good & services

Restaurant Service

Food is the number one reason to go to a restaurant. But the service can make or break the experience. There’s no need to worry about bad service ruining your night out at these restaurants, where they make sure every customer has a fantastic time.

  1. Red Bird
  2. Scotty’s Table
  3. The Montana Club

Retail Customer Service

When we go shopping, it’s refreshing when an associate helps us find just what we’re looking for. It’s always nice to be pointed in the right direction.

  1. Runner’s Edge
  2. Ace Hardware
  3. Rockin Rudy’s

Window Display

Done right, a window display can be candy to the eyes. These displays at these local retail stores have been a window shopper’s delight.

  1. Noteworthy
  2. Victoria’s Secret
  3. Betty’s Divine

Art Gallery

There’s no question that Missoula is a town that supports the arts and local art lovers love the local, western art at the Dana Gallery and the Monte Dolack Gallery as well as the variety of installations at the Missoula Art Museum.

  1. Dana Gallery
  2. Monte Dolack Gallery
  3. Missoula Art Museum

Convenience Store

Walking into a convenience store, you want to find just what you are looking for, find it at the right price, and have a friendly, helpful checker complete the experience. Locals think these convenience stores are doing it right.

  1. Ole’s
  2. Holiday
  3. Grizzly Grocery

Grocery Store

Missoula has a great selection of grocery stores, from the local market to the big chains. The Good Food Store is a nonprofit known for locally-produced, organic and bulk foods. Safeway and Rosauer’s are also favorites for their selection and prices.

  1. Good Food Store
  2. Safeway
  3. Rosauer’s

Liquor Store

Large selection, friendly staff and great prices put these local liquor stores ahead of the rest.

  1. Grizzly Liquor
  2. Krisco Liquor
  3. Diamond Jim’s

Wine Selection

Merlot, Cabs, White Zin, Pinots and more. You can find whatever kinds of wine you like here.

  1. 1Worden’s Market
  2. CVS
  3. Good Food Store

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Beer Selection

Whether you like local beer, imports, or domestics, organic beer, or cheap 40s, local beer lovers say they go to these places to find what they want.

  1. 1Worden’s Market
  2. Orange Street Food Farm
  3. Good Food Store

Boutique

Not every city has a great boutique, but Missoula has many. Betty’s Divine is a creative and edgy indie boutique featuring both local and international designers. Miss Zula’s calls themselves “the funkiest little boutique in the West.” While Charlotte’s is a one-stop shop for clothing and accessories.

  1. Betty’s Divine
  2. Miss Zula’s
  3. Charlotte’s Boutique

Place for Women’s Clothing

It’s no secret, ladies love to shop! And when we find a favorite we stick with it. Thank you to these local retail shops for making us look stylish without breaking our pocket books.

  1. Betty’s Divine
  2. Dillards
  3. Charlotte’s

Place for Men’s Clothing

Men don’t like all the frills that women can sometimes get carried away with when it comes to shopping. They just want nice looking, quality clothes at a good price. Here’s where they like to get it.

  1. Desmonds
  2. Dillards
  3. Goodwill

Place to Buy Unique Gift

When buying someone a gift, the worse thing you can do is get them something they already have, or give something that’s going to be re-gifted. That won’t happen at these places that offer fun, unique gifts with personality.

  1. Rockin Rudy’s
  2. Miss Zula’s
  3. Ellie Blue

Place to Buy Shoes

Good shoes and good fit help you feel good all over, according to best shoes winner Hide & Sole. Dillard’s and the Runner’s Edge are also popular places to find the perfect shoe.

  1. Hide & Sole
  2. Dillard’s
  3. Runner’s Edge

Place to Buy Children’s Gift

Picking out a gift for a child is almost as much fun as watching their eyes light up when you give it to them. The Learning Tree has gifts that foster imagination and creative play. Goodwill has a wide selection of perfectly good toys other children grew out of. Whippersnappers specializes in treads and threads for children.

