About the Best

Here’s the annual good news issue where we pause from complaining and correcting and prescribing the path to a better Springfi eld. Instead we celebrate the best of Springfi eld. And not what we at IT think is the best but, for a change, we let our readers decide. Some may quibble that BoS winners may not be the “best” but only the most popular, and some may say these winners aren’t the best, but only the ones who organized the best Facebook campaign and got their supporters out to vote. But hey, voting is the American way.

For the first time this year we had two rounds of voting. Round One was the primary, in which anybody could nominate someone new or vote for someone already nominated. The top three in each category went on to Round Two, in which voters had to pick from the three nominated. We had 9,629 registered voters in Round One of the voting this year, with 6,917 voting in the final round.

Our final ballot featured 351 local businesses and individuals nominated for votes in 137 different categories. More than 240,000 individual votes were cast during the runoff voting period. So that’s a whole lot of interest and a lot of preferences expressed to come up with the results you see here today.

Thanks to the voters. Thanks to the businesses and individuals who participated and campaigned. Thanks to our BoS reporters – Tom Pavlik, Tom Irwin, Patrick Yeagle, Scott Faingold, Bruce Rushton and Nan Bulli – who combined cleverness and research to write up the results. Thanks to our photographers – Carol Weems, Patrick Yeagle, Stacie Lewis, Joe Copley and David Hine. Thanks to the sales staff – Beth Irwin, Teri Hill, Jeff Elliott, Yolonda Bell and Lisa Ellis – for getting our clients’ ads into this popular issue. Brenda Matheis, business manager, will send out the bills and get us paid, and Irma Wallace has put together the winners’ plaques. Thanks to the advertisers, who keep us going. And thanks to the readers, who keep picking IT up, both in print and online. This is a team effort.

–Fletcher Farrar, editor and publisher

BEST BANK

United Community Bank

1900 West Iles Ave., 787-3000 700 Stevenson Drive, 529-3000 617 Bruns Lane, 787-3001

A bank is a bank is a bank is a bank, right? Wrong. United Community Bank, as the name implies, really is a community bank, and they prove it with the number of branches in communities throughout central Illinois. There are more than 30 physical locations, including three in Springfield and two apiece in smaller burgs such as Bunker Hill, Macomb and Auburn. Even Roodhouse, population 1,800, has a branch. It’s hard to go anywhere in central Illinois without spotting a UCB branch or ATM. Runners-up: Illinois National Bank, Marine Bank

BEST BIKE SHOP

Ace Bicycle Shop

2500 S. MacArthur Blvd., 523-0188

The folks at Ace genuinely love bicycles and bicycling of all kinds, from racing to leisurely spins around town. They pride themselves on BMX, which is too often forgotten in today’s world of triathlons, mountain biking and stage racing. With a used inventory that turns over in a hurry, they always have just the right bicycle whatever your needs or price range might be, and if they don’t have it in stock, they’ll get it in a hurry. Most repairs are completed overnight. But what we really love about Ace is the Monday night rides that depart from the shop and take riders along the area’s best cycling routes. No one gets left behind and there are at least two mechanics on the outings that start in March and end in September. It’s a great way for neophytes to learn the finer points of riding in a group without fear of getting left in the dust. Runners-up: R & M Cyclery, BikeTek

BEST CATERER

Nelson’s Catering

3005 Great Northern Road., 787-9443

Best known for barbecue, Nelson’s is more than brisket and a puff of smoke. In addition to some of the finest ribs, chicken and pulled pork available anywhere, Nelson’s also offers lasagna and – gasp – a vegan burger. Before diving into main courses that feature a dizzying array of potatoes, pastas, beans, salads and other side dishes, they can start you off with fresh fruits, deviled eggs, wings and some meatballs, either Swedish or, of course, barbecue. Bacon-wrapped water chestnuts? No problem, Nelson’s has ’em. They also offer nearly 20 desserts. Great food and variety is only part of the equation. It has to be fresh and on time, and Nelson’s wins high marks in these departments. There’s a reason that this place has been in business since 1995. One bite and you’ll know why. Runners-up: Hamilton’s Catering, 5 Flavors Catering

BEST SHOPPING FOR WOMEN’S FASHION

Gypsy Soul

2939 Montvale Drive, 679-0174

The thing we hate most about shopping for women’s clothes is the c-word. “That’s sooo cute!” “Oh my god, look at that: It’s cute!” “That is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!” You don’t hear a lot of the c-word at Gypsy Soul, where the clothing is smart and somewhat earthy, more evocative of Tibet than Vegas, with a hint of old-school Banana Republic. Shabby chic, if you will, at its finest, as if someone combed the world’s thrift stores, found the very best stuff and replicated it for the masses. It is certainly a popular place. During a recent visit on a Tuesday afternoon, there was nary a parking space to be found. They also have lots of really cool jewelry, particularly stuff with a Celtic flair. Cool – that’s a much better c-word than the other one. Runners-up: Bella’s Boutique, Maurice’s

