Mirrors Show

As a reporter, sometimes you know you’re getting an agreed-upon, rehearsed line, not the unfiltered truth. That’s how it seemed with the quick exit of Terence Patterson from his post as president of the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC). DMC leaders and Patterson swore on the record that he wasn’t forced out or cajoled in any way. If not, Patterson must’ve had a career epiphany on par with Noah and the ark. — TS

Best Mixed-Use Development

Back in the early 20th century, the Crosstown building housed a Sears retail establishment and warehouse (among other things). However, by the early 1990s, the 1,000,000-plus-square-foot building was completely abandoned, and for a while it looked like a huge haunted house. Beginning in 2010, community leaders and members started working on the building’s redevelopment. One could realistically spend most (if not all) of their days in this building. They could simply rent an apartment, work in one of the office spaces, and do most of their errands and spend their leisure time — like grocery shopping, going out to eat, going to the gym — all in the same building. Sounds like a cool deal to me.

— Julia Baker

Best Vibe

It’s the neon lights of Beale Street, the tourists with fanny packs around their waists and cameras hanging from their necks, and business people dressed their best; the live jazz and blues music playing on Beale; and the aroma of Memphis barbecue from places like Central BBQ, Blues City Cafe, and Rendezvous. Then there’s the much more tranquil vibe of Tom Lee Park, with the breeze that flows ever so gently through your hair and the breathtaking views of the river, Hernando de Soto Bridge, and the Pyramid. There’s just no place like downtown Memphis. — Julia Baker

Katori Hall

Best Homecoming

Memphis has an Olivier-winning playwright and Broadway veteran calling the artistic shots for one of its most ambitious theater companies. With plays like Hurt Village and The Mountaintop, Craigmont grad Katori Hall took authentic Memphis in all its gritty, messed-up glory to the world. Now, as the newly installed artistic director of the Hattiloo Theatre, she’s bringing a little of the world back home.

— Chris Davis

Best Reason to Buy Your Drive-Thru Tops ‘Cue by the Pound Instead of by the Sandwich

Leftover barbecue omelettes cure everything from the hongry to the hangry, not to mention hangovers. Go ahead and stir in some spinach if it makes you feel better about yourself. — CD

Best reason not to share an apartment with Andy Wise

No words, just read the screen capture. — CD

Best Memphis Related Closed Captioning Typo

Sun Records may not have been renewed for a second season, but a captioning error transforming “Hotter than Memphis asphalt” to “Hotter than Memphis ass farm” will live in idiomatic perpetuity. — CD

Best Additions to Memphis’ Animal Kingdom Hall of Fame

2017 will go down in history as the year that Frayser Bear and the mysterious creature identified by WREG’s senior weird animal correspondent Kelsey Ott as “we believe it’s a young albino raccoon” joined a proud cadre of beasts like Midtown Coyote, the High Point Murder Owl, Al Green’s cows, and Hugh Manatee. — CD

Best John Daly-related Twitter Search

“John Daly,” Renaissance painting. You get stuff like …

Best Reason to Close a Street

If you’re going to close down a good portion of a busy downtown street, you might as well paint basketball courts and a skating rink on it, add some cool lights and plants, make it free, and call it RiverPlay. That’s what happened on Riverside this summer thanks to the national Reimagining Civic Commons initiative. It was colorful, different, and fun. — Maya Smith

Best Worst Mass Hysteria

The Great Z-Bo MLGW Panic of 2017: After much-beloved Grizzly Zach Randolph was signed by the Sacramento Kings, many wondered whether he would keep up his philanthropic efforts around town (such as the Zach Randolph Community Assistance Fund). In July of 2017, a mass hysteria caused by a software glitch on MLGW payment kiosks made many Memphians believe Randolph had paid their utility bills, despite insistences from MLGW and from the Grizzlies that it wasn’t the case.

It was funny for a little bit, but also a reflection of how even though Memphis’ utilities are relatively affordable, that bill is still a huge burden to many of our poorest fellow Memphians, and an indictment of how easy it is to spread false information on Facebook when the information seems too good to be true. Randolph is gone, though his Community Assistance Fund remains, but it seems unlikely that he’s going to pay 90 percent of the utility bill of thousands of Memphians any time soon. 

