BEST AUTO MECHANICS
Dave Floyd and Eric Floyd
Floyd Imports, 1026 Adlai Stevenson Dr., 217-585-1214
Dave Floyd went from high school straight to working on cars at Howard Hembrough
Volkswagen in 1974. A year and a half later, brother Eric followed him into
the trade. In 1994, Dave and Eric started Floyd Imports. Ten years later, Dave
and Eric Floyd share the most votes from our readers in the Best Auto Mechanic
category. “We have a passion for Volkswagens and Audis,” says Dave Floyd. “We
know how the German engineers think about these cars.” Even though they specialize,
the brothers work on any import — a good thing, given that about 40 percent
of the cars owned by Springfieldians are imports, by Dave Floyd’s estimate.
“On the other hand, Jacksonville, where we grew up, is probably 85 percent domestic-built
cars. Springfield is a great city for import mechanics.”
Runner-up: Brahler
Tire & Auto Center
BEST BARTENDER
Mike Parkes
Brewhaus, 617 E. Washington St., 217-525-6399
What are the ingredients that go into the making of a good bartender? Whatever
they are, it’s apparent that Mike Parkes of the Brewhaus has them, and they’re
mixed to perfection. The proprietor of the downtown establishment wins this
category year after year. He knows what you want, listens to your tales, and
even entertains you, if need be. And he makes a good drink.
Runner-up:
Marianne Groeteke, Sammy’s Sports Bar
BEST STORE FOR NEW BOOKS
Barnes & Noble
3111 S. Veterans Parkway, 217-546-9440
Springfield’s favorite place to buy new books is part of the nation’s largest
bookstore chain: Barnes & Noble, which has 800 warehouse-size locations
in 49 states. The Springfield B&N attracts a variety of bookworms, many
of whom don’t slink home until the store’s late closing hour of 10 p.m. Unlike
the stuffy atmosphere of some public libraries — with their backbreaking chairs
and insistence that you keep your lip zipped — B&N invites patrons to sip
coffee and snack on pastries or just kick back while leafing through magazines
and scanning an endless array of fascinating titles. A tidbit for Illinois-trivia
buffs: The “Barnes” of Barnes & Noble is William Barnes, son of Charles
M. Barnes, who in 1873 opened his first book business out of his home in Wheaton,
Ill. Runner-up: Chapter One Bookstore
BEST STORE FOR USED BOOKS
Prairie Archives
522 E. Adams St., 217-522-9742
With its soaring pressed-tin ceilings and endless clutter of yellowing $3 paperbacks
and musty old tomes, Prairie Archives has all the trappings of a great used-book
shop. Now a Springfield tradition, Prairie Archives Ñ open since 1973 Ñ boasts
a collection of some 250,000 used books, as well as vintage photographs, CDs,
LPs, and 45s. With rooms that unfold one onto the next and tables and chairs
piled high with unknown treasures, this mainstay on the east side of Old Capitol
Plaza has long provided a wonderful way to while away an afternoon. There’s
even a pair of good-natured retrievers to keep you company. So pull up a seat,
browse the stacks, stay as long as you like. But please Ñ as the signs on the
door warn Ñ don’t let the dogs out.
Runner-up: The Elf Shelf
BEST FITNESS INSTRUCTOR
Teresa Meyer-DeStasio
Springfield Racquet & Fitness Club, 3725 Chatham Rd., 217-787-2460
You know what makes a great fitness instructor? Somebody who kicks your butt
in every class and makes you love every minute of it. That pretty much describes
Teresa Meyer-DeStasio, who, as one of her spinning students says, gives you
“a good-feeling kind of wipeout.” For the past 16 years, Meyer-DeStasio has
taught a variety of classes at Springfield Racquet & Fitness Center. Right
now she teaches Spinning, bodysculpting, and cross-training.
Runner-up:
Michelle Eades, YMCA
BEST FLORIST
Fifth Street Flower Shop
739 S. Fifth Street, 217-522-3334
If you think about it, the essence of a flower shop should be romance. Whether
the flowers are for a lover, a mother, or a funeral, there’s got to be heart
in them, right? Maybe that explains why owner Pat O’Connor, who, for more than
15 years, has owned this “old-fashioned florist shop” specializing
in real Ñ not silk Ñ flowers, has no living plants in his home. “I see
them all day; I don’t need to see them at home. And besides,” he says,
getting to the heart part, “my wife likes chocolate better.”
