Best of Roanoke 2023

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The story below is from our May/June 2023 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you! 

Congratulations to our winners for being recognized as the best of the best by our readers!

It never gets old, and you definitely agree, because our 37th Best of Roanoke Annual Reader Poll is a smash hit thanks to your votes — over 13,000 of them!

Each year, we ask you to vote for your favorite locally-owned places, spaces, events and people. Anyone is eligible to be nominated on the write-in ballot; we recognize three levels of winners with platinum, gold and silver, barring ties within individual nominations.

Votes are one per email; any attempts at ballot stuffing are carefully evaluated and removed, and we go to great lengths to ensure the integrity of the results are what our readers voted for. Categories can change from year to year, as well as be suggested by our readers.

Congratulations to our winners for being recognized as the best of the best by our readers!

Best in Services: Expert Help Awaits

Learn more about our local businesses that can’t wait to help you with your finances, health care, pets, weddings, looks and more. 

Best Regional/ Locally Based Bank

Best National Bank

  • Platinum: Truist Financial
  • Gold: WellsFargo
  • Silver: First Citizen’s Bank & Trust

Best Credit Union

Best Local/Regionally Based Mortgage Company

Best Local Insurance Agency

Best Local Insurance Agent

Best Mortgage Lender

Best Financial Advisor

  • Platinum: Carl Grove, Edward Jones Investments
  • Gold: Mike Pendleton, Edward Jones Investments
  • Silver: Patrick Ayers, Ayers Financial Services

Best CPA Firm

Best Law Firm

Best Computer Repairs

Best Information Technology Solutions for Businesses

  • Platinum: Commonwealth Computer Services
  • Gold: Entre Computer Center
  • Silver: CMIT Solutions of Roanoke (TIE)
  • Silver: Brambleton Computer (TIE)

Best Women’s Hair Stylist

  • Platinum: Amber Kamide, Bliss Studio
  • Gold: Lindsay Accomando, Accomando Hair
  • Silver: Dakota Carrington, Carringtons Salon at Face It Medical Spa and Wellness Center

Best Men’s Hair Cuts

Best Spa

Best Nail Salon

  • Platinum: T&T Nails
  • Gold: Star Nails
  • Silver: Polished

Best Spray Tanning Salon

  • Platinum: Glo Custom Spray Tanning
  • Gold: Golden Girls Spray Tanning
  • Silver: Blown Away Spray Tanning

Best Tattoos

Best Dry Cleaner

  • Platinum: A Cleaner World
  • Gold: Harvey’s Cleaners
  • Silver: Wheeler’s Cleaners

Best Rental Store

  • Platinum: Aztec Rental
  • Gold: Grand Rental Station
  • Silver: Premier Rentals

Best Massage Therapist

Best Home Health Care

Best Retirement Community

Best Rehab/Post-Op Facility

Best Physical Therapy Practice

  • Platinum: Lucas Therapies, PC
  • Gold: University Physical Therapy
  • Silver: SORVA - Spine and Orthopedic Rehab of VA

Best Eye Care Practice

  • Platinum: Vistar Eye Center
  • Gold: Invision
  • Silver: Eye Care & Surgery

Best Esthetician

Best Individual Dentist

Best Dental Group

Best Orthodontist

Best Periodontist

  • Platinum: Dr. Priya Acharya, Acharya Peridontics & Dental Implants (TIE)
  • Platinum: Dr. Linda Till, Dr. Linda G. Till, DDS (TIE)
  • Platinum: Dr. Gavin M. Aaron, Aaron Periodontics & Dental Implants (TIE)

Best Chiropractor

  • Platinum: Dr. Benjamin Bowman, Walter Chiropractics
  • Gold: Dr. Sean Skinner, Tuck Chiropractic Clinic
  • Silver: Dr. Jennifer Walker, Balance Wellspace

