Best Goods and Services

Best Hair Salon

Victor Leon

Finalists: Alternatives Hair Salon & More, Nuovo Salon & Spa

Rapunzel should be as lucky as the heads in this town. Victor Leon clips the competition with its innovative "lift cut," and all three of our winners make having a bad hair day a distant memory.

Best Travel Agency

AAA Club South Travel

Finalists: Gulliver's Travels, Siesta Key Travel

Remember when traveling meant adventure, romance, excitement? These guys still do, and we congratulate them all for their performance under extreme pressure over the last nine months.

Best Children's/Baby Shop (not a department store)

Bennett's World of Children

Finalists: Baby Gap, Bambinos

Yes, our beautiful babies grow up too fast, but while they're still tiny and not breaking curfew, outfit them in these places with Sarasota's most stylish fashions and accessories.

Best Department Store

Dillards

Finalists: Burdines, Saks Fifth Avenue

Shop to live, live to shop. That's our motto, and we've got the stores to suit every taste and savings account.

Best Manicurist

Janine Dixon (Victor Leon)

Finalists: Linda Duff (Alternatives Hair Salon & More), Julie Young (Signature Nails)

The loveliest nails in town wouldn't go near a frosty cocktail without consulting one of these digit doctors first. Visit them once, and you'll never bite those precious cuticles again.

Best Massage Therapist

Michelle Buice (Signature Tans) and

Christy Dockery (Fitness Quest) (tie)

Finalists: Andrew Duskin (University Park Country Club) and Gordon Lindsey (Gordon Lindsey's Therapeutic Massage) (tie)

In mere minutes, our winners will knead, squeeze and soothe every inch of you until you're a puddle of muscles that has to be peeled off the table. No wonder they're called therapists.

Best Antique Shop

Sarasota Trading Company

Finalists: Churchill's, Orange Pineapple

Sarasota is a trove of treasures for antique lovers. With selections that run the gamut from the simple to sublime, the Trading Company, Churchill's and Orange Pineapple are practically tourist destinations all by themselves.

Best Bookstore

Barnes & Noble

Finalists: Books-a-Million, Main Bookshop

Every bookstore offers its own special pleasures. At Barnes & Noble, it's the aroma of fresh espresso wafting through aisles of glossy hardbacks. At Books-a-Million, the deep discounts. At Main Bookshop, it's the umbilical urge to curl up in an antique recliner with one of Cosmo's cats dozing at your feet.

Best Bank

Bank of America

Finalists: South Trust, SunTrust

Neither a borrower nor a lender be-that's what these guys are for. In a town bursting with financial institutions, these three stand out for their commitment to integrity, customer service and available ATMs.

Best Florist

Beneva Flowers

Finalists: Mr. Florist Plants 'n Things, Flowers by Fudgie

Thank goodness for the floral creations of Arthur Conforti's finely tuned Beneva Flowers, Mr. Florist's elegant showroom and the laid-back Fudgie on Siesta Key. How else would we make up, break up or welcome new babies into the world?

Best Home Accessories

French Twist and Home Resource (tie)

Finalists: Pottery Barn

Someone once said, put nothing in your home unless it is useful or beautiful. These three places specialize in an endless variety of objects that are exactly that.

Best Consignment Shop

Woman's Exchange

Finalists: Designer Consigner, Laura Jean's

Some people sail, some watch football. For others, nirvana is scouring the nooks and crannies of Sarasota's abundant consignment stores. Woman's Exchange always scores for its enormous collection of antiques, furniture, clothing, jewelry and more. For designer fashions at a fraction of the original cost, look to Designer Consigner and Laura Jean's.

Best Gift Shop

Persnickity Cat

Finalists: Elysian Fields, Mary's on Main

Persnickity Cat's gigantic showroom is so large that you could stop in for a quick gift and not emerge for days. Elysian Fields serves our higher spiritual selves. Mary's fine crystal and silverware is perfect for brides and anniversaries.

Best Swimsuits

Swim Mart

Finalists: Signature Tans, Splash

One of the reasons women (and men) love Swim Mart is the monster selection of stylish suits in every size imaginable. The sale racks are especially appealing. Prefer a little sun with your suit? Try Signature Tans. Need a cheap souvenir, too? Then Splash is the place to go.

Best Pet Groomer

PetsMart

Finalists: Bark Place and Pampered Poodle (tie), Southside Village Pet Salon

It's a real zoo at PetsMart, where dogs, cats, and an occasional rabbit and ferret strut the aisles on the leashes of their proud owners. But far from the madding crowd, the store, like our other winners, will snip and scent our four-legged friends in privacy and style.

Best Spa

The Met

Finalists: John Carl Spa and Salon and Nuovo Salon & Spa (tie), The Colony