Runner-up: Heartwarmers by Katie
BEST HAIR STYLIST
Velma Chiaro
Famous Salon, 2751 Chatham Rd., 217-787-4247
Velma Chiaro has won this category for the second year in a row. Co-owner of
the little strip-mall salon called Famous (so named because it’s the same crew
that used to staff the salon at Famous-Barr), Chiaro has been styling hair for
close to 40 years. Judging by her appearance, then, you’d guess that she graduated
beauty school in diapers, but she swears she’s about to turn 60. Looking fabulous
is only a fraction of Chiaro’s charm, though: In less than a half-hour, Val
— as she’s known to her clients, who adopt Chiaro’s Chicago-accented pronunciation
of her own name — will give you a great cut and an even better conversation
for only $14. Runner-up: Cathy Grimmett, BJ Grand Salon & Spa
BEST MASSAGE THERAPIST
Mary C. Atkins
Mary Atkins NCTMB, 2160 S. Sixth St., 217-544-4450
Born in Springfield and raised in Rochester, Mary Atkins was the hands-down
(pun intended) winner in this category. The term “massage therapy” carries an
anachronistic cachet that is undeserved in this century. “There are seemingly
infinite types of body work,” she says. “Chiropractic works with vertebral bony
structures. Massage works with soft tissues.” Atkins says that “massage,” as
most people who have received massages know it, consumes only about 40 percent
of her typical workday. Gaining in popularity is craniosacral therapy, which
is focused on cerebrospinal fluid and is used to address problems of the central
nervous system. The low-pressure, “clothes on” sessions last 15 minutes to an
hour. “As a message therapist, I work with people seeking to address specific
problems,” Atkins says. “It’s not a ‘spa thing,’ it’s a therapy.”
Runner-up:
Donna Felton
BEST NAIL TECHNICIAN
The staff of TC Nail Salon
2451 S. MacArthur Blvd., 217-698-5051
So many nail techs at TC received votes, we just decided to take the advice
of one voter who cast her ballot for “everyone at TC Nails.” Large enough to
handle walk-ins but still make loyal customers feel special, TC specializes
in being well-organized, clean, and professional, according a friend who has
gorgeous nails. “And if I crack or break a nail, they can usually get me right
in,” she says.
Runner-up: The staff of LA Nails Ltd.
BEST NURSERY OR GREENHOUSE
Green View Nursery
3000 W. Jefferson St., 217-787-4700
Springfield gardeners have given a green thumbs-up to Green View as Springfield’s
best nursery or greenhouse. A potter’s paradise, Green View offers both landscape
services and a vast retail garden center. Its grounds are sumptuously landscaped
with flowering rose and juniper bushes and rows of spruce, pine, and magnolia
saplings. Green View also sells a variety of garden-related wares — everything
from shovels to shears, clogs to chimes, pottery to patio furniture. Started
50 years ago in Peoria, the family-owned nursery also has locations in Bloomington,
Champaign, Dunlap, and Oswego.
Runner-up: Pleasant Nursery
BEST PERSONAL TRAINER
Chip Wagner
Springfield Racquet & Fitness Center, 3725 Chatham Rd., 217-787-2460
Chip Wagner didn’t become a trainer by accident. It was his goal from the start.
“I majored in athletic training and minored in biology,” he says. Wagner, who
grew up in the Springfield area, graduated first from Pleasant Plains High School
and then from Lincoln Land Community College with an associate’s degree in physical
education. In November, he will have spent seven years in the profession, including
the past nine months at Springfield Racquet & Fitness Center. The variety
of clients he works with has expanded greatly in that time, he says: “I’ve worked
with deaf and mute people to junior-high to college athletes to a 67-year-old.”
Part of his day involves designing training programs for specific clients. “People
are taking an interest in the value of their lives,” Wagner says, “and personal
trainers can help in ways you do not enjoy from random exercise.” During the
summer, Wagner coaches a travelling baseball team based in Springfield, and
he teaches hitting all year. It’s a popular misconception, Wagner says, that
personal trainers are intimidating: “We have our moments, but it all depends
on the person’s goals when they come here. We develop some good relationships
and often, from that, good friends as well.”
Runner-up: Josh Frisch, Fit
Club
BEST PLACE TO BUY A HAMMER AND A HOT DOG
Ace Hardware 214 N. Walnut St., 217-528-5673; 1600 W. Wabash Ave., 217-787-5100;
3050 S. Koke Mill Rd., 217-793-3985
For lunch on the cheap, Thursday through Sunday, the best place to buy a hot
dog and a hammer is Ace Hardware. George W. Preckwinkle, whose father started
the local Ace Hardware just after World War II, says the hot dog stand in a
hardware store began in the mid-’70s and evolved over time. At first, just an
all-beef hot dog was offered, but it was soon followed by a cheese plumper and
a Polish-style dog. “We tried a turkey-meat hot dog around Thanksgiving
one year, but it didn’t go over very well,” Preckwinkle says. The hot dogs
are popular not only with hardware customers but also with workers at nearby
offices and even seniors looking for great American food in a special atmosphere.
Runner-up: Wal-Mart
BEST PLACE TO BUY ANTIQUES
Springfield Antique Mall
3031 Reilly Dr., 217-522-3031
One of the newest businesses to be embraced by Illinois Times readers, Springfield
Antique Mall has been open since May 1. Owners Larry and Judy Boger and Dave
and June Tullis are among the more than 50 vendors with display booths and showcases.
The merchandise includes antiques, collectibles, books, jewelry, china, glassware,
and NASCAR-related items, says manager Kate Kochman. The new business, she says,
is thriving: “The day we opened, all booths and showcases were filled.
Today we have a list of 25 collectors waiting for a vacancy.”
