BEST BARTENDER
1st: Teege Braune, Redlight Redlight
2nd: Will Walker, Will’s Pub
3rd: Jeff Echegaray, Backbooth
BEST HAIR SALON
1st: Alchemy
2812 Edgewater Drive
407-650-8022
alchemyorlando.com
2nd: J. Bauman Salon & Spa
1043 N. Mills Ave.
407-898-9044
jbaumansalon.com
3rd: Nube Nove
717 E. Washington St.
407-246-5488
nubenove.com
BEST MUSICAL INSTRUMENT STORE
1st: Sam Ash
4644 E. Colonial Drive
407-896-5508
912 Lee Road
407-599-1222
samash.com
2nd: Guitar Center
12402 S. Orange Blossom Trail
407-251-6659
520 N. Orlando Ave., Winter Park
407-975-9119
guitarcenter.com
3rd: George’s Music
6817 Visitors Circle
407-352-8000
6585 Highway 17-92, Fern Park
407-830-4600
georgesmusic.com
BEST NAILS
1st: Queens Nails, multiple locations
2nd: Magic Nails & Day Spa, multiple locations
mgnflorida.com
3rd: InStyle Hair Nail & Day Spa, multiple locations
383 Alafaya Trail
407-275-9999
instylehairnailspa.com
BEST WOMEN’S FASHION
1st: Etoile Boutique
2424 E. Robinson St.
407-895-6363
etoileboutique.com
2nd: Dechoes, multiple locations
dechoes.shoprw.com
3rd: Dear Prudence Shop
2912 Corrine Drive
407-894-8941
dresssweet.com
BEST WINE SHOP
1st: Total Wine & More
2712 E. Colonial Drive
407-894-6553
totalwine.com
2nd: Tim’s Wine Market
1223 N. Orange Ave.
407-895-9463
timswine.com
3rd: The Wine Room on Park Avenue
270 S Park Ave., Winter Park
407-696-9463
thewineroomonline.com
BEST VINYL RECORD STORE
1st: Park Ave CDs
2916 Corrine Drive
407-447-7275
parkavecds.com
2nd: Rock and Roll Heaven
1814 N. Orange Ave.
407-896-1952
rock-n-rollheaven.com
3rd: The Drop Shop
2422 E. Robinson St.
407-895-5707
dropshop.com
BEST VINTAGE CLOTHING
1st: Etoile
2424 E. Robinson St.
407-895-6363
etoileboutique.com
2nd: Dechoes, multiple locations
dechoes.shoprw.com
3rd: Deja Vu Vintage Clothing & Accessories
1825 N. Orange Ave.
407-898-3609
BEST THRIFT STORE
1st: Goodwill, multiple locations
goodwill.org/get-involved/shop
2nd: Dechoes, multiple locations
dechoes.shoprw.com
3rd: Community Thrift Store
5456 S. Orange Ave.
BEST TATTOO PARLOR
1st: Black Chapel Tattoo Studio
693 N, Orange Ave., Suite 200
407-420-9636
blackchapeltattoo.com
2nd: Orlando Tattoo Company
11229 E. Colonial Drive, Suite 105
407-412-5922
orlandotattoocompany.com
3rd: Ascension Custom Dermagraphics
832 N Mills Ave.
407-898-2013
114 Semoran Blvd., Winter Park
321-972-8930
ascensiontattoo.com
BEST TANNING SALON
1st: South Beach Tanning Company, multiple locations
http://southbeachtanningcompany.com/
2nd: Sol y Luna Tanning, multiple locations
solylunatanning.com
3rd: Planet Beach, multiple locations
planetbeach.com
BEST T-SHIRT STORE
1st: Mother Falcon
817 E. Washington St.
407-423-3060