BEST GARDEN AND LANDSCAPE CENTER

AppleBarn 2290 E. Walnut St., Chatham, 483-6236

There are lots of places to go if you’re in the market for mulch or plants. But there are few places that are so much fun you can go all year long and think of it as a special outing. Besides both cut and live flowers, shrubs and ornamental plants, AppleBarn sells candy and cider and jam and all sorts of locally produced foodstuffs. They even have a bakery. Think of it as Hickory Farms meets Lowes. With more than a dozen varieties ranging from Mutsu to Melrose to Honeycrisp, AppleBarn, as the name suggests, is one of the area’s best places to buy apples, particularly for pies and apple crisps. It’s apple and pumpkin season now, but AppleBarn will soon be the go-to place for wreaths and Christmas trees. Just a fabulous oasis of old-fashioned country in the midst of the suburbs. Runners-up: Green View, Buckley’s Prairie Landscaping

BEST CREDIT UNION

Heartland Credit Union

726-8877 2213 West White Oaks Drive 720 South Grand Ave. West 2717 Sangamon Ave. 701 N. First St. at Memorial Medical Center, Room C18

Interest rates are as low at Heartland Credit Union as anywhere else, but this is more than a place to get a mortgage or an auto loan. Since 1946, which is a very long time, Heartland has been making life easier for its members, which now number 27,000 people. There’s a good reason why readers have picked Heartland as Springfield’s best credit union for three years running. It’s a not-for-profit institution that awards four $1,000 scholarships each year to deserving high school seniors who need money for college. Try finding that kind of commitment to the community from a bank headquartered in New York. Runners-up: Citizens Equity First Credit Union, Credit Union 1

BEST CAR WASH 

Drive-In Car Wash

1814 S. Sixth St., 522-3586

Get out of your car. Leave the keys in. A man with a tired look in his eyes opens the doors and gives a quick vacuum to the interior. Then he picks up a jug of something mysterious that he applies to the bumpers and wheel wells – if this were a house, you’d guess he was after termites, but smart money says it’s something to prevent rust. When he’s finished, someone else gets behind the wheel and guides your ride through a huge tunnel of soapy love. You wish you could be there, in the front seat, watching the rubberized scrubbers go over the windshield while giant brushes thrum against the doors. Instead, you’re directed to a payment booth. “Do you want the Super Express Wax?” the lady asks. No, just the basics. Twelve dollars. Briefly, you contemplate an air freshener, the kind that’s shaped like a tree. They only cost a buck and come in all sorts of scents, from coconut to pine. Instead, you watch as your ride, all shiny, emerges from the washing apparatus and is hand dried with towels while someone with a spray bottle cleans the windows from the inside. Between drying and vacuuming and making the windows sparkle, no fewer than four people have given your car the personal touch during the eight minutes or so it takes to go through this car wash. No wonder readers say it’s the finest in Springfield. Runners-up: Rainstorm Car Wash, Gas and Wash

BEST FLORIST 

Fifth Street Flower Shop

739 S. Fifth St., 522-3334

Flowers wilt in a week, but a florist is darn near forever, at least in Springfield. There has been a Fifth Street Flower Shop in Springfield since 1929, when Truman Cole started peddling petals on Fifth Street, with a dozen roses going for 75 cents, just as the Great Depression was getting started. Flowers By Mary Lou, the second-place winner, has been around since at least the 1940s. While florists endure, they don’t always stay planted, but after a few moves over the decades (including a stint on Eighth Street) the Fifth Street Flower Shop has been at the same location since 1991. The place is huge, occupying the entire first floor of a fairly large brick building, and they put the space to good use putting together everything from $45 mixed bouquets, perfect for giving someone a mid-week surprise, to large arrangements that make once-in-a-lifetime events even more special. The central location on the southern edge of downtown makes it an easy place to go for spur-of-the-moment bouquets. Runners-up: Flowers By Mary Lou, Trendsetters Design

BEST AUTO REPAIR

Brahler Tire and Lube Center

1701 South Sixth St., 525-7243 • 1557 Wabash Ave., 546-0234 700 North Grand Ave., 525-7244 • 1031 W. Jefferson St., 793-5391 1950 N. Dirksen Parkway, 523-0027

If your engine catches fire or white smoke starts belching from your tailpipe like a Vatican chimney, Brahler ain’t your place. Once things get too far along, you need someone who can go elbow-deep into the mechanical innards to set stuff right that might have never gone wrong if you’d paid attention to basic maintenance. And this is where Brahler shines. Readers agree, there’s no better place than Brahler for oil changes, new tires, shocks and other routine stuff that everyone knows will eventually be needed no matter what. They’re great at spotting minor issues before they become big ones, and if something really is drastically wrong, they can diagnose the problem. Runners-up: Wilkerson’s Shell, Floyd’s Imports