Best Individual Veterinarian

  • Platinum: Dr. Thomas Blaszak, Roanoke Animal Hospital
  • Gold: Dr. Lindsay Karpinski, Keagy Village Veterinary Hospital
  • Silver: Dr. Richard Bryant, Salem Animal Hospital

Best Veterinarian Group

Best Dog Trainer

  • Platinum: Hope Cogen, High Hopes Dog Training
  • Gold: Joe Cummings, Willis Wolfpack Dog Training
  • Silver: Beverly Amsler, The Well-Trained Dog & Pet Care

Best Doggie Day Care/Overnight Service

Best In-Home Pet Sitting Service

  • Platinum: Pawsome Pet Sitting VA
  • Gold: Paw 2 Paw Pet Sitting
  • Silver: The Well-Trained Dog & Pet Care

Best Local Pet Store

  • Platinum: Nature’s Emporium
  • Gold: Unleashed, LLC
  • Silver: Exotics and Aquatics

Your Favorite Place to Take Fido for a Walk

  • Platinum: The Roanoke River Greenway
  • Gold: Grandin Village
  • Silver: Green Hill Park

Best Real Estate Agency

  • Platinum: MKB Realtors
  • Gold: Cone Realty Group brokered by eXp Realty
  • Silver: Lichtenstein Rowan Realtors

Best Individual Real Estate Agent

  • Platinum: Hal Cone, Cone Realty Group brokered by eXp Realty
  • Gold: Frazier Hughes, Keller Williams Roanoke
  • Silver: Brad Thomas, Mountain View Real Estate, LLC

Best Custom Framing

Best Home Restoration Company

  • Platinum: Blue Ridge Restoration
  • Gold: F&S Building Innovations
  • Silver: Servpro of Roanoke, Montgomery & Pulaski Counties              

Best Foundation Repair

  • Platinum: JES Foundation Repair
  • Gold: Sure-Dri Basement Waterproofing
  • Silver: Seal-Tite Basement Waterproofing Co.

Best Kitchen & Bath Contractor

Best Home Design/Building Firm

Best Commercial Construction/Developer

  • Platinum: Dollman Construction, Inc.
  • Gold: F&S Building Innovations
  • Silver: Prescott Construction (TIE)
  • Silver: Pitman Construction (TIE)            

Best General Contractor

  • Platinum: Dollman Construction, Inc.
  • Gold: F&S Building Innovations
  • Silver: Clark Family Builders (TIE)
  • Silver: MW Construction (TIE)        

Best Custom Cabinetry Services

  • Platinum: Cabinetry with TLC
  • Gold: Ideal Cabinets
  • Silver: Carter’s Cabinet Shop (TIE)
  • Silver: Roanoke River Cabinetry (TIE)              

Best Home Organizing

  • Platinum: Mary’s Mess Management
  • Gold: WOW Professional Organizing           

Best HVAC Services

Best Plumbing Services

Best Electrician

Best Water Damage Restoration

  • Platinum: Servpro of Roanoke, Montgomery & Pulaski Counties
  • Gold: Consolidated Construction Services
  • Silver: ServiceMaster of Roanoke

Best Indoor Air Quality/Disinfecting Provider

Best Landscaping/Professional Grounds Care

  • Platinum: The Green Team
  • Gold: Varsity Landscaping
  • Silver: Simmons Landscaping LLC

Best Appliance Repair

  • Platinum: Appliance Medic
  • Gold: Austin’s Appliance Store (TIE)
  • Gold: Robert’s Repair Services (TIE)

Best Event Designer

  • Platinum: Caroline LaRocca Event Design, LLC
  • Gold: Grey Cardinal Events
  • Silver: Andrea Ferris Events

Best Wedding Florist

  • Platinum: Flowers by Eddie
  • Gold: Creative Occasions
  • Silver: Caroline LaRocca Event Design, LLC

Best Bridal Shop

  • Platinum: The Newfangled Bride
  • Gold: Studio I Do Roanoke
  • Silver: Here and Now Bridals