motherfalconclothing.com
2nd: Big Top by AKT
7612 University Blvd., Winter Park
(321) 473-7555
bigtopbyakt.com
3rd: Enemy Ink
enemyink.com
BEST SPA
1st: Ritz Carlton Spa
4012 Central Florida Parkway
407-393-4200
ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Orlando/Spa
2nd: The Spa, LLC
1903 N. Orange Ave.
407-898-7737
thespallc.com
3rd: Eo Inn & Spa
227 N. Eola Drive
407-481-8485
eoinn.com
BEST SMOKE SHOP
1st: Pipe Dreams
6325 N. Orange Blossom Trail
407-445-3939
2921 S. Orlando Drive, Sanford
407-302-1717
2nd: Kathmandu
23 S. Court Ave.
407-316-0026
352 N. Park Ave., Winter Park
407-647-7071
3rd: Purple Ringer
1436 State Road 436, Casselberry
407-767-7441
BEST SHOE STORE
1st: DSW
multiple locations
dsw.com
2nd: Nordstrom
8001 S. Orange Blossom Trail, Suite 900
(407) 888-7889
3rd: Payless Shoe Source, multiple locations
payless.com
BEST SKATE SHOP
1st: Galactic G
2020 N Orange Ave
407-895-0410
galacticg.com
2nd: Ron Jon Surf Shop
multiple locations
ronjonsurfshop.com
3rd: USS Catalyst
12299 University Blvd.
407-380-7427
universitysurfandskate.com
BEST SEAFOOD
1st: Lombardi’s Seafood
1152 Harmon Ave., Winter Park
407-628-3474
lombardismarketplace.com
2nd: Whole Foods, multiple locations
wholefoodsmarket.com
3rd: Wild Ocean Seafood Market at Audubon Park Community Market and College Park Farmers Market
wildoceanmarket.com
BEST ADULT ENTERTAINMENT
1st: Fairvilla Megastore
1740 N. Orange Blossom Trail
407-425-6005
fairvilla.com
2nd: Premier Adult Factory Outlet
5009 S. Orange Blossom Tr.
407-857-2050
premieradult.com
3rd: The Blissful Lotus
817A Virginia Drive
407-446-4170
theblissfullotus.blogspot.com
BEST BICYCLE SHOP
1st: Orange Cycle
2204 Edgewater Drive
407-422-5552
orangecycleorlando.com
2nd: Kyle’s Bike Shop
203 N. Primrose Drive
407-228-7088
kylesbikeshop.net
3rd: Ace Metric Cycles
444 W. New England Ave, Suite 119, Winter Park
407-790-7802
acemetric.blogspot.com
BEST BOOKSTORE
1st: Barnes & Noble, multiple locations
barnesandnoble.com
2nd: Borders, multiple locations
borders.com
3rd: The Book Worm of Orlando
2400 E. Washington St.
407-898-7888
thebookwormoforlando.com
BEST CD STORE
1st: Park Ave CDs
2916 Corrine Drive
407-447-7275
parkavecds.com
2nd: Rock and Roll Heaven
1814 N. Orange Ave.
407-896-1952
rock-n-rollheaven.com
3rd: East-West CDs
4895 S. Orange Ave.
407-859-8991
BEST COMIC BOOK STORE
1st: A Comic Shop
114 S. Semoran Blvd., Winter Park
407-332-9636
acomicshop.com
2nd: Coliseum of Comics, multiple locations
coliseumofcomics.com
3rd: Sci-Fi City
6006 E Colonial Drive
407-282-2292
sci-fi-city.com
BEST CUSTOM BODY SHOP
1st: Rock Stars & Custom Cars
30 S. Industrial Drive
Orange City
(386) 456-5288
[email protected]