— Kevin Lipe

Best Retired (and Almost Forgotten) Politicians

Two, both of whom hug the stripe down the middle of the road, are Bill Morris, the former longtime Shelby County Mayor and gubernatorial candidate; and Dick Hackett, the ’80s-early ’90s Memphis chief executive best remembered in history as the white Mayor Willie Herenton beat in the epochal 1991 election to become the city’s first African-American Mayor. Morris was influential first as the young Sheriff who made sure MLK-slayer James Earl Ray was properly incarcerated and safeguarded for trial and then as the County Mayor who did more than anybody else to see that Shelby County got home rule and for racing everywhere imaginable by plane, train, and automobile along with Hackett to recruit industry and new business to these parts. Hackett gets kudos for that last feat as well and for the grace he showed in conceding his ultra-narrow defeat by Herenton without a call for a recount or a divisive court challenge.

— Jackson Baker

Best Retired (and Still Well-Remembered) Politicians II

There are three. (1) You have to give Willie Herenton his props for his pathfinding skill in first becoming Memphis’ first black school superintendent and then, after negotiating himself out of a crisis situation there, creating a united front around himself as the pathfinding consensus African-American candidate and winner of the 1991 mayoral race. And, for all the highs and lows of his 17 years in office, he had one indisputably heroic moment — his Horatio at the Gate resistance to the 1997 “toy towns” bill that got it reversed in court and paved the way for sensible legislation on cities’ expansion rights. (2) Harold Ford Sr., who, as state legislator and longtime Congressman, created the most enduring local political organization after the fall of the Crump machine — focused on his family, to be sure, but including numerous other public figures, white as well as black. (3) A C Wharton, whose shucksiness and good nature as Mayor were indispensable in re-stabilizing good will across political and racial lines in the jangled aught years of the current century. — Jackson Baker

Best Place to Pay Attention

It was brief as it was brutal. Yes, we’re speaking of the reign of terror of one rather small but vicious median at Overton Square. Reports had it that it took out 12 cars in one night. The city tried to tame it with reflectors and orange markers, and yet its neon crosswalk sign still tumbled. Then zip pffft quiet. But make no mistake, you drivers of Memphis, the median is still out there … waiting.

— Susan Ellis

Best Place to Catch Up on Your Reading

Remember that episode of Weeds where Nancy was stuck at the Mexican border and had to pee into a cup in the car? Do we need to be ready with a pee cup, do we need to bring a book or something to while away the hours-seeming wait at the light at Cooper and Poplar? Whhhhyyyyyy is it so long? — SE

Best Underreported Story

Janis Fullilove’s cat pillow. — SE

Best Tease

Why does Trader Joe’s have to do us like this? After years of yearning, they finally paid attention to us, only to draw back and say they’re not willing to fully commit quite yet. Whatever. We’ve got Sprouts now. (Over shoulder, mouthing, “Call us when you’re ready, TJ.”) — SE

Best Words

This one’s a tie between Grizzlies coach David Fizdale’s gloriously frustrated (that pen slam!), “Take that for data” and the to-the-point hashtag “#Takeemdown901,” the battle cry to remove the Confederate statues. — SE

Best Barre Studio

1. Pure Barre

2. Barre None at Kroc Center

3. Cardio Barre

Is it ballet, or pilates, or weight training? Yes, it is. And Pure Barre keeps it pure with 55-minute classes that promise flat abs, toned arms, thin thighs, and more.

Justin Fox Burks

Pure Barre

Best Crossfit

1. CrossFit 901

2. CrossFit Hit and Run

3. CrossFit Bartlett

CrossFit 901 was the second CrossFit affiliate in Memphis way back in 2009. Get in. Get fit. Then you can ask, do you even AMRAP?