Best Wedding Photographer

  • Platinum: Kaytlin McCoy, Kaytlin Lane Photography
  • Gold: Cassie Chisom, C. Chisom Photography
  • Silver: Jeff Heveron Photography and Videography

Best Catering Company

  • Platinum: Pumpernickel Pickle Catering Co.
  • Gold: The Lazy Bulldog Food Truck & Bistro
  • Silver: Bella Events Catering

Most Unique Wedding Venue

  • Platinum: Ivy Rose Barn
  • Gold: Silver Hearth Lodge
  • Silver: Sundara

Shop 'Til You Drop: Bargains & Beyond

From clothing and jewelry to cars and furniture, you told us which local businesses are the best of the best.

Best Local Women’s Clothing Store

  • Platinum: The Bird Cage Boutique
  • Gold: Punch Boutique
  • Silver: La De Da

Best Place to Buy Shoes

Best Local Men’s Clothing Store

  • Platinum: Davidsons
  • Gold: La De Da
  • Silver: Mast General Store

Best Local Kids’ Clothing Store

  • Platinum: Back on the Rack Consignment
  • Gold: LFA Kids Consignment
  • Silver: The Little Button Children’s Boutique

Best Custom Apparel

  • Platinum: O’so Fancy Customs
  • Gold: Davidsons
  • Silver: Press Press Merch

Best Local Florist/Greenhouse

Best Place to Buy Local Arts & Crafts

  • Platinum: Crafteria: Handmade Food & Goods
  • Gold: Walt Hodges Fine Art
  • Silver: Black Dog Salvage

Best Resale Merchandise

  • Platinum: Back on the Rack Consignment
  • Gold: New’d
  • Silver: LFA Kids Consignment

Best Local Shop for Sporting Goods & Outdoor Gear

Best Everyday Food Store

  • Platinum: Kroger
  • Gold: Fresh Market
  • Silver: Food Lion             

Best Natural Food Store

  • Platinum: Roanoke Natural Foods Coop
  • Gold: Earth Fare
  • Silver: Fresh Market

Local Wine Shop That Carries Your Favorites

Best Local Jewelry Store

Best Optical Shop

  • Platinum: Invision
  • Gold: Vistar Eye Center
  • Silver: Johnson Curran Optometry

Best Cellular Provider

  • Platinum: Verizon
  • Gold: UScellular
  • Silver: T-Mobile

Best Local Gifts

Best Overall Car Dealership

  • Platinum: Berglund Automotive
  • Gold: Southern Team Auto Mall
  • Silver: Haley Toyota               

Best Luxury Car Dealership

  • Platinum: Berglund Luxury
  • Gold: Southern Team Auto Mall
  • Silver: Brambleton Imports

Best Pre-Owned Car Dealership

Most Dependable Car Repair & Service

  • Platinum: Berglund Body Works
  • Gold: Southern Team Auto Mall
  • Silver: Woods Service Center Towing & Transportation (TIE)
  • Silver: Star City Battery and Tire (TIE)               

Best Auto Collision Repair

  • Platinum: Berglund Body Works
  • Gold: Southern Team Auto Mall
  • Silver: Cave Spring Auto Body             

Best Bicycle Shop

  • Platinum: Cardinal Bicycle
  • Gold: East Coasters Bike Shop
  • Silver: Just the Right Gear               

Best Apartment Living

Best Kitchen & Bath Show Room

  • Platinum: Ferguson Bath, Kitchen and Lighting Gallery
  • Gold: Ideal Cabinets
  • Silver: Cabinetry with TLC              

Best Flooring/Carpet Store

  • Platinum: The Carpet Shop
  • Gold: Carpetland USA
  • Silver: Fashion Floors               

Best Furniture Store

Best Home Lighting Store

  • Platinum: The French Farmhouse
  • Gold: Ferguson Bath, Kitchen and Lighting Gallery
  • Silver: Williams Lighting Galleries/CMC Supply               

Best Home Decor Store

Best Antique/Collectible Store

Best Interior Design Provider

Best Electronics/Home Theater Store

  • Platinum: Audiotronics
  • Gold: Lee Hartman and Sons
  • Silver: Sound Decision

Where to Go + What to Do: Let’s Go Listen & Learn

Roanoke has something for everyone, from arts and culture, the next big concert, the great outdoors, enjoying local craft brews and more.