BEST DOGGY DAY CARE
1st: Ranger’s Pet Outpost and Retreat
1239 Minnesota Ave., Winter Park
407-894-4884
rangerspetoutpost.com
2nd: University of Doglando
12276 E. Colonial Drive
407-832-3763
universityofdoglando.com
3rd: Dog Day Afternoon
1015 Sligh Blvd.
407-835-9200
200 S. Myrtle Ave., Sanford
407-328-9205
dogdayafternoon.net
BEST DRY CLEANERS
1st: Best Cleaners
multiple locations
bestcleanersorlando.com
2nd: Acme Cleaners
multiple locations
acmecleaners.com
3rd: Parisian Cleaners
701 Virginia Drive
407-894-2655
BEST FARMERS MARKET
1st: Winter Park Farmers Market
200 W. New England Ave., Winter Park
407-599-3397
2nd: Orlando Farmers Market at Lake Eola Park
195 N. Rosalind Ave.
orlandofarmersmarket.com
3rd: Audubon Park Community Market at Stardust Video & Coffee,
1842 E. Winter Park Road
407-590-8776
apmarket.wordpress.com
BEST FURNITURE STORE
1st: IKEA
4092 Eastgate Drive
407-355-3155
ikea.com
2nd: 1618 Something Different
1618 N. Orange Ave.
407-897-6707
somethingdifferentretro.com
3rd: Washburn Imports
1800 N. Orange Ave.
407-228-4403
116 E. First St., Sanford
407-322-1449
washburnimports.com
BEST HEALTH FOOD STORE
1st: Whole Foods, multiple locations
wholefoodsmarket.com
2nd: Chamberlin’s, multiple locations
chamberlins.com
3rd: Hoover’s Market
1035 Academy Drive, Altamonte Springs
407-869-0000
hooversmarket.com
BEST JEWELRY STORE
1st: Victoria Jewelers
4876 New Broad St.
407-895-0047
victoriajewelers.net
2nd: Jared, multiple locations
jared.com
3rd: Kay Jewelers, multiple locations
kay.com
BEST LIQUOR STORE
1st: Total Wine & More
2712 E. Colonial Drive
407-894-6553
totalwine.com
2nd: ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, multiple locations
abcfws.com
3rd: Wally’s Mills Avenue Liquors
1001 N.Mills Ave
407-896-6975
wallysonmills.com
BEST FASHION DESIGNER
1st: Tammy Jo, Tammy Jo Designs
tandodesign.com/tammyjo
2nd: Lauren E Lee, Ensemble Pieces
etsy.com/shop/ensemblepieces
3rd: Jesse LeNoir (Project Runway contestant)
BEST MEAT
1st: Petty’s Meats
2141 W. State Road 434, Longwood
407-862-0400
pettysmeats.com
2nd: Whole Foods, multiple locations
wholefoodsmarket.com
3rd: (tie) Cavallari Gourmet
1954 W. SR 426, Oviedo
407-365-8000
cavallarigourmet.com
3rd: (tie) Freshfields Farm
400 E. Compton St.
407-423-3309
freshfieldsfarm.com
BEST MECHANIC
1st: Gene’s Auto Service
3025 Corrine Drive
407-645-1647
2nd: Wilcox & Son Automotive
62 W. Illiana St., Suite C
407-440-2848
facebook.com/Wilcoxandsonauto
3rd: (tie) Integrity Automotive
9777 S. Orange Blossom Trail Unit #22
Orlando, FL 32837-8976
(321) 795-0688
integrityautoinc.biz
3rd: (tie) Don’s Autotek
2917 Corrine Drive
407-644-4482
BEST PET SUPPLY STORE
1st: PetSmart, multiple locations
petsmart.com
2nd: Pookie’s Pet Nutrition & Bow Wow Bakery
1980 W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park
407-622-7387
pookiesbowwowbakery.com
3rd: Petco, multiple locations
petco.com
BEST MEN’S FASHION
1st: Men’s Wearhouse, multiple locations
menswearhouse.com
2nd: Etoile Boutique
2424 E. Robinson St.
407-895-6363
etoileboutique.com
3rd: John Craig Clothier
132 S. Park Ave., Winter Park
407-629-7944
johncraigclothier.com
BEST LOCAL ETSY-ERS
1st: Moxie Apparel (by Etoile Boutique)
etsy.com/shop/moxieapparel
2nd: Tammy Jo Designs
etsy.com/shop/Tammyjo
3rd: Other Peoples Property
etsy.com/shop/OtherPeoplesProperty
Best old business that Just doesn't add up
Lust Cash Transactor
With its jarring name – it's a nod to 80-year-old store proprietor Mark Lust, not a quantifier of felicitations – and even more surprising business focus on machines that don't often factor into modern life (cash registers, old typewriters, adding machines), it's hard to find a better merchant in Orlando to represent the battle between what is and what used to be. Lust launched his Cash Transactor 35 years ago, before there were dust bunnies and the smell of pending obsolescence in his shop, and he claims that, at least at one time, business was booming. These days, a few kind visitors and irony fans venture through his alarm-rigged storefront, but generally speaking, he's just waiting for the right time to exit himself.