  1. The Learning Tree
  2. Goodwill Industries
  3. Whippersnappers

Place to Buy Eyeglasses

Back in the day, when someone wore eyeglasses they were called four-eyes, but nowadays, people who don’t even need glasses are wearing them to look as stylish as those who do.

  1. Costco
  2. Uptown Optical
  3. Rocky Mountain Eye Center

Jewelry Store

The right piece of jewelry can set off an entire outfit. Here are Missoula’s favorite places to buy their bling.

  1. Rockin Rudy’s
  2. Barney Jette
  3. Miss Zula’s

Jewelry Designer

  1. Barney Jette
  2. Adair
  3. Studio Pandora

Flower shop

Fresh, beautiful flowers are good for any occasion. Local favorites include Bitterroot Flower Shop, which operates at the same location for more than 50 years. Garden City Floral has been a Missoula shop since 1915. A relative newcomer to the mix of Missoula’s favorites is Habitat Floral Studio.

  1. Bitterroot Flower Shop
  2. Garden City Floral
  3. Habitat Floral

Local Artist

Monte Dolack’s paintings inspired by his travels around the world, Josh Quick’s creative illustrations and designs and Larry Pirnie’s vivid, colorful depictions of the Wild West are favorites among Missoula art connoisseurs.

  1. Monte Dolack
  2. Josh Quick
  3. Larry Pirnie

Place to Buy Music

Not only can you still find vinyl at Rockin Rudy’s, you can spend the day perusing every nook and cranny that is stocked with all kinds of musical favorites. Ear Candy and Best Buy are also popular spots to find the best tunes.

  1. Rockin Rudy’s
  2. Ear Candy
  3. Best Buy

Buy/rent Musical Instruments

For the Mozarts and Bachs in training, Missoulians have a great choice to buy or rent their musical instruments.

  1. Morgenroth Music Center
  2. Electronic Sound and Percussion
  3. Outlaw Music

Movie Rental

Missoulians enjoy the convenience of Red Box for their movie rentals—kiosks around town make renting DVDs a painless process. Hastings and Crazy Mike’s are also key destinations for those seeking the best movie picks.

  1. Red Box
  2. Hastings
  3. Crazy Mike’s

Cell Phone Company

Of course, you can hear me now. Verizon has established themselves as Missoula’s favorite cell phone provider. Alltel and Tracfone also keep Missoula connected.

  1. Verizon
  2. Alltel
  3. Tracfone

Wi-fi Hotspot

Evidently caffeine and Wi-Fi go hand in hand as local coffee spots dominate as favorite destinations for free Wi-Fi in Missoula. You can grab a coffee and a muffin at the Break Espresso, gulp an espresso shot and some juice at Liquid Planet or get a double –tall-skinny- mocha-latte at Starbucks, all while surfing the net.

  1. Break Espresso
  2. Liquid Planet
  3. Starbucks

Used bookstore

Books are some of the best items to be recycled. Not to mention, there’s something gratifying about reading a book and passing it along for other people’s enjoyment. Here are some of the best places to do it.

  1. Book Exchange
  2. Bird’s Nest
  3. Hastings

New Bookstore

Maybe it’s the inviting, relaxing chairs in the magazine section. Or maybe it’s the dark roasted Starbuck’s coffee you can grab as you browse for new reading material. Barnes & Noble, the big, yet comfy, green bookstore on Reserve is a hit with Missoulians. Local downtown store, Fact & Fiction also has a lot of fans as does the new and used Book Exchange in Tremper’s Shopping Center.

  1. Barnes & Noble
  2. Fact & Fiction
  3. The Book Exchange

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Snowboard Shop

Snowboarding is not the same as downhill skiing. And that’s certainly true with this year’s voting. Downtown’s Edge of the World focuses on snowboards exclusively for downhill snow rollin’ fun and voters rewarded it with the top position for the category. Bob Ward and Sons and Gull Ski did very well too.

  1. Edge of the World
  2. Bob Ward and Sons
  3. Gull Ski

Adult Store

When it comes to sexy time, Missoulians have Midnight Dreams. One of the longest serving adult sellers of lingerie, lotions, costumes, shoes and adult toys, Midnight Dreams had some tough competition with, errrr, up-and-comer Adam & Eve on its 6-inch heels. Fantasy for Adults also had a strong showing.