Best Live Music Venue

Favorite Spot for a Day Date

  • Platinum: Blue Ridge Axe Throwing
  • Gold: Mill Mountain Star
  • Silver: Blue Ridge Parkway               

Best Date Night (Non-Restaurant)

  • Platinum: Jump Into Mystery, LLC
  • Gold: Blue Ridge Axe Throwing
  • Silver: Grandin Theater               

Favorite Local Attraction

  • Platinum: Mill Mountain Star
  • Gold: Taubman Museum of Art
  • Silver: Dr Pepper Park               

Best Arts Performance in 2022

  • Platinum: Southwest Virginia Ballet’s “The Nutcracker”
  • Gold: Roanoke Symphony Holiday Pops
  • Silver: Roanoke Ballet Theatre’s “Dracula”               

Best Local Dance Company/School

  • Platinum: Art in Motion Dance Company
  • Gold: Southwest Virginia Ballet
  • Silver: Mish Moves Dance Company               

Best Local Craft Beer Brewery

  • Platinum: Parkway Brewing Company
  • Gold: Twisted Track Brewpub
  • Silver: Big Lick Brewing Company               

Best Luxury Weekend Getaway

  • Platinum: The Greenbrier
  • Gold: The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center
  • Silver: The Omni Homestead Resort               

Best Country Club

  • Platinum: Roanoke Country Club
  • Gold: Hidden Valley Country Club
  • Silver: Hunting Hills Country Club              

Attraction to Feel Like a Kid Again

  • Platinum: Roanoke Pinball Museum
  • Gold: Mill Mountain Zoo
  • Silver: Roanoke STARCADE               

Best Gym / Place to Work Out

  • Platinum: Pure Barre
  • Gold: Hustle/Haven
  • Silver: E3 Fitness               

Best Personal Trainer

Best Yoga/Pilates Classes/Instructor

  • Platinum: Lauren Bingler, Pure Barre
  • Gold: Tara Pattisall, Upstretch Pilates
  • Silver: Lauren Carpenter, Hustle/Haven               

Best Live Theatre/Playhouse

  • Platinum: Mill Mountain Theatre
  • Gold: Showtimers Community Theatre
  • Silver: The Jefferson Center               

Best Thing To Happen In Roanoke, 2022

New Business You Can’t Wait to Check Out (Non-Restaurant)

Hidden Gem

Most Worthy Group to Donate to

  • Platinum: Angels of Assisi
  • Gold: Roanoke Rescue Mission
  • Silver: Roanoke Valley SPCA             

You’re Not a Real Roanoker Until You Visit...

  • Platinum: Mill Mountain Star
  • Gold: Texas Tavern
  • Silver: Dr Pepper Park

Events, Faces + Places: Roanoke Has SO Many Stars!

See the winners, including categories like “Best Local Artist to Watch” and “Best Local Podcast” and learn more about the best educators, entertainers, influencers and more as decided by our readers.

Your Male “Star of the Star City”

  • Platinum: Robin Reed, formerly WDBJ7 (retired)
  • Gold: John Carlin, WSLS10
  • Silver: Chris Perkins, COO, Roanoke City Public Schools               

Your Female “Star of the Star City”

  • Platinum: Chasity Barbour, Town of Vinton
  • Gold: Kianna Price Marshall, United Way of Roanoke Valley
  • Silver: Melissa Gaona, WDBJ7               

