Best of Orlando 2017 – Home & Shopping
Our readers voted online for their top picks in dozens of categories, from sweet shops to car dealers, bloggers to wedding venues. We carried our snazzy "Best of Orl" sign to various winning spots for photos, then had a "blast" coloring it for the cover.
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Best of Food & Drink |
Bloom Time
“We’re now the oldest flower shop in Orlando,” says David Edmiston, who with sister Kathy Rees and brother Ed have owned Colonial Florist since 1978. These third-generation florists are best known for their affordable roses, which they typically sell for $50 for a long-stem dozen in a vase with baby's breath and greenery, while most competitors charge $55 to $80. Each year, the Edmistons run a special of 24 roses for the price of 12. “That really lets our customers see a lot of stuff,” says Ed Edmiston. “They’ll get the oranges, greens and lavenders.” Their business plan has always been to buy the best quality roses—the ones with the best scent and longest life. “It’s not price that drives the business,” Ed says. “It’s the quality…I have one lady who always gets two weeks-plus out of her red roses. It makes you friends.”
—Loraine O’Connell
FLORIST
1 Colonial Florist
Curry Ford Road
colonialfloristorlando.com
2 Apopka Florist
Main Street, Apopka
apopkaflorist.com
3 In Bloom Florist
Orlando and Heathrow
inbloomflorist.com
MEN'S CLOTHING STORE
1 John Craig Clothier
Winter Park and JW Marriott, Grande Lakes
johncraigclothier.com
2 Masterpiece Clothing
Downtown Orlando
407-420-4658
3 Cloak & Dapper
(Online only)
clkdpr.com
The Mall at Millenia (THE MALL AT MILLENIA)
MALL
1 The Mall at Millenia
Conroy Road
mallatmillenia.com
2 Altamonte Mall
Altamonte Springs
altamontemall.com
3 The Florida Mall
South Orange
Blossom Trail
simon.com
JEWELER
1 Bay Hill Jewelers
Orlando and Winter Park
bayhilljewelers.com
2 Victoria Jewelers
Baldwin Park
victoriajewelers.net
3 International Diamond Center
Five Orlando-area locations
shopidc.com
CONSIGNMENT OR RESALE SHOP
1 Once Upon a Child
Three Orlando-area locations
onceuponachild.com
2 Dechoes Resale
Three Orlando-area locations
dechoesresale.com
3 Top Drawer
College Park
topdrawerconsignments.com
GIFT SHOP
1 The Pink Chalet
Dr. Phillips area, Orlando
thepinkchalet.com
2 The Primrose Shop
Audubon Park
facebook.com/theprimroseshop
3 Walk on Water
Lake Mary
walkonwaterfl.com
INTERIOR DESIGNER
1 Ted Maines Interiors
Winter Park
tedmainesinteriors.com
2 Ray Interior Design
Sanford
rayinteriordesign.com
3 Anne Rue Interiors
Sanford
annerue.com
HOME DECOR STORE
1 HomeGoods
Multiple Orlando-area locations
homegoods.com
2 IKEA
Millenia area, Orlando
ikea.com
3 Kirkland’s
Five Orlando-area locations
kirklands.com
KITCHEN AND BATH STORE
1 Bed, Bath & Beyond
Multiple Orlando-area locations
bedbathandbeyond.com
2 IKEA
Millenia area, Orlando
ikea.com
3 Ferguson
Ivanhoe Village
ferguson.com
PLANT NURSERY
1 Lukas Nursery
Oviedo
lukasnursery.com
2 Palmer’s Garden
& Goods
Audubon Park
palmersgarden.com
3 Apenberry’s
College Park
apenberrys.com
PLACE FOR ANTIQUES
1 Adjectives Market
Three Orlando-area locations
adjmkt.com
2 Renninger’s Flea Market and Antique Center
Mount Dora
renningers.net
3 Trader Mae’s Furniture & Décor Market
Apopka
facebook.com/tradermaes
Hand-Picked Treasures
For as long as Etoile Boutique owner Falon Quillen can remember, her mom has been stalking garage sales and rummaging flea markets. "She raised me junkin'," Quillen says. So when Quillen, at age 25, bought the boutique in Orlando's Milk District seven years ago, she naturally relied on her mom to mine the vintage items that line the store's racks. Quillen keeps a running weekly shopping list for her mom based on customer requests. And for those needing a little guidance, the junker-turned-personal shopper says she and her employees love helping customers comb the store’s collection. "It's supposed to feel like you're shopping with your girlfriend," she says. What isn’t purchased by her mother comes directly from local vendors, some of them customers who were inspired by the store's handmade items. One shopper who routinely found animal molars during her hikes saw handmade earrings in Etoile and decided to fashion dainty gold studs embellished with stark white teeth. Quillen happily agreed to sell them. "I like that full-circle component of it a lot," Quillen says. "Maybe that's what people like about the store. I make it about them."
—Megan Stokes
WOMEN'S CLOTHING STORE
1 Etoile Boutique
Milk District, Orlando
etoileboutique.com
2 Macy's
Six Orlando-area locations
macys.com
3 Chico’s
Six Orlando-area locations
chicos.com
POOL BUILDER
1 Pools by Bradley
Sanford
poolsbybradley.com
2 Premier Pools of Central Florida
Winter Park
premierpoolsofcentralfl.com
3 Signature Pools
South Orlando
signaturepools.com
BICYCLE SHOP
1 Orange Cycle
College Park
orangecycleorlando.com
2 David’s World Cycle
Nine Orlando-area locations
davidsworld.com
3 Kyle’s Bike Shop
Milk District
kylesbikeshop.net
CAR DEALER
1 Fields Auto Group
Multiple Orlando-area locations
fieldsauto.com
2 Lexus of Orlando
Winter Park
lexusoforlando.com
3 Holler Honda
North Semoran Boulevard
hollerhonda.com
HOME BUILDER
1 Meritage Homes
meritagehomes.com
2 Beazer Homes
beazer.com
3 Lennar
lennar.com
