Consumer Culture Readers’ Pick Winners: Best in the Nest 2023

Best in the Nest Readers’ Picks were chosen exclusively by readers through a one-month nomination process followed by a one-month voting process. The nominations were not tampered with by Queen City Nerve staff at all — save for removing ourselves from a few categories to proactively dispel any notions of favoritism. In other words, if you disagree with these ones, that’s on your fellow reader, not us. 2023 saw over 25,000 ballots cast between the nomination and final rounds of voting.

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Winners: Download your award graphics here

RETAIL

BEST ADULT TOY STORE

Winner: White Rabbit
Runner Up: The Reddoor

BEST BICYCLE SHOP

Winner: The Spoke Easy
Runner Up: The Charlotte Re-Cyclery

BEST BOOKSTORE

Winner: Park Road Books
Runner Up: Book Buyers

BEST CBD SHOP

Winner: Crowntown Cannabis
Runner Up: Apotheca Cannabis Dispensary

BEST CLOTHING STORE

Winner: Boris & Natasha
Runner Up: Glory Days Apparel

BEST CONSIGNMENT SHOP

Winner: Thrift Pony
Runner Up: Stash Pad (Tied)
Runner Up: Uptown Cheapskate (Tied)

BEST CUSTOMER LOYALTY PROGRAM

Winner: Viva Chicken
Runner Up: Yafo Kitchen, Hummus Hustler

BEST FLORAL SHOP

Winner: The Blossom Shop
Runner Up: Midwood Flower Shop

BEST FORMAL WEAR STORE

Winner: Savvy Bridal Boutique
Runner Up: Monkee’s of Charlotte

BEST FURNITURE STORE

Winner: Sleepy Poet Antique Mall
Runner Up: Nadeau Furniture With A Soul

BEST GIFT SHOP

Winner: Paper Skyscraper
Runner Up: Moxie Mercantile

BEST GOLF SHOP

Winner: Golf Galaxy
Runner Up: GOLFTEC

BEST HEAD SHOP

Winner: Infinity’s End
Runner Up: One Love Smoke Shop

BEST HOME ACCESSORIES STORE

Winner: Moxie Mercantile
Runner Up: Cotswold Marketplace

BEST IN-STORE PET

Winner: Winnie, Good Postage
Runner Up: Smokey, Prism Supply

BEST JEWELRY STORE

Winner: Sadu Body Modifications
Runner Up: Queen City’s Custom Jewelers

BEST LOCAL PRODUCT

Winner: Good Postage art prints
Runner Up: lumenCLT

BEST MUSIC EQUIPMENT STORE

Winner: Midwood Guitar Studio
Runner Up: NC Guitar Works

BEST NEW BUSINESS CONCEPT

Winner: Paws Social Club
Runner Up: Seemingly Overzealous Ice Cream

BEST NEW STORE (LAST 2 YEARS)

Winner: Thrift Pony
Runner Up: Lokal by hygge

BEST ONLINE-ONLY STORE

Winner: L.A. Suds
Runner Up: West & Remount

BEST OUTDOOR & SPORTING GOODS STORE

Winner: Gear Goat XCHG
Runner Up: REI

BEST PET STORE

Winner: Pet Supplies Plus
Runner Up: Four Dogs Pet Supplies

BEST PLACE TO BUY VINTAGE

Winner: Sleepy Poet Antique Mall
Runner Up: Thrift Pony

BEST PLANT SHOP

Winner: Grow
Runner Up: PlantHouse

BEST POP-UP MARKET

Winner: Front Porch Sundays
Runner Up: VTG CLT

BEST RECORD STORE

Winner: Lunchbox Records
Runner Up: Repo Record

BEST SHOE STORE

Winner: Current Nostalgia
Runner Up: REI

BEST VAPE SHOP

Winner: Infinity’s End
Runner Up: Blue Flowers Cannabis Store

DESIGN, STYLE & MODIFICATION

BEST BARBER SHOP

Winner: Midwood Barbers
Runner Up: Charlotte Barber & Beard

BEST FASHION DESIGNER

Winner: Leah Cade
Runner Up: Current Nostalgia

BEST HAIR SALON

Winner: Superbloom Hair Studio
Runner Up: Bohemian Stylehouse

BEST HAIR STYLIST

Winner: Kenzie Petty
Runner Up: Christie Brenn

BEST INTERIOR DESIGNER

Winner: Natalie Papier
Runner Up: M. Herriott Designs

BEST LASH ARTIST

Winner: Ali Cook, Copper Willow Salon
Runner Up: iLash Charlotte

BEST MAKEUP ARTIST

Winner: Paige Rabinowitz
Runner Up: Angie Cottone

BEST NAIL SALON

Winner: Mimosas Nail Bar
Runner Up: Polished Nail Bar

BEST TATTOO SHOP

Winner: Made To Last Tattoo
Runner Up: Ruby Tiger Tattoo

BEST PIERCING STUDIO

Winner: Sadu Body Modifications
Runner Up: Made To Last Tattoo

HEALTH & WELLNESS

BEST CHIROPRACTOR

Winner: Lucas Chiropractic and Acupuncture
Runner Up: Greenapple Sports & Wellness