Best Day Spa

1. Gould’s

2. Pavo Salon Spa

3. Serenity Day Spa

Best Place to Get a Facial

1. Gould’s

2. Pavo Salon Spa

3. The Skin Clinics

Gould’s is no stranger to Best of Memphis. And for good reason. Here since 1932, Gould’s is considered a pamperer par excellence. As for their facials, from power pore cleansing and rapid peel, to microdermabrasion and collagen, Gould’s has 12 ways to get your face done. And, yes, there’s an option for men.

Best Hair Salon

1. Pavo Salon Spa

2. Gould’s

3. Dabbles Hair Company — tie — Salon 387

Pavo’s owners want a sustainable and socially responsible culture with a focus on excellence in service. Our readers think they achieve that. Oh, and they like the way Pavo makes them look and feel.

Best Hair Stylist

1. Sarah Coward, Pavo

2. Chelsea Prince, Empire Hair Studio

3. Vicky Fong, Studio Ibitsu

Meteorologists can be wrong all the time. Not stylists. And Sarah Coward has walked the line for years right to the top of our list. Also, she “slays color y’all!!!” according to Instagram.

Justin Fox Burks

Crossfit 901

Best Health/Fitness Club

1. Salvation Army Kroc Center

2. YMCA of Memphis

3. Germantown Athletic Club

The Kroc Center really is everyone’s gym (and theater, community center, and more). It draws a diverse crowd of Memphians. And with child care, an array of classes, and a no-shame, community-built philosophy, there’s little reason not to go.

Best Nail Salon

1. Nail Bar & Co.

2. Diva Nails & Spa — tie — Gould’s

3. Gloss Nail Bar

Nothing shows folks you’ve got your act together like an expertly done mani and pedi. For that well-polished look, Memphians head to Nail Bar.

Best Place to Get Waxed

1. European Wax Center

2. Gould’s

3. Pavo Salon Spa

For those who dare to be bare, even a little fuzz won’t do. European Wax Center offers everything from a Brazilian wax to full-body waxing. Plus, they have a signature line of skin products to make you look extra smooth.

Best Tanning Salon

1. Palm Beach Tan

2. Tan-N-Go

3. The Skin Clinics

That glow you have, that sun-kissed look that suggests an expensive vacation — it’s from a trip to the nearby Tan-N-Go, which offers sunbed and spray tanning as well as “cocktail” tanning, a combination of both.

Best Yoga Studio

1. Midtown Yoga

2. Delta Groove

3. Better Bodies Yoga

Midtown Yoga offers all sorts of classes, from beginners to “Good Vibrations.” Everything to get your body and your mind aligned for a more purposeful well-being.

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.

Best Sports Team

1. Memphis Grizzlies

2. Memphis Tigers Football

3. Memphis Redbirds

This is a hardworking, blue-collar city, and the Grizzlies are our blue-collar champions. Nothing unites the city like the four quarters of a Grizzlies game — 48 minutes of high-fiving strangers and yelling “whoop that trick” at the top of your lungs. The energy that radiates through FedExForum when the men in blue and white take the floor is unparalleled.

Best Local Athlete

1. Mike Conley

2. Marc Gasol

3. Penny Hardaway

Memphis Grizzlies’ Mike Conley is a coolly confident yet curiously humble role model. When he’s not sporting #11 and making plays on the court, dishing out fancy passes, and breaking defenders’ ankles, he’s lending a hand in the community.

Mike Conley

Best Local Radio Show

1. Drake in the Morning

2. Steve Conley

3. Ron and Michelle in the Morning

Best Radio Personality

1. Drake Hall

2. Ron Olson

3. Stan Bell

Memphis loves Drake Hall and his show, Drake in the Morning, which anchors drive-time at 98.1 The Max. Featuring a mix of interesting and topical local guests, eclectic music, and time-honored classics such as “Dumbasses of the Day,” it’s no wonder Drake is a perennial Flyer BOM winner.

Best Newspaper Columnist

1. Geoff Calkins

2. Michael Donahue

3. Jennifer Biggs

This man is the real deal. He’s a been a column aficionado in Memphis for over 20 years. Read his column in The Commercial Appeal for insights on sports, news, and more.