  1. Midnight Dreams
  2. Adam & Eve
  3. Fantasy for Adults

Drycleaner

When you have something in need of cleaning that absolutely, positively has to be spotless, wrinkle-free and untouched, the drycleaner is your best friend. Missoula Textile has been a perennial presence in town with its delivery trucks running hither and yon and was the top vote getter this year. The Green Hanger put up a pretty good fight, though. Environmentally focused Fresh Natural Cleaners on Southwest Higgins rounded out the top three with a good chunk of votes.

  1. Missoula Textile
  2. The Green Hanger
  3. Fresh Natural Cleaners

Garden Supply/Nursery

There must be a lot of green thumb prints on the door handle of Caras Nursery. The local supplier of flowers, plants, grasses, and all things gardening – for your hardcore retiree to your weekend warrior – was a big favorite. Pink Grizzly and Marchie’s were also popular.

  1. Caras Nursery
  2. Pink Grizzly
  3. Marchie’s Nursery

Pet Store/Supplies

Pet owners want to do right by their companions. An underfed Fido is an unhappy Fido. And no one wants that. The spacious Petsmart encourages owners to bring their furry (or scaly) companion in with them and their copious inventory offers something for everyone. Local shop Go Fetch!, with its brightly-colored trucks that take your animal for a grooming or even a hike, was also a hit.

  1. Petsmart
  2. Go Fetch!
  3. Quality Supply

Furniture Store

It’s possible that we spend as much, if not more time with our couch than our friends, spouses or kids. It needs to be something that’s comfortable, relaxing, and fits in with our individual character. In that regard, the reliable Missoula store Wagner’s Home Furnishings is like a good friend to many Missoulians and pulled in the most votes. Ashley Furniture by the mall was also popular as was The Living Room.

  1. Wagner’s Home Furnishings
  2. Ashley Furniture
  3. The Living Room

Mattress Store

To sleep, perchance to not wake up at 2 am with a spring jutting into your rib cage. Finding the bed that’s not too soft, not too hard, but juuust right can be vital. For Missoulians, Sleep City was the store most named as the place to go for a good mattress.

  1. Sleep City
  2. Mission Mattress
  3. Ashley Furniture

Appliance Store

The perennial Missoula’s Choice favorite for all things appliances, Vann’s was again a big hit this year. The Montana-based electronic and appliance store ran away with the prize. Their rich inventory of fridges, stoves, vacuums, washing machines and dryers and their down home marketing helps keep them a mainstay in the Missoula valley.

  1. Vann’s
  2. Sears
  3. Best Buy

Home Entertainment Store

Vann’s Strikes Back. After two years of taking second place, Vann’s takes first as Missoula’s choice for best home entertainment store taking over Best Buy’s reign. The big blue electronic store off Reserve still made the list with a strong second place finish.

  1. Vann’s
  2. Best Buy
  3. Costco

Hardware Store

With recent competition from well-established Home Depot and Lowe’s, Ace Hardware is the little store that could. The tasty aroma of popcorn when you enter the store and the plethora of red-vested helpers in just about every aisle are but a couple of reasons why Ace is a comfortable place to shop for tools, paint, patio furniture and wood chips, among others. Lowe’s and Western Electric also made the top three.

  1. 1Ace Hardware
  2. Lowe’s
  3. Western Electric

Contractor

There must have been a lot of busted pipes, flooding or fires this year because Missoula’s Choice for best contractor was Dayspring Restoration. In fairness, the company does provide remodeling and reconstruction services as well. Dearborn Condos builder Edgell Building & Development came in just behind Dayspring.

  1. Dayspring Restoration
  2. Edgell Building & Development
  3. Architecture Outdoors & Remodel

Thrift Store

In this economy, the thrift stores are appealing places to go to find clothes, appliances, furniture, and even coffee-stained mattresses in good shape. Goodwill has been a consistent favorite of Missoula and this year is no exception. The YWCA’s Secret Seconds pulled in a good supply of votes for a respectable second place. Bargain Corner on California Street took third.

  1. Goodwill
  2. Secret Seconds
  3. The Bargain Corner

Antique Store

It’s got four floors and 15,000 square feet of room to show its rich supply of antiques that it gets from nearly 60 dealers. Montana Antique Mall was a big winner with Missoula’s Choice voters this year as it has in years past. And antique shoppers tend to know their stuff.

  1. Montana Antique Mall
  2. Fran’s Second Hand Store
  3. Circle Square Hand Store

Pawn Shop

Missoula has some of the classiest pawn shops – stores that feel like you’re walking into a place packed with fresh new items, just out of the factory. Downtown’s Liquid Assets embodies this flavor with its clean aisles and robust inventory. Downtown Pawn on West Broadway and Riverside Pawn on the west side of town on Clark Fork Drive got votes too.

  1. Liquid Assets
  2. Downtown Pawn
  3. Riverside Pawn

Ski Shop

Readers have consistently given Gull Ski a lot of love in Missoula’s Choice voting and they did the same this year. When it comes to skis, boots, poles and all things downhill skiing, Gull is popular with our readers. Bob Ward and Sons is no slouch either, pulling in a good proportion of votes and The Trail Head also won over a lot of people.

  1. Gull Ski
  2. Bob Ward and Sons
  3. The Trail Head

Bike Shop

There’s no question Missoula is a bike town. Streets around town are increasingly filling up with the leg-powered two-wheel vehicles and the number of in-town trails and bike lanes grow and make it easier for emission-free, healthy transportation. Missoula is also blessed with a good supply of quality bike stores and the top three vote getters are among the best.

  1. Open Road
  2. Big Sky Cyclery
  3. Missoula Bicycle Works

Outdoor Equipment Store

Missoula is a professional outdoor activities city which makes this category one of the most prestigious there is. REI is nationally known for quality and commitment to promoting outdoor adventures and its shop in Missoula’s Northgate Shopping Center seems locally known for the same. Bob Ward and Sons and The Trail Head also scored a lot of votes too.

  1. REI
  2. Bob Ward and Sons
  3. The Trail Head

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Fly Shop

A river runs through Missoula and so do the trout. That’s why we need good suppliers of quality fly fishing equipment - from the perfectly tied caddis fly to the hip boots that help anglers get to just the right spot to land that 12-incher. Consistently popular Grizzly Hackle took the top spot this year.

  1. Grizzly Hackle
  2. Kingfisher
  3. Missoula Angler

Health Club/Gym

Treadmills, weights, pilates, aerobics, racketball, running tracks, swimming pools – which healthclub offered the most? Readers say PEAK Health & Wellness on Blue Mountain Road this year. Gold’s Gym and The Women’s Club got their fair share of votes as well.

  1. PEAK Health & Wellness
  2. Gold’s Gym
  3. The Women’s Club

Personal Trainer

Rocky had Mickey Goodmill, Mary Lou Retton and Nadia Comenici had Béla Károlyi, and Amanda Wurlitzer had Morris Buttermaker. So who was Missoula’s choice for their personal trainer? The PEAK’s Tom Mackenroth, Michael Scialabba from Missoula Underground Strength Training Center and Laura Bender of Bodies By Bender.

  1. Tom Mackenroth
  2. Michael Scialabba
  3. Laura Bender

New Car Dealer

Who knows where the car industry is headed? One thing that doesn’t seem to change, though, is that Missoula likes its tough trucks. Missoula’s Karl Tyler Chevrolet dealership is the clear favorite from our readers.

  1. Karl Tyler Cheverolet
  2. Bitterroot Motors
  3. Flanagan’s

Used Car Dealer

Let’s face it, cars are an investment. There are a lot of good used vehicles out there to soften the blow of that often necessary car purchase. The renovated store under the green canopy, Flanagan’s won a nail-biter against Eide Motors. Lyman Motors came in a respectable third.

  1. Flanagan’s
  2. Eide Motors
  3. Lyman Motors

Car Rental

Renting a car is sometimes an opportunity to live vicariously through someone else’s life – unless you get a rusted-out Yugo with a broken stereo. Be careful what you ask for. For Missoula, voters like the agency that picks you up – Enterprise. Hertz and Dollar duked it out for second with Hertz inching out a second place finish.

  1. Enterprise
  2. Hertz
  3. Dollar

Mechanic

There’s nothing more important than a good, honest mechanic – you don’t want to be left with a big bill and an engine that’s still clanking. And, whoa, this was a close one. Only five votes separated third from first place but when the dust settled, Roemer’s Tire Factory came out ahead by a vote.

  1. Roemer’s Tire Factory
  2. Kent Bros.
  3. Scott’s EQ

Autobody Repair

There’s no bigger pain in the rear than when you get hit in the rear. The police report, the paper work, the insurance hassle...and then the autobody repair. A good shop will help make it easier to get your dent(s) smoothed out and, hopefully, keep you from taking another dent in your wallet. For the second year in a row, Rick’s Auto Body was the shop voters liked the most.

  1. Rick’s Auto Body
  2. Town & Country
  3. Blue Ribbon Auto

Windshield Repair

Graveled roads on snowy, icy mountain passes are a wonderful thing. Until a rock comes flying up and puts a crack in your windshield. And when your windshield has taken enough hits that its cracks look like the varicose veins on your Aunt Matilda’s legs, it’s time for a repair. But where? Most voters said Warrior Auto Works.

  1. Warrior Auto Works
  2. Glass Doctor
  3. Auto Glass Center

Tire Store

It’s hard to believe that Les Schwab Tires started in Oregon. The man with the shiny blue coat and cowboy hat looks about as Montanan as they come. And according to Missoula’s Choice voters, Les Schwab is an appealing option for new tires, a rotation or a patch job. Tire Rama and Roemer’s Tire Factory had a solid following as well.

  1. Les Schwab
  2. Tire Rama
  3. Roemer’s Tire Factory

Car Wash

In Missoula, mud and dirt are just additional hues lovingly added to our cars’ exteriors. But when you lean up against your vehicle and the back of your shirt gets smeared with three inches of dirt and you can’t read your license plate, it may be time to wipe the slate clean and start over. This year’s contest was a tough fight, with only a handful of votes separating the finishers.

  1. 1Happy Days
  2. Splash
  3. Dazzlers

Detail Shop

Ahhhh, that new car smell. Can you ever get it back? Maybe not, but there are places that can give your car a full cleaning, debris stripping, carpet stain removal, conditioned interiors, and a thorough engine cleansing – sort of like a colonic for your car. Makes it look better for a re-sale or just gives you that new car feeling once again. Warrior Auto Works took the top spot from voters this year.

  1. Warrior Auto Works
  2. Grizzly Detail
  3. Lyman Motors

Tattoo Parlor

Sometime in the next 30 years, people without tattoos will be the minority and parents will look suspiciously upon the boy their daughter brings home who is strangely devoid of any artwork on his arms, face, legs, forehead and neck. Do you want to be the last person without a tattoo? This year, voters again bestowed the top spot to Painless Steel.

  1. Painless Steel
  2. American Made
  3. Altered Skin

Place to Get a Massage

Missoula’s a great town for superb, relaxing, top of the line massages. There are a lot of well-trained masseuses around and you pretty much can’t go wrong no matter where you go. It was a tough fight this year for the top spot between Dilatush Chiropractic (a new contender) and frequent favorite Sorella’s, but Dilatush pulled out the close win; Cedar Creek fared well too.

  1. Dilatush Chiropractic
  2. Sorella’s
  3. Cedar Creek

Place to Get a Facial

According to About.com, facials are the second most popular spa service after massages. Deep cleansing, exfoliation, extraction and effleurage (facial massage) are the name of the game. And Missoulians thought Sorella’s plays the game pretty darn well.

