showing 11 to 20 of 45
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Best Flower Shop
on November 1, 2018 at 1:00AM
Gold Winner My Mother's Bloomers
Silver Winner The Flower Shop
Bronze Winner Pilcher's Flowers
“There’s always an occasion for flowers,” says Sarah Archer, supervisor at My Mother’s Bloomers. She loves the comfort that flowers can bring people. It’s this kind of zest for blossoms that has My Mother’s Bloomers crowned gold for the second year in a row. The shop just moved to Creighton this past year, where Archer says they’ve seen a growth in business thanks to the north end community that is “just so supportive of local business in general.” Whether you want to say ‘I’m sorry for eating all the ice cream,’ ‘I’m sorry you’re getting divorced’ or just a simple ‘Happy birthday Grandma,’ My Mother’s Bloomers has your back. As Archer says, “flowers are food for the soul, no matter what.”
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Best Esthetician
on November 1, 2018 at 1:00AM
Gold Winner Natalie MacDonald, WAXON Laser + Waxbar
Silver Winner Katherine Hanlon, Dime Salon
Bronze Winner Jennifer MacAskill, Zig Zag Hair Salon
“I’m sort of surprised to have won this award because I’m still rather new to the industry,” Natalie MacDonald of WAXON starts off. “I’ve been doing this work for three-and-a half-years.” She attributes her big win to the fact that when her clients visit, it’s “like two friends hanging out—I just bond with them all. Getting a wax is not exciting, but people look forward to it because of that personal connection.”
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Best Fitness Instructor
on November 1, 2018 at 1:00AM
Gold Winner Alan Dalton, Evolve Fitness
Silver Winner Janessa Klatt, ProEdge Sports Conditioning
Bronze Winner Amber Allan, Canada Games Centre
There is a distinction to be made between personal training and fitness instruction, but it doesn’t really matter in this case. Alan Dalton, your gold-winning Best Fitness Instructor, works with your gold-certified Best Personal Trainer, Mitch Benvie, at Evolve Fitness, your golden choice for Best Gym, so it’s hard to go wrong no matter what kind of fitness training you’re looking for. Dalton is “the most consistent, reliable person I’ve ever met,” says Evolve honcho Matt Benvie. A former varsity athlete with a master’s in kinesiology, Dalton has a particular knack for the instruction part of his job, able to analyze and correct a person’s technique in the gym. Plus, Benvie says, “he’s the best dancer.”
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Best Furniture Store
on November 1, 2018 at 1:00AM
Gold Winner Retrospekt
Silver Winner KEW
Bronze Winner 31 Westgate
Hall of fame Attica Furnishings
Take one scroll through Retrospetkt’s Instagram and you’ll see how specialized its business is: The shop sells a finely curated collection of mid-century modern furniture, objects and light fixtures. Co-owners Mark Schaay and Val Palvan have been in the biz for two years, but they opened their downtown Dartmouth storefront just shy of a year ago. “We’re both passionate about what we do and so we really enjoy it,” says Schaay. “We’re really particular on the pieces that we source as well.” Retrospectkt sells mainly teak, walnut and rosewood pieces—from sleek couches to sharp table and chair sets—and they reupholsterfurniture too. Feast your eyes on its social media pages, or even better, check out the store itself to be transported back a few decades. -
Best Gym
on November 1, 2018 at 1:00AM
Gold Winner Evolve Fitness
Silver Winner ProEdge Sports Conditioning
Bronze Winner 360 Fit
This year Evolve moved from its cramped north end home to a huge new space on Strawberry Hill Street, plus opened a second location in Bedford. Co-owner Matt Benvie didn’t envision this kind of growth when he started the gym nine years ago. He liked doing personal training, and brushed off his clients’ encouragement to expand. But with advice from a business mentor, his thinking evolved. “If I don’t grow the business, then we’re limiting the number of people we can help,” he says. “If I teach, I’m limiting my time to grow the business.” Such ambitious expansion is risky, Benvie knows: “I’ve never taken on this much debt before. But I’ve never been happier.”
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Best Hair Salon
on November 1, 2018 at 1:00AM
Gold Winner Bowtique Hair & Makeup, downtown
Silver Winner Tidal Hair Lounge
Bronze Winner Spirit Spa, downtown
When asked why Bowtique routinely places in the top three salons in town, Meg Ryan comes back with a simple response: “The staff are awesome and the vibes are chill,” she says. “There are a lot of good salons in Halifax but we have a great group of girls that are super talented and fun to hang with.” With new-ish digs at 1861 Granville Street (which Ryan calls a unique, cool space featuring “Halifax’s oldest wall” ???) and an expanded selection of services that now includes aesthetics, Bowtique’s hot streak surely won’t be cooling anytime soon.
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Best Hairstylist
on November 1, 2018 at 1:00AM
Gold Winner Lindsay Algee, Tidal Hair Lounge
Silver Winner Ashley Cornelius, The Head Shop
Bronze Winner Malyssa Burns, Kara's Urban Day Spa, Portland Street
“There’s so much talent in this city when it comes to hair,” Lindsay Algee says when she answers the phone. “I know this from referring people to clients when I’m too booked up.” Still, Algee’s clients say hers are the golden scissors, giving her this top nod for her work. Algee attributes her win to the magic of the salon experience as much as the actual ‘do: “I value the personal side of hair. You go through a lot with your clients—weddings, graduations, moving and hard times too,” she says. “I value that one-on-one time.”
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Best Home Decor Store
on November 1, 2018 at 1:00AM
Gold Winner Kept
Silver Winner Black Market Boutique
Bronze Winner Independent Mercantile Co.
Kept is all about “pride of place,” says owner Charlotte Jewer. Both she and her husband have lived in Ontario temporarily and missed the seaside deeply while away. When they moved back to Halifax, the two considered the question “How can we really showcase that?,” she says. While they do consider themselves to be a gift store first and foremost, a lot of the things Kept sells are home decor centred (think kitchen wares and nautical knick knacks) and are “inspired by ocean living.” It’s important to feel comfortable in your home and Jewer has tried to reflect that feeling in Kept, too. “Some people even say that they want to live in the shop!”
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Best Independent Bookstore
on November 1, 2018 at 1:00AM
Gold Winner Woozles
Silver Winner Venus Envy
Bronze Winner Bookmark
“I get to work in a place that my parents dreamed of years ago,” says Suzy MacLean of Woozles. “The two of them started this store, when my oldest sister was just one year old, and there was nowhere in town to buy children’s books. So, they bravely opened this spot up,” she recalls. Fast-forward a few decades, and Woozles celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. To MacLean, the children’s bookstore feels like a family member itself, but beyond that she boosts it as an “incredibly joyus place to work.”
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Best Indie Gift Shop
on November 1, 2018 at 1:00AM
Gold Winner Black Market Boutique
Silver Winner Made in the Maritimes, Sunnyside Mall
Bronze Winner Kept
The Black Market Boutique’s colourful exterior (and interior) is as recognizable to the average Haligonian as Pizza Corner nearby. Black Market is cozy and welcoming the moment you step inside, with the scent of unlit incense wafting through the air. Besides the jars of incense sticks, you’ll find boxes, trinkets and ornaments galore. The shop’s selection of jewellery is both unique and inexpensive, making it the ideal place to buy a gift while still getting a little something for you. Celebrate 30 years with The Black Market on November 10—and snag 30 percent off literally everything!