Best Radio Station

1. WEVL-FM 89.9

2. 98.1 The Max

3. WKNO 91.1

Memphians can’t turn their radios up loud enough for the blues, rock, country, bluegrass, and other assorted tunes on WEVL. It’s the Mid-South’s only listener-supported, independent radio station, and it’s mostly run by volunteers.

Gary Parrish

Best Sports Radio Show

1. The Gary Parrish Show

2. The Geoff Calkins Show

3. The Eric Hasseltine Show

Gary Parrish’s radio show covers all things sports — collegiate and professional, local and beyond. His show’s got the inside scoop and insight into it all.

Best TV News Anchor

1. Joe Birch

2. Kontji Anthony

3. Kym Clark — tie — Mearl Purvis

Joe Birch is kind of a big deal. Memphis’ most-beloved — and quite dashing, we might add — anchorman is in his 39th year as a trusted local news source. We’ve known him practically our whole lives, and that type of bond means something to Memphians.

Best TV Sportscaster

BOM 1. Jarvis Greer

2. Glenn Carver

3. Carrie Anderson — tie — Pete Pranica

With 30 years at WMC Action News 5 under his lapel, Jarvis Greer knows Memphis. And when it comes to sports, especially as pertains to our beloved Grizzlies and Tigers, he keeps us informed, and we like that.

Best TV Weatherperson

1. Ron Childers

2. Brittany Bryant

3. Todd Demers

It was a dark and stormy night … and Ron Childers kept us informed and safe with all of the up-to-date reports.

Best Casino

1. Horseshoe Casino

2. Southland Park Gaming and Racing

3. Gold Strike Casino Resort

Horseshoe is the place to play with your money. With flashing neon, a well-appointed casino, and luxurious rooms, what more do you need? Add to that their ongoing lineup of world-class performers like Gladys Knight, Willie Nelson, or Herbie Hancock, and you’ve got a mighty fine weekend, with or without the kids.

Best Dog Park

1. Outback, Shelby Farms Park

2. Overton Bark, Overton Park

3. City of Memphis Dog Park, Tobey Park

Justin Fox Burks

Shelby Farms Park

Best Park

1. Shelby Farms Park

2. Overton Park

3. Memphis Botanic Garden

Memphis is creating a name for itself as a green city, and Shelby Farms is one reason. With over 4,500 acres, it ranks as one of the 20 biggest urban forests in the country. It’s so huge that it boasts several parks-within-the-park. That’s very happy news for dog owners, with 100 acres dedicated to unleashed romping. As for human recreation, it’s hard to compete with the vast expanses of trails, not to mention zip lines, boating, biking, horseback riding, bird watching, and more.

Best Family Entertainment

1. Memphis Zoo

2. Levitt Shell

3. Memphis Redbirds — tie — Pink Palace

Now boasting an elaborate new Zambezi River Hippo Camp exhibit, the Memphis Zoo treats its inhabitants very well indeed. Lush landscaping, expansive habitats, and a dedicated staff keep the critters content, as evidenced by those happy pandas, Ya Ya and Le Le. They are oblivious to the strife plaguing Homo sapiens, and you and your family can be, too. Go to their China exhibit, bang a gong, make a giant panda smile.

Best Festival

1. Cooper-Young Festival

2. Memphis in May Beale Street Music Festival — tie — Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest

3. Memphis Italian Festival

There’s something so Memphis about the Cooper-Young Festival. It’s in one of the greatest walking and biking neighborhoods of the city, it’s chock full of great eateries and shops, and it has a gazebo. And that’s all before the festival sets up. With multiple stages featuring the crème de la crème of the regional music scene, it offers delightful sonic surprises at every turn. And the tables featuring diverse purveyors of art and crafts give it a more up-close-and-personal feel than most music-only festivals. Four corn dogs, please!

Justin Fox Burks

Cooper-Young Festival

Best Gallery

1. Crosstown Arts

2. David Lusk Gallery

3. Jay Etkin Gallery — tie — Orange Mound Gallery

Few institutions have the breadth and depth of Crosstown Arts, with its vision of community-building. The galleries themselves host exhibits from every walk of Memphis life and are especially conducive to multimedia shows such as last year’s immersive audio/visual experience, “Swim.” All this is set to expand even further this fall, as the organization moves into a dedicated space at the Crosstown Concourse, which itself grew from Crosstown Arts’ community vision.