See, Lust's story is less about a down-on-his-luck former entrepreneur and the stacks of papers and devices that surround him than it is a David and Goliath tale between one man and a city with unrealizable dreams. In 2006, the city signed off on big plans for the blighted Mills-Nebraska lumberyard, which is adjacent to Lust's property near the corner of Virginia Drive and Mills Avenue. The so-called Mills Park – evidenced today in the sun-bleached banners heralding its imminent arrival – was to be a boon for the city and the lifestyle it was becoming increasingly fond of pretending it could afford. About 78,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space, 272,000 square feet for office space and 564 residential condominiums were intended to add up to a $350 million mixed-use paradise. None of that, of course, would ever pan out.
But even when the city thought Mills Park – and its original developer, Justin Pelloni – was a near-certainty, Lust was playing hardball with the city, reportedly holding out for $1.25 million for his 5,250-square-foot parcel. A series of negotiations either did or didn't happen, depending on whom you speak to, and in the end the city was left with a massive pile of dirt and a lone holdout in the form of Lust. Alleged pressure from code enforcement and several written back-and-forths with the city have yet to produce any real agreement, and Lust continues to operate his gadget emporium with a bent spring in his step.
"It's the planners," Lust says of the city. "They plan on things for the future when the future's not there."
He is, however, still waiting on his big payout.
Best place to pretty yourself up on the cheap
Aveda Institute
495 N. Semoran Blvd., Winter Park; 407-657-0348; avedaflorida.com
In our ideal world, we have all the time and money we need to invest in our vanity – leisurely trips to the spa, stress-relieving mani-pedis and frequent, gossipy appointments with our favorite stylists with whom we never spend less than $250. But we live in the real world, where sometimes you can’t wait until your next paycheck comes to tidy up your bedraggled rat’s nest, months go by between manicures and … what exactly do they do at a spa, anyway? That’s why we’re happy to have an Aveda Institute in town – everything’s cheap (haircuts for just $12 by students in training, $18 by “masters”), you can get all your beauty treatments in one cavernous space and did we mention it’s cheap? Sure, you’re entrusting your good looks to a student, but it’s only hair – it’ll grow back.
Best enabler of urban chicken farmers
Palmer’s Feed Store
912 W. Church St.,;407-841-8924; palmersfeedstore.com
Every hipster in town these days seems to have a chicken – better yet, a flock – pecking and clucking and laying eggs in a shabby-chic coop in the backyard. You can chalk that up, in part, to the fact that Palmer’s Feed Store carries an assortment of small barnyard animals – chickens, ducks, the occasional rabbit – in its downtown shop (which, by the way, is kind of a musty, dusty, one-horse town kind of throwback to the Orlando of yesteryear). In addition to full-grown laying hens, they keep racks of adorably fuzzy baby chicks. Pop a couple in your purse and bring them home today – they’ll be pooping out eggs for you in no time.
Best gas-station rebellion
Independent convenience stores still selling fake pot
On Nov. 24, the DEA announced a crackdown on the chemicals prevalent in K2, the so-called “fake pot” that was selling like hotcakes at smoke shops around the country. We sounded the bell on Christmas Eve, when the ban was officially in effect. But months later, it can still be found aplenty in small, independently owned gas stations all over our great city, and so we salute you, brave merchants of generally South Asian descent. You keep stocking the good stuff and we’ll keep respectfully asking to buy really expensive “incense.”
Best boutique on a budget
Goodwill Boutique
750 Orange Ave., Winter Park; 407-628-5553; goodwillcfl.org
Adding the word “boutique” to anything in the retail world typically leads to hiked-up price tags, but that’s not the case for the Goodwill Boutique. The fairly high-end thrift store, located just down the way from the ultra-spendy retail strip on Park Avenue in Winter Park, offers an affordable, donation-based inventory, much like its savings-store brethren, complete with evening gowns, fur coats, men’s suits, TVs, purses, shoes and more. And for this store, location is key: Since it’s located in the heart of affluent Winter Park, the store is full of trendy designer labels and never-worn, tags-still-attached clothing.
Best place to pull together jewelry and an outfit
Dear Prudence Shop
2912 Corrine Drive,; 407-894-8941; dresssweet.com
This store is a hybrid of two Audubon Park retailers: the Bead Lounge and Sweet Boutique. The front of the space hosts a vast display of beads and jewelry-making supplies for DIY types who like to make their own accessories. The back of the shop is home to a full lineup of women’s fashions: super-cute sundresses, sandals, shoes, locally made jewelry, sunglasses and some vintage pieces. The store’s owners update their inventory regularly and post photos of their newest items on Facebook every week, so keep your eyes open for the hot new stuff.
Best produce market
Eat More Produce
1111 S. Orlando Ave., Winter Park; 407-647-5292; eatmoreproduce.com
“A Canadian and a Brit open a produce market” sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but the Eat More Produce market is anything but. Ever since opening its Winter Park store in 2010 the market has grown from offering a meager selection of high-quality produce (both local and shipped in) to a full-service bodega. Now offering excellent wines, local dairy, dry goods and Boar’s Head deli selections at lower prices than the big-box competitors, Eat More Produce also takes pride in promoting local artisans like Olde Hearth Bread Company while continuing to carry hard-to-find produce like rondelle zucchini and purple asparagus.
Best place to dip your bacon in chocolate
Peterbrooke Chocolatier
300 S. Park Ave., Winter Park; 407-644-3200; peterbrooke.com
We’re not usually in the business of endorsing a corporate candy vendor that owns more than 20 stores spanning three states, but honestly, we can’t resist a store like Peterbrooke in downtown Winter Park where you can have your choicest slice of bacon dipped in chocolate. Your two options – milk or dark – are, to the untrained tongue, medium-grade chocolates, so choose your bacon brand accordingly. (The price depends on how much fudge clings to your bacon slice(s); both chocolates are $1.50 per ounce.) Make sure you bring some thick-sliced pork, unless you simply want a crunchy piece of chocolate with a faint whiff of bacon. If you don’t like it, you can always dump what’s left in your neighborhood pool.
Best low-rent shopping experience
Other Peoples Property’s Clothing Swap and Shops
otherpeoplesproperty.com
If you’re into vintage clothing or prefer to steer clear of the generic shopping-mall experience, you’d do well to acquaint yourself with Orlando’s Other Peoples Property. OPP [insert requisite call-and-response here] is an online boutique that specializes in vintage clothing from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, altered and updated to suit today’s trends – think shortened hemlines, capped sleeves and the like. Prices are a bit higher than we’d like to pay for used clothing, but we like that the money OPP takes in goes to a good cause: The company donates the majority of its profits to charity. And if you’re like us and love a good freebie, OPP hosts cool Swap and Shop events every three months where you can browse through piles of clothes that are completely free. For a $5 donation, anyone can take part: Just clean out your closet, bring the stuff you no longer wear and swap it for stuff somebody else brought. You might end up with one too many pairs of pants that you’ll never wear, but you can always bring them back to the next Swap and Shop and trade them in for something new.