  1. Sorella’s
  2. Cedar Creek
  3. Skin Chic

Place to Get a Manicure

Oh, those pesky nails! They’re always getting smashed, cracked, whacked and dirty. Some people chew them out of nervousness or as a way to avoid clipping them. A good manicure can repair the damage of daily wear and tear. Sorella’s took the top spot for this spa treatment as well.

  1. Sorella’s
  2. Cedar Creek
  3. Saigon Nails

Place to Get a Haircut

One good way to freak yourself out is to look at photos of your hair over the years. Wavy, thick and wiry in the 70s? Big, loud and fluffy in the 80s? You always look better now and you always had bad judgement then. At the center of it all is the hair cutter/stylist you go to when making those decisions that will make you laugh in the future. What shops won the hearts and minds of Missoulians this year?

  1. Boom Swagger
  2. Great Clips
  3. Roosters

Walk-In Clinic

Being sick is never fun. Waiting a week for your doctor to see you just makes it worse. For those pesky sinus infections, that sudden emergence of pink eye or when your baby was crying all night long and now it’s Saturday, where do you go to get medical care without running to the emergency room? Now Care, with its clinics strategically placed all around town, was our readers top pick. The low-cost Cost Care, which won’t even bother you with insurance paperwork, came in a close second.

  1. Now Care
  2. Cost Care
  3. Western Montana Clinic

Teeth Whitening

People just aren’t getting dentures like they used to. That just increases the number of yellowy, brownish teeth out there. And it’s not like we’re going to give up coffee. Teeth whitening is like car detailing for our mouth. Jared Little’s whitening service was the Missoula’s Choice favorite this year.

  1. 1 Jared Little
  2. Zahn & Felton
  3. Discovery Dental

Financial Institution

It’s hard to go down a major thoroughfare in Missoula and not pass by a Missoula Federal Credit Union building. The extremely popular credit union got much love and respect from Missoula’s Choice readers this year. Regional banks First Interstate and First Security were also popular choices

  1. Missoula Federal Credit Union
  2. First Interstate Bank
  3. First Security Bank

Property Management Company

Sometimes the referee, sometimes the professional consultant, sometimes the bill collector, and sometimes the marketer. For many places, the property management company is always the essential agent helping to make sure the important things get done and get done right. Missoula voters thought Real Estate Management Group was the place to go for dependable property management. Garden City and Missoula Property Management also were popular.

  1. RE-MG (Real Estate Management Group)
  2. Garden City Property Management
  3. Missoula Property Management

Real Estate Agency

The numbers show that people are buying less-expensive, middle-income houses now. Financing is tighter and using incentives like the first-time homebuyer tax credit often requires a good knowledgeable Realtor to help you navigate through these uncertain waters. As they have in the past, voters gave a lot of love to Lambros Real Estate ERA with its wealth of commercial, residential and ranch/land listings.

  1. Lambros Real Estate ERA
  2. Prudential Montana Real Estate
  3. Prudential Missoula Properties

Realtor

If you know your stuff, read up and pay close attention, you can sell your house by yourself. But, for most of us, having a good Realtor is probably a better move. They know the market, they know the law, they know all the details and hoops you have to jump through whether or not you’re buying or selling (or both). It was a close race this year, but Lambros Real Estate ERA Realtor Molly Round won the prize after a spirited battle with Prudential Montana’s always zany Mindy Palmer and Rod Rogers from Lambros.

  1. Molly Round, Lambros Real Estate ERA
  2. Mindy Palmer, Prudential Montana Real Estate
  3. Rod Rogers, Lambros Real Estate ERA

Attorney

Morgan Modine was one of the first attorneys in Missoula to advertise his services. His cousin is actor Mathew Modine and he went to high school in Beverly Hills and graduated with people like Richard Dreyfuss and Albert Brooks. The defense attorney has also been a part of several high-profile cases during his 24 years in the Garden City. Such visibility helped earn him the honor of the top vote getter for this first-time Missoula’s Choice award.

  1. Morgan Modine
  2. Steve Carey
  3. Paul Ryan

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