Winners: Shopping warriors
Best shopping mall/district
1. Valley View Mall
2. Tanglewood Mall
3. Downtown Roanoke
Honorable mention: Towers Shopping Center, New River Valley Mall and Downtown Blacksburg
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Best men’s clothing store
1. Davidsons, 412 S. Jefferson St. and 4235 Electric Road
2. Belk
3. JoS A. Bank Clothiers
Honorable mention: Macy’s, Eddie Bauer and Men’s Wearhouse
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Best women’s clothing store
1. Punch Boutique, 3117 Franklin Road S.W.
2. Belk
3. Mad Dog Boutique, 109 N. Main St., Blacksburg
Honorable mention: Coldwater Creek, 1460 S. Main St., Blacksburg; J & J Fashions, 275 Franklin St., Rocky Mount, and Talbots, 4702 Starkey Road (tie); Chico’s, 4714-B Starkey Road, and Stein Mart, Tanglewood Mall (tie)
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Best salesperson
1. Laurie Frohock at Two and a Half Sisters, 2126 Colonial Ave. S.W.
2. Catherine Grainger at Punch Boutique, 3117 Franklin Road S.W.
3. Sheila Copenhaver at J & J Fashions, 275 Franklin St., Rocky Mount
Honorable mention: Terri Burnett Urquhart, The Rescue Mission Thrift Store; Jayna Browder, Kay Jewelers in New River Valley Mall; and Robby Jones, Hamric & Sheridan Jewelers, 11 W. Nelson St., Lexington
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Best restaurant for girlfriend shopping date
1. Olive Garden
2. Wildflour Cafe
3. Panera Bread
Honorable mention: Cheddar’s, Valley View; Montano’s International Restaurant, 3733 Franklin Road S.W.; Carrabba’s Italian Grill at Valley View
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Feature: Style Street tips from local shopping warriors
By David Verde
Special to The Roanoke Times
Marla Kemsey
From: Blacksburg
Occupation: Owner, Kent Jewelers
Best shopping district: “Downtown Blacksburg’s eclectic mix of merchants and restaurants offers a diverse selection for the region in a charming downtown setting.”
John Reburn
From: Roanoke
Occupation: Owner, Appalachia Press
Best day-trip destination: “My favorite day trip is heading down [U.S.] 220 from Roanoke and stopping at every antique store along the way until you get to Martinsville.”
Rupert Saunders
From: South Roanoke
Occupation: Roanoke City Farmers Market vendor
Best women’s store: