Current's Readers Choice 2012

You, the reader, have once again spoken. And what we got from the 2012 Best of Wastenaw County: Readers Choice is a healthy mix of newbies and perpetual champions; showing that new lifeblood is always flowing through our community, yet a backbone of venerable establishments still stands strong.

Local Color

Best New Slogan for Ann Arbor
Buy local        
Runner Up:
We got A2tude
Summer Year Round

Local Non Profit
Food Gatherers
1 Carrot Way, Ann Arbor Township
734 761-2796
www.foodgatherers.org
Runner Up:
Growing Hope

Do Gooder
Priscilla Fisher
Runner Up:
Avalon Housing

Politician
Mayor John Heiffe
Runner Up:
State Rep. Jeff Irwin

Tourist Attraction
The Big House/ U of M Stadium
1 E. Stadium Blvd.
www.mgoblue.com
Runner Up:
Hands on Museum

Place to See Someone Famous
Zingerman’s Deli
422 Detroit St.
734 663-3354
www.zingermans.com
Runner Up:
The Big House/U of M Stadium

Ann-Arborite in Need of a Reality Show
Pete Thomas, Biggest Loser Winner and Motivational Speaker
Runner Up:
Current Magazine downtown distributor Mark Frisch

College Course
U of M’s Woody Plants
Runner Up:
U of M’s History of Oceans

Shopping Services

New Business & Locally Owned Women’s Boutique
Wendy
5 Nickels Arcade, Ann Arbor
734 327-9001
www.shopwendy.com
Wendy has been moving fast. The high-end women’s boutique, which carries venerable brands such as Eileen Fisher, has only been open a little over a year, but is already expanding — both in size and selection. While Wendy features mainly professional, formal attire, the owners have opened another branch called Johnny for those looking for a more casual, unstructured outfit with the same unbeatable quality. Check them out on the web too — they have deals on their Facebook page and a web shop is coming this month.

New Business, Runner Up:
Babo

Green Oriented Business
People’s Food Co-op
216 N. 4th Ave.
734 994-9174
www.peoplesfood.coop
Runner Up:
Seva

Shopping Center
Kerrytown Market & Shops
407 N. 5th Ave.
 734 662-5008
www.kerrytown.com
Runner Up:
Arborland

Furniture Store
Art Van
425 E. Eisenhower,
3550 Washtenaw Ave.
734-747-7170
www.artvan.com
Runner Up:
Three Chairs

Garden Supply
Downtown Home and Garden
210 S. Ashley St.
734 662-8122
www.downtownhomeandgarden.com
Runner Up:
English Gardens

Hardware Store
Stadium Hardware
2177 W. Stadium Blvd.
734-663-8704
Runner Up:
Ace Hardware

Appliance Store
Big George’s
2023 W. Stadium Blvd.
734-669-9500
www.big-georges.com
Runner Up:
Stadium Hardware

Home Boutique
Downtown Home and Garden
210 S. Ashley St.
734-662-8122
www.downtownhomeandgarden.com
Runner Up:
Treasure Mart

Natural Food Store
People’s Food Co-op
216 N. 4th Ave.
734-994-9174
www.peoplesfood.coop
Runner Up:
Arbor Farms

Produce market
Produce Station
1629 S. State St.
734-663-7848
www.producestation.com
Runner Up:
Ann Arbor Farmer’s market

Super Market
Busch’s Market
2020 Green Rd.
2240 S. Main St.
734-994-7200
www.buschs.com
Runner Up:
Plum Market

Caterer
Zingerman’s Deli
422 Detroit St.
888-636-8162
www.zingermans.com
Runner Up:
EAT

Party/Wine Store
A & L Wine Castle
2424 W. Stadium Blvd.
734-665-9350
www.thewinecastle.net
Runner Up:
Beer Depot

Place to Throw a Party
Corner Brewery
114 E. Washington St.
734-480-2739
www.arborbrewing.com
Runner Up:
Hathaway Hiding

Apartment Complex
Meadowbrook Village
1550 Brookfield Dr.
734-761-7700
Runner Up:
Spruce Knob

Hotel
Weber’s Inn
3050 Jackson Ave.
734-769-2500
www.webersinn.com
Runner Up:
Bell Tower

Florist
Tom Thompson’s
504 S. Main St.
734-665-4222
www.tomtompsonflowers.com
Runner Up:
Chelsea Flowers

Auto Dealer
Howard Cooper Honda
2575 S. State St.
734-761-3200
www.howardcooperhonda.com
Runner Up:
Dunning Toyota

Trustworthy Auto Repair
Convenience Auto
2280 W. Liberty St.
734-769-0170
www.convenienceauto.com
Runner Up:
Fawzi’s

Bicycle Shop
Two Wheel Tango
3162 Packard St.
734-528-3030
www.twowheeltango.com
Runner Up:
Great Lakes Bicycle

Computer Repair
Beagle Brain
2 Nickels Arcade, Ann Arbor
734-623-9000
www.beaglebrain.com
Beagle Brain has again snagged the Reader's Choice for this category, proving that the pro's here provide quality work and customer satisfaction. They offer free estimates and a variety of services that can fix what seems impossible including liquid damage repair, cracked screen replacement and data recovery. At Beagle Brain they also offer on-site service and they will recycle your old computers.

Hotel
Weber's Inn
3050 Jackson Rd., Ann Arbor
734-769-2500
www.webersinn.com
The Weber family has been running this boutique hotel, restaurant, banquet & conference facility since it was founded in 1937 by Herman Weber. One of the most popular features is the Four Seasons Pool and poolside rooms with balconies and spiral staircases which creates an illusion of being outside while covered by a grand atrium. The Hotel is home to a fine dining restaurant as well as a contemporary nightclub, The Habitat Lounge, which features live bands and dancing on weekends. Weber’s Inn also offers free wireless internet access and great getaway packages.

Motorcycle Shop
Café Racer
10 Cross St., Ypsilanti
734-879-1201
www.caferacerypsi.com
Runner Up:
Nicholson’s

Independent Book Store
Nicola’s Books
2513 Jackson Ave.
734-622-0600
www.nicolasbooks.com
Runner Up:
Crazy Wisdom

Used Book Store
Dawn Treader
514 E. Liberty St.
734-995-1008
www.dawntreaderbooks.com
Runner Up:
West Side Books

Comic Book Store
The Vault of Midnight
219 S. Main St.
734-998-1413
www.vaultofmidnight.com
Runner Up:
Fun 4 A

Golf Course
Leslie Park
Leslie Park Circle
www.a2gov.org
734-794-6245
Runner Up:
Huron Hills

Outdoor Store Gear
Bivouac
336 S. State St.
734-761-6207
www.bivouacannarbor.com
Runner Up:
REI

Non-Chain Music Store
Encore
417 E. Liberty St.
734-662-6776
www.encorerecordsa2.com
Runner Up:
Wazoo

Musical Instrument Store
Herb David
302 E. Liberty St.
734-665-8001
www.herbdavidguitarsstudio.com
Runner Up:
Oz

Most Knowledgeable Music Store
Encore
417 E. Liberty St.
734-662-6776
www.encorerecordsa2.com
Runner Up: Herb David

Friendliest Store Staff
Encore
417 E. Liberty St.
734-662-6776
www.encorerecordsa2.com
Runner Up:
Acme Merchantile

Computer Repair
Beagle Brain
2 Nickels Arcade
734-623-9000
www.beaglebrain.com
Runner Up:
Bulldog

Thrift Store
Salvation Army
100 Arbana Dr.
3660 Packard St.
734-668-8353
www.salvationarmy.org
Runner Up:
Value World Village

Ad Agency/Design Firm
Frog Island
6 E. Cross St., Ypsilanti
734-330-2511
www.frogislandcreative.com
Frog Island is a new-age one-stop shop for all your marketing needs. They create slick, user-friendly web pages; eye-catching, even edgy pamphlets and direct-marketing postcards; fitting logos and signs of all shapes and sizes. They even have in-house copy writers to tackle all your business’ technical writing needs. Oh, and they do video, too. With numerous creative minds under one roof, you're getting a whole bundle of outsourced brains for the price of one.

Cool Pros

Real Estate Agent
Linda Lombardi
323 Braun Court
734-302-3011
www.lindalom.com
Runner Up: Vance Shutes

Bank/Credit Union
U of M Credit Union
333 E. William St.
734-662-8200
www.umcu.org
Runner Up:
TCF

Ad Agency/Design Firm
Frog Island
6 E. Cross St., Ypsilanti
734-330-2511
Runner Up:
Wagner Design

Website Design
Igadea
815 Wildt St.
2232 S. Main St.
734-929-6082
Runner Up:
Frog Island

Lasik Eye Surgeon
Dr. Wu 2 Rebecca A. Wu/ Briarwood Health Associates
325 Briarwood Circle
734-647-9000
Runner Up:
Dr. Louis Gago M.D. TLC center

Dentist
Dr. Tim Mcintosh
3250 Plymouth Rd., Suite 301, Ann Arbor
734-769-2707
Runner Up:
Santine Indricon (Empire Dental)

Doctor
Dr. Amy Cooke
3055 Plymouth Rd.
734-769-3896
Runner Up:
Dr. Cheryl Strzoda

Plastic Surgeon
Paul Izenberg, Center for Plastic Surgery
5333 McAuley Dr.
734-712-2323
www.cprs-aa.com
Runner Up:
Michelle Hardaway, Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and Laser Center

Veterinarian
Dr. Bill McArthur, Affordable Vet Services
611 S. Ashley St.
734-926-0114
www.affordablevetservices.com
Runner Up:
Dr. Monica Turrence, Washtenaw Vet

Travel Agent
Boersma Travel
12 Nickels Arcade
734-424-3985
www.boersmatravel.com
Runner Up:
Regency Travel

Local Animal Rescue
Humane Society of Huron Valley
3100 Cherry Hill Rd.
734-662-5585
www.hshv.org
Runner Up:
Waggs and Wishes

Doggy Day Care
Breed Above
2281 W. Liberty St.
734 214-3900
www.breedabove.com
Runner Up:
Arbor Dog

Best Alternative Healing Center
White Wolf Healing
P.O. Box 8237, Ann Arbor
734-277-7347
www.whitewolfhealing.com
At White Wolf Healing Virginia June is dedicated to keeping people happy and healthy using the age old techniques of acupuncture, one of the world's oldest sciences. She is registered with the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association and is trained in auricular acupuncture, targeting the sensitive points in the human ear which affect areas of the whole body. Virginia makes individual house calls. Schedule an acupuncture session for small parties or for your office! White Wolf Healing also conducts monthly trainings in the NADA auricular acupuncture protocol.

Best Alternative Healing Center, Runner Up:
Bio Medical Center

Chiropractor
Kim Jackson, Ann Arbor-Saline Family
4825 Ann Arbor-Saline Rd.
734-930-6990
www.annarborchiro.org
Runner Up:
Tom Klapp/Ann Arbor Chiropractic

Local Blog
Damn Arbor
www.damnarbor.com
A first-person, in-depth and informal look into everything Ann Arbor — politics, music, simply being out and about — Damn Arbor is exactly what you want out of a blog. With energy and wit they are in the loop and I like how they describe themselves: “A blog about life, Ann Arbor, and life in Ann Arbor. We are grad students, townies, and derelicts. We are to be feared.”