Most Savvy Entrepreneur

  • Platinum: Whitney Pugh, Agenacare Housecalls
  • Gold: Melinda Mickey Davis, Diva’s Complete Boutique
  • Silver: Alyce Carlin, New’d/Newfangled Bride (TIE)
  • Silver: Philip Clements, The Foundry (TIE)
  • Silver: Ashley Lawson, The French Farmhouse (TIE)          

Best Local Social Media Presence

  • Platinum: Super Carlin Brothers
  • Gold: Genya Kalinina, Best of Roanoke
  • Silver: John Park, Hungry Asian Roanoke (TIE)
  • Silver: The French Farmhouse (TIE)               

TV News Person You Watch Daily

  • Platinum: John Carlin, WSLS10
  • Gold: Logan Sherrill, WDBJ7
  • Silver: Jean Jadhon, WDBJ7               

Most Accurate TV Weather Person

  • Platinum: Brent Watts, WDBJ7
  • Gold: Chris Michaels, WSLS10
  • Silver: Leo Hirsbrunner, WDBJ7               

Most Fun Show on Local Radio

  • Platinum: K92 Mornin’ Thang
  • Gold: Morning Show with Dick and Dave, Q99
  • Silver: Greg Roberts Live              

Best Radio Station

  • Platinum: Q99
  • Gold: 94.9 Star Country
  • Silver: K92               

Best Local Podcast

  • Platinum: Popcorn Culture (the Carlin Brothers)
  • Gold: WDBJ7’s Hometown Stories
  • Silver: The Roanoker presents From Print to Podcast (hey, thanks!)               

Best Educator

  • Platinum: Quiana Fields, Roanoke City Public Schools
  • Gold: Thomas Galyen, Roanoke County Public Schools
  • Silver: Candace Cox, Treble Makers Music               

Best Preschool/Pre-K

Best Public School (any level)

  • Platinum: Fishburn Park Elementary School
  • Gold: James Breckinridge Middle School
  • Silver: Cave Spring High School               

Best Private School (any level)

  • Platinum: North Cross School
  • Gold: Roanoke Catholic School
  • Silver: Faith Christian School               

Best College/University

  • Platinum: Roanoke College
  • Gold: Virginia Tech
  • Silver: Hollins University               

Best Library Branch

  • Platinum: South County Branch
  • Gold: Melrose Library
  • Silver: Vinton Public Library               

Best Museum

  • Platinum: Taubman Museum of Art
  • Gold: Virginia Museum of Transportation
  • Silver: Science Museum of Western Virginia               

Best Place to Have a Corporate Meeting/Conference

Best Employer

Local Company that Gives Back

Local Company on the Grow

Best Local Artwork

  • Platinum: Jon Murrill, Roanoke River Greenway Murals
  • Gold: Taubman Museum of Art Mural, Mickael Broth, “Everyone Wants to Leave Their Mark”
  • Silver: Toobz Muir, “Maurice’s Mockingbird Mural”               

Best Local Artist to Watch

  • Platinum: Bryce Cobbs
  • Gold: Maggie Perrin-Key
  • Silver: Jon Murrill               

Favorite Local Festival

Best Annual Holiday Event

  • Platinum: Dickens of a Christmas
  • Gold: Illuminights
  • Silver: Southwest Virginia Ballet’s “The Nutcracker”

Best Local Charity Event

Best Race/Marathon

  • Platinum: Blue Ridge Marathon
  • Gold: Rescue Mission’s Drumstick Dash
  • Silver: Blue Ridge IRONMAN               

Favorite Recurring Event (Weekly/Monthly)

  • Platinum: Jump Into Mystery, LLC Events
  • Gold: First Fridays
  • Silver: Virginia Made Saturdays at Rendezvous Studio & Events               

Best In-Person Pop Up Event

  • Platinum: Let’s Party Creatively
  • Gold: Jump Into Mystery, LLC
  • Silver: Gatewood Rose Botanicals Makers Marts               

Best Virtual Pop Up Event

Best Ladies’ Night Out (Paint, Plant, Garden, Party, etc.)