BEST DENTIST

Winner: Plaza Midwood Dentistry
Runner Up: Lineberger Dentistry

BEST ESTHETICIAN

Winner: Toska Spa and Facial Bar
Runner Up: Taylor Mims, Aesthy Haus

BEST FITNESS STUDIO

Winner: Arrichion Hot Yoga + Circuit Training
Runner Up: AerialCLT

BEST GROUP WORKOUT

Winner: Burn Boot Camp
Runner Up: Tigers Eye (Circuit), Arrichion Hot Yoga + Circuit Training

BEST MASSAGE SHOP

Winner: Mood House
Runner Up: Mythic Massage

BEST ORTHOPEDIC CARE

Winner: OrthoCarolina
Runner Up: Anthony Martin, MD

BEST PERSONAL TRAINER

Winner: Jenna Reynolds
Runner Up: Sam Hagy, FIT

BEST SPA

Winner: The Spa At Ballantyne
Runner Up: Nature’s Spa and Wellness

BEST THERAPIST OR COUNSELOR

Winner: Nicole Madonna
Runner Up: Amy Sanderson, Mindful Movements

BEST VETERINARIAN

Winner: CARE, Charlotte Animal Referral & Emergency
Runner Up: Queen City Animal Hospital

BEST YOGA STUDIO

Winner: Arrichion Hot Yoga + Circuit Training
Runner Up: NoDa Yoga

BEST YOGA INSTRUCTOR

Winner: Jenna Reynolds, Arrichion Hot Yoga + Circuit Training
Runner Up: Grace Millsap Yoga

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES & REPAIRS

BEST ADVERTISING AGENCY

Winner: Moonshot
Runner Up: BigHouse Marketing

BEST ATTORNEY

Winner: Kocaj Consulting, Tattooed Tax Attorney
Runner Up: Mark S. Jetton, Jr.

BEST AUTO DEALER

Winner: Subaru South Charlotte
Runner Up: Hendrick Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram

BEST CLOTHING ALTERATIONS

Winner: Anna’s Alterations
Runner Up: Myers Park Tailors

BEST DOGGIE DAYCARE

Winner: Skiptown
Runner Up: Camp Bow Wow

BEST DRY CLEANERS

Winner: 2ULaundry
Runner Up: Elite Cleaners

BEST EVENT PLANNER(S)

Winner: J.Leigh Events
Runner Up: Carben Events + Marketing

BEST GENERAL CONTRACTOR

Winner: Springdale Custom Builders
Runner Up: Exact Construction Group

BEST HEATING & AIR COMPANY

Winner: Travis Crawford Heating, Cooling & Plumbing
Runner Up: Bradham Brothers

BEST INSURANCE AGENCY

Winner: Mark McDuffie Insurance Agency
Runner Up: Latorre Insurance

BEST LANDSCAPING & LAWN CARE

Winner: Sprout Commercial Landscaping
Runner Up: Teury lawn & tree services

BEST LAW FIRM

Winner: Jetton & Meredith, PLLC
Runner Up: Tin Fulton Walker & Owen

BEST LOCAL ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN

Winner: Charlotte International Arts Festival
Runner Up: Novant Health Charlotte Marathon

BEST MARKETING COMPANY

Winner: Black Wednesday
Runner Up: Yellow Duck Marketing

BEST MEMBERSHIP/SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE

Winner: Blind Date Used Book Subscription, That’s Novel Books
Runner Up: Nourish Charlotte

BEST MOVING & STORAGE COMPANY

Winner: Hornet Moving
Runner Up: Gentle Giant Moving Company

BEST PARTY & EVENT RENTAL

Winner: Curated Events Charlotte
Runner Up: House Party Rentals

BEST PEST CONTROL

Winner: Black Pest Prevention
Runner Up: ClearDefense Pest Control

BEST PET GROOMING

Winner: The Dog Salon
Runner Up: Gold Standard Dog Grooming (Tied)
Runner Up: Pet in the City (Tied)

BEST PLUMBING SERVICE

Winner: Travis Crawford Heating, Cooling & Plumbing
Runner Up: WyattWorks Plumbing

BEST POOL CLEANING & SERVICES

Winner: Yeary Pools

BEST PR COMPANY

Winner: Yellow Duck Marketing
Runner Up: Black Wednesday

BEST REAL ESTATE AGENT

Winner: Lara Bucci, Savvy + Co. Real Estate
Runner Up: Brett Carraway, Northstar Real Estate

BEST RUG CLEANING

Winner: Love-it-Clean Carpet Cleaning Svc./Car Detailing Service
Runner Up: Tony Rugs Cleaning & Repair Service

BEST TAX PREP & ACCOUNTING SERVICES

Winner: Nadia Maradiaga, My Tax Lady
Runner Up: David Myers, David E. Myers, CPA

BEST TRAVEL AGENCY

Winner: April Powers Travel
Runner Up: Dreams and Destinations Travel