Runner-up: Patricia Doyle and Associates
BEST STORE FOR NEW VIDEO GAMES
Best Buy
3193 S. Veterans Parkway, 217-698-8551
If you’re a good mom, you might think the best place to buy video games is oh,
say, the farmers market, or the botanical garden, or the natural-food store.
In other words, you might think you shouldn’t buy video games at all. If, on
the other hand, you’re the kind of mom who occasionally needs to have a phone
conversation with computer tech support or a private discussion with your spouse
about his freeloading kid brother or even just enough peace and quiet to focus
on that box of macaroni to see how long to cook the noodles before adding the
cheese powder, then you will need to buy a video game — or two. And more than
half of our voters say Best Buy is the place to do it. So there.
Runner-up:
EB Games
BEST STORE FOR USED VIDEO GAMES
Game XChange
3145 S. Veterans Parkway, 217-787-8977
Some places sell used games. Game XChange sells the classics, such as Nintendo
and Super Nintendo, which really isn’t that super by today’s graphics standards
but is ultrasuper in its own retro-cool way. Game XChange sells not just the
cartridges (starting at $3) but also the game systems (about $50). Of course,
the store also stocks up-to-date items for virtually every system, everything
from “Elmo’s ABCs” for GameBoy to the gratuitously violent “Manhunt” for XBox.
And that, boys and girls, is why Mother Nature gave us thumbs.
Runner-up:
EB Games
BEST STORE FOR USED CDs OR VINYL
Recycled Records
625 E. Adams St., 217-522-5122
From humble beginnings 23 years ago on the second-floor landing of their mom
and dad’s Springfield Furniture Store, Mark and Gary Kessler have nurtured Recycled
Records into our favorite place to buy used CDs or those old shiny black vinyl
things called records. Remember records? The brothers Kessler also sell items
the world over on the Internet, will order about any new music you want, and
stock around 30,000 new and used CDs, plus numerous videos, DVDs, games, posters,
beer lights, and books. Recycled Records is more than a store, though. It’s
an old-fashioned one-of-a-kind browsing center, where folks visit, see what’s
new and other who-knows-what merchandise or stop by just to say hi to the reigning
queen of downtown herself, Mrs. K.
Runner-up: The Elf Shelf
BEST THRIFT STORE
Goodwill Industries
1333 W. Wabash, 217-793-3113; 815 N. 11th St., 217-789-0400; 2531 N. Dirksen
Parkway, 217-544-5729
Amaze your friends and stun your co-workers with your fashionable wardrobe purchased
at Goodwill. We’ve found silk blouses, designer jeans, and hip brands such as
Hollister, Banana Republic, and Abercrombie & Fitch — all for bargain prices.
Fans queue up outside before the doors open on half-price Saturdays. And all
this without the pop Jesus music played by the other thrift stores in town.
Runner-up:
Salvation Army
BEST WAITER OR WAITRESS
Carlos Patino
Cinco de Mayo, 3751 S. Sixth St., 217-529-3066
Since opening last summer, Cinco de Mayo has drawn crowds of patrons who come
for the large portions of fajitas and enchiladas, ice-cold margaritas and Mexican
beer, and the festive, colorful atmosphere punctuated with hanging piñatas and
sombreros. But another reason for the restaurant’s instant popularity is Carlos
Patino, the city’s best waiter, who keeps customers happy by entertaining them
with jokes. So if you want a hearty laugh to go with that hefty burrito, run,
don’t walk, to Cinco de Mayo.
Runner-up: Cozetta Maldonado, Imo’s Pizza
BEST WINE SELECTION
Corkscrew Wine Emporium
2613 Chatham Rd., 217-698-1112
It’s not how much, it’s how. Even though it looks that way, Corkscrew’s
Springfield store does not offer wines from every country in the world. Geoffrey
Bland, one of the four partners who opened the business in 1994 and the only
one still with the business, says the Corkscrew carries about 1,000 wines, yet
“there are wine-producing countries we do not represent yet.” The quality
of wine produced in some regions — Eastern Europe, for example — isn’t quite
up to Corkscrew’s standards yet. In the past decade, Bland says, he’s witnessed
a measurable improvement in the “collective palate” of Springfieldians. “Our
suppliers often comment on the level of sophistication in the Springfield market,”
he says. Considering who received their votes, they must be sophisticated.
Runner-up:
Friar Tuck Beverage
BEST PLACE TO GET YOUR LAWNMOWER FIXED
JD’s Lawnmower and Small Engine Repair
5376 River Road, 217-629-7777
Early this spring, better-known shops were backed up by a month. But JD’s Lawnmower
and Small Engine Repair Shop in Riverton was turning jobs around in less than
a week. Not only that, but they picked up and delivered as well. A standard
blade-sharpening, oil change, and tune-up ran about $40. Owners Phil and Sue
Aiellooften worked past midnight to keep up with demand. But in the
process they managed to serve 900 customers — double what they did in their
first year. At their daughter’s suggestion, they named their business after
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder J.D. Drew. Even though Drew is now an Atlanta
Brave, the Aiellos plan no name change. However, they are offering a winterizing
special. Call for details.
This article appears in Sep 16-22, 2004.
