For two years, the tubular Mr. Wizard has kept your TV and other home equipment a-glow. Bonds, AAA, and Ray's Electronics account for most of the other votes.

Mr. Wizard's Electronics Service
1507 W. North Loop
512/454-1137

view this award on its own page ›

This new category yielded a slew of individual votes for many, many firms. What does this say about your driving skills, friends? Don's took first, B&B took second and Ellis & Salazar were a close third.

Don's Paint & Body Shop
1006 W. 12th
512/476-5536

view this award on its own page ›

This resurrected category is one for which we receive calls all year long. Who was voted best mechanic? Well, in the past, Mark Larkin the Honest Mechanic won hands down. This year, the exotic birds at Flamingo pulled ahead and took first.

Flamingo Automotive
3512 Guadalupe
512/459-9917
flamingoautomotive.com

view this award on its own page ›

Here's one of those odd categories. Jack Brown usually leads the way, so it's assumed year after year, that this would be a lock. Not so. Over 40 (!) dry cleaners got multiple votes and this winner was determined by a narrow margin, putting Rick's chain of nine cleaners past the over 50 locations of Jack Brown. Pressed close to the top were: Comet, Brothers, Washburns, Capitol, Kim's, and Bluebonnet.

Rick's Cleaners
3652-D Bee Cave Rd., 512/327-6846
7435 Burnet Rd., 512/454-7425
110 N. I-35 #250, Round Rock, 512/244-4363
5324 Cameron, 512/452-2200
850 N. Bell Blvd. #304, Cedar Park, 512/258-4990
11126 Jollyville, 512/346-8845
900 N. Austin Ave. #603, Georgetown, 512/930-0666
500 W. William Cannon #404, 512/462-3868
12218 RR 620 N., 512/257-0057
8400 Brodie #101, 512/291-1588
3810 Gattis School Rd. #102, Round Rock, 512/244-3733
13011 Shops Pkwy. #200, Bee Cave, 512/263-1588
3411 N. Lamar, 512/323-0188
2614 S. Lamar, 512/433-6666
rickscleaners.com

view this award on its own page ›

In the universe of fitness, this place still steels your buns and rocks your world for the second year in a row. The Q, Hills, Clean & Lean, and YMCA showed well, close to the top.

World Gym
115 E. Sixth
512/479-0044
www.worldgym.com/city.cfm?name=Austin&state=tx

view this award on its own page ›

1994's winner, Cowgirls & Flowers is back in first place by a few votes over second-place Flower Bucket. Azul is surely not blue about taking third place.

Cowgirls & Flowers
508 Walsh
512/478-4626
www.cowgirlsandflowers.com

view this award on its own page ›

Previous winner Maximum FX slipped to third this year, behind Avant and Bella. Here's another category with as many entries as hairs on your head (unless, of course, you are bald). Big votes went to Anne Kelso, Carpe Diem, Aziz, Horse Feathers, Astarte, and Russ & Co.

Avant Garde Studio Salon Spa
318 Colorado St.
512/472-6357
www.avantsalon.com

view this award on its own page ›

We consolidated a few sub-categories and placed them under one banner. Know what? Fox still outfoxed us. While their lead is narrow, it's still a winning number. Good Neighbor Remodeling and Fair & Square tied for second.

Fox-Schmidt Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning
757 Shady
512/385-3070

view this award on its own page ›

This dog-eat-dog competition names Northwest Hills king of the pack for the second year straight. Past winner Hyde Park Animal Clinic and the ever-popular University Animal Clinic tied for second.

view this award on its own page ›

Clean & Lean is an Austin tradition and so is its annual sweep of this prize. Is this a surprise? It's a genius concepts of wash, dry, and grunt and just screams "Where else but Austin?" Kwik Wash with its many locations holds on to second place.

view this award on its own page ›

For the last two years, we ran only a category for Criminal Lawyers. That seemed an odd statement. The competition was opened up and attorney Janet Stockard led the field of briefcased barristers.

view this award on its own page ›

This full service lab with reasonable prices dashed the HEB chain and tossed them into second. The Heeb has taken it for the last two years. Back in a Flash shares second place with them.

Holland Photo Imaging
2125 Goodrich
512/442-4274
www.hollandphoto.com

view this award on its own page ›

New for 1996, this category goes to the venerable People's Community Clinic, the sliding-scale nightengale in a sky full of health "care" hawks. Planned Parenthood probably didn't plan to do as well as they did, but we're sure they're happy with their brand new bouncing second place.

People's Community Clinic
1101 Camino La Costa
512/478-4939
www.austinpcc.org

view this award on its own page ›

This has been the respite spot for the weary soles of the Readers Poll for the last two years. Sammies, Rowell's and Golden Slipper shuffled into second.

Austin Shoe Hospital
3106 Windsor, 512/477-6515
720 Congress, 512/477-5078
3300 Bee Caves Rd., 512/329-8104
1911 W. Ben White, 512/440-8788
8211 Burnet, 512/453-1961
5114 Balcones Woods Dr. Ste. 301-B, 512/345-8663
6781 Hwy. 290 W., 512/288-6386
1316 Round Rock Ave., Round Rock, 512/244-9124
306 S. Bell, Cedar Park, 512/219-8387
3932 RR 620 S., Lakeway, 512/263-4630
12119 Hwy. 290 W., 512/827-3398
www.austinshoehospital.com

view this award on its own page ›