Best preschool or daycare 2013: Bright Beginnings

Bright Beginnings 1221 Stoney Ridge Rd. 979-8585 3401 Worth Crossing 973-8414 brightbeginningsva.com Runner-up: ACAC Preschool 200 Four Seasons Dr. 978-7529 acac.com/youth/after-school “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” That’s a quote from Frederick Douglass who, as an escaped slave and revered orator, knew a little something about strong men. Bright […]

Best local hardware store 2013: Martin Hardware

Martin Hardware 941 Preston Ave. 293-8171 martinhardwareinc.com Runner-up: Crozet Hardware 5783 The Square (Crozet) 823-4381 facebook.com/crozethardware If it’s true that the average wood frame house uses between 20,000 and 30,000 nails of varying types and sizes, then Martin Hardware, readers say, is the place to go for supplies. For folks outside of the city, Crozet […]

Best place for stationery 2013: Rock Paper Scissors

Rock Paper Scissors 225 E. Main St. 979-6366 thinkrockpaperscissors.com Runner-up: Caspari 100 W. Main St. 817-7880 casparionline.com When you think of stationery, you think of friendship—people writing to each other across land and sea, sharing hellos and thank-yous and catching up. Take, for instance, Nellie Beaven and Daphne Morgenson, pen pals in England who wrote […]

Best optometrist 2013: Primary Eyecare

Primary Eyecare Barracks Road Shopping Center 977-2020 Hollymead Town Center 975-2020 cvilleeyecare.com Runner-up: Drs. Record & Record Optometrists 1450 Sachem Pl., Suite 202 978-4090 600 Peter Jefferson Pkwy., Suite 390 975-2420 recordeyecare.com The human eye can distinguish 500 shades of gray and blinks over 10,000,000 times a year. Those two facts are unrelated, but serve […]

Best apartment complex 2013: Lakeside Apartments

Lakeside Apartments 200 Lake Club Ct. 984-5253 liveatlakeside.com Runner-up: The Reserve at Belvedere 200 Reserve Blvd. 296-6200 liveatbelvedere.com Ask anyone the things they love about Charlottesville and, most likely, one of those things will be that you can be in the city one minute and, after a short drive, in the middle of nature’s bounty. […]

Best bike shop 2013: Blue Ridge Cyclery

Blue Ridge Cyclery 1043 Millmont St. 995-2453 blueridgecyclery.com Runner-up: Blue Wheel Bikes 941 Second St. NE 977-1870 bluewheel.com Before getting into the bike business, Blue Ridge Cyclery owner Shawn Tevendale was a paramedic. Once he fell in love with cycling, he was hooked, and has been a sponsored athlete for eight years, with experience in […]

Best consignment shop 2013: Glad Rags

Glad Rags 1923 Commonwealth Dr. 979-1816 mygladrags.com Runner-up: Natalie Dressed 1051 Millmont St. 296-6886 nataliedressed.com High-end designers and off-the-rack choices abound at this Commonwealth Avenue shop. In fact, “rags” seems a less-than-complimentary term for the type of things you’ll find at this year’s winner. The accessories on offer are a particular draw; the store stocks […]

Best physical therapist 2013: ACAC Physical Therapy

ACAC Physical Therapy Albemarle Square 817-4278 acacpt.com Runner-up: Pantops Physical Therapy 1490 Pantops Mountain Rd. #202 245-6472 pantopsphysicaltherapy.com What’s the biggest muscle in the human body? The buttocks muscle. We’ll spare you the “pain in the butt” jokes, because physical therapy is no laughing matter. And readers know when they want to get serious about […]

Best place for kids’ clothes 2013: Old Navy

Old Navy Barracks Road Shopping Center 984-0167 oldnavy.com Runner-up: Whimsies Barracks Road Shopping Center 977-8767 whimsieskids.com A child will grow at a steady rate of 2″ to 2.5″ per year from ages 2 to 12. In other words, that’s a lot of clothing. Parents know that when they want to buy in bulk, Old Navy […]