Best flies on the wall
Orlando Outfitters
2814 Corrine Drive, 407-896-8220; orlandooutfitters.com
Audubon Park is Orlando’s hipster-central neighborhood, so it may seem an unlikely place to find a store that caters to the rabid outdoorsman. But Orlando Outfitters on Corrine Drive, a Bass Pro Shop-type store that caters to the fly-fishing crowd, is located right in the thick of it. In addition to more mundane fishing gear, Orlando Outfitters also has a huge selection of colorful, handcrafted flies: pink ones, plain ones, sparkly ones, ones that look like little mice. If you can’t find something pre-made that strikes your fancy, there are also supplies to build your own lures. Even if you’re not that into fishing, this shop is worth stopping into just so you can gawk at the impressive selection of flies on the wall. (Fly on the wall! Get it?)
Best place to get booted out
Stockman’s Harness and Saddle Shop
1820 Lee Road; 407-295-0331; stockmansharnessandsaddle.com
A homey, multi-room establishment on Lee Road, Stockman’s sells tack, clothing and assorted paraphernalia for riders both English and Western. Serious horse people know that saddles run into the thousands of dollars, which is why there’s such a huge selection of maintenance supplies, as well as an in-house repair service. Best of all, Stockman’s tack exchange buys and sells used saddles, stable supplies and even boots. Non-riders who are just looking for a form-fitting pair of jodhpurs, a well-broken-in pair of tall shiny boots, or a crop can find the authentic deal here – no questions asked.
Best mani-pedi
Koi Nail Spa
2025 W.P. Ball Blvd., Sanford; 407-302-3655
Local nail blogs (and yes, Orlando has a few) are generally devoted to DIY manicure-crafting, with their intimidating array of shatter finishes, splatter art, rhinestones and nail charms. But Kari Klein, puppeteer, reformed nail-biter and mistress of the Once Bitten Blog, recently recommended Koi Nail Spa to us on Twitter: “I do my own nails, but when I have someone else do them I go to the Koi Nail Salon in Sanford.” When you want a tiny bouquet of rhinestone-centered flowers painted on your toes but aren’t able to execute it yourself, this is the expert-anointed place to go.
Best new therapy
The Salt Room
1804 N. Mills Ave.; 407-965-3065; saltroomorlando.com
Isak Dinesen said that salt water can cure anything – whether it’s sweat, tears or the ocean. The Salt Room isn’t offering anything that will make you perspire or weep, just a “salt cave” (a big white room full of chaises longues) with a salt-air circulator and the promise that “halotherapy” alleviates asthma, sinus infection, eczema, allergies and other skin and respiratory ailments. It might seem illogical to pay for artificial sea breezes when we’re only an hour from the actual beach, but who knows – that hour behind the wheel might negate the therapeutic gains. It’s not cheap – about a dollar per minute unless you buy an unlimited pass – but at a certain point in the spring when the pollen count starts to soar, we’d consider paying almost anything to stanch the sniffles.
STILL GREAT A flashback to Best of Orlando, 2005
Best place to get small
Ron's Miniature Shop
751 W. Colonial Drive, 407-841-9333
WE SAID THEN: Need an Oriental rug that will fit in your wallet? How about a ficus tree as tall as your finger? Or a pizza the size of a quarter? Actually, "need" doesn't describe the fascination some people have for the tiny goods available at Ron's. If you want to see a little girl's eyes light up – even the tomboy types – take her to Ron's and turn her loose in the museum section up front, where dozens of dollhouses and shadowboxes are crammed together. There's a Chinese pagoda, a Victorian theater (with yawning audience, actors changing backstage, and a tiny Phantom abducting a tiny Christine in the cellar) and my personal favorite, a spooky-ooky Addams Family mansion. Those for whom shadowboxing does not involve jabs or fancy footwork can find everything they need to create, God-like, a minute replica of the real world – from furniture and figurines (OK, dolls) all the way down to bitty little newspapers and replica Roseville vases. Imagine the sick possibilities: a dinky re-creation of Marilyn Monroe's death scene, complete with little Pucci scarf, itsy box of hair dye, tiny vodka bottle and a spill of microscopic pills.
WE SAY NOW: This shop is still Polly Pockets' dream mall, where you can find anything from a tiny pink pig for 25 cents or a Barbie-sized mansion for $1,700, pre-assembled. We're glad some things never change.