Best Live Theater

1. Orpheum Theatre

2. Playhouse on the Square

3. Hattiloo Theatre — tie — Theatre Memphis

Justin Fox Burks

Best Performing Arts Venue

1. Orpheum Theatre

2. Levitt Shell

3. Playhouse on the Square — tie — Germantown Performing Arts Center

The Orpheum is a gem. Set to celebrate its 90th anniversary next year, it connects concert or theater patrons directly to the finest performances of generations past. Beyond its luxurious design and decor, it boasts one of the few working Wurlitzer organs in the country, now the object of a restoration campaign. And with the addition of the Halloran Centre for Performing Arts & Education, it has a sister site for functions with more modern requirements. It’s a fine place to step back into the gilded age, or far into the future.

Best Local Band

1. Lucero

2. Star & Micey

3. Mighty Souls Brass Band

Now approaching their 20-year mark, Lucero has remained true to their original country-punk roots even as they’ve evolved and explored new sounds. And one would be hard-pressed to find another bunch of players who have remained as loyal to each other. This, and the inclusive largess of their family block parties, has made the band a Memphis institution. It’s telling that their longevity is built more on touring than record sales. They’re one band that has adapted well to the economics of the new music industry — long may they run.

Best Local Comedian

Justin Fox Burks

Katrina Coleman

1. Katrina Coleman

2. Mo Alexander

3. Hunter Sandlin — tie — Josh McLane

“I know what you’re thinking if you haven’t seen me before,” says Katrina Coleman. “‘How did this hyper 15-year-old boy get in here, and why are his tits so nice?'” Coleman combines such self-deprecation with an acerbic, spot-on eye for the habits and delusions that make us all stupider than we think. If her unassuming nature and homespun style say Memphis, her view of humanity is more like the Eye of God. She cuts to the quick; hilarity ensues.

Best Local Singer

1. Al Green

2. Joyce Cobb

3. Amy LaVere

With a new biography out and this year’s celebration of Royal Studios’ 60th anniversary, it’s highly appropriate that the Reverend Al Green should win the top vocal honors. Of course, with his angelic tenor, he is one of America’s finest and most innovative singers. And, along with Don Bryant, he is one of the last of the old-school soul men. In latter-day performances, he conveys classic soul shouter stylings just as nimbly as his own trademark intimacy. Here’s to Al Green, for keeping the faith and carrying the flame.

Best Movie Theater

1. Malco Ridgeway Cinema Grill

2. Malco Studio on the Square

3. Malco Paradiso Cinema Grill

What finer cinematic experience than the Ridgeway? The wide, comfortable chairs, the selection of finer quality concessions (and alcohol), the seclusion, tucked away in a corner below Poplar. Oh yes, and the cinema! For movie buffs with any interest in alternative and independent films, this is the go-to spot. Whether it was seeing Beasts of the Southern Wild there, or the premiere of Love Is Strange, the Ridgeway has played host to many happy celluloid memories.

Best Museum

1. Pink Palace Museum

2. National Civil Rights Museum

3. Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

As one of the city’s oldest institutions, it’s ironic that the Pink Palace Museum stands at the modern, cutting edge of dazzling edu-tainment. Beyond the rich historical exhibits, which can even make groceries seem fascinating, it also hosts a state-of-the-art CTI 3D Giant Theater and a planetarium. And as the organization has expanded, they’ve sponsored other far-ranging sites as well, from Lichterman Nature Center to Victorian Village.

Best Place to See Live Music

1. Levitt Shell

2. Lafayette’s Music Room

3. Minglewood Hall

The comeback of the iconic band shell in Overton Park is one of the great success stories of the last decade. This fall, acts as varied as Opera Memphis, North Mississippi Allstars, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and Southern Avenue will grace the same stage where Elvis debuted. There’s nothing like a beautiful night at the special place in Midtown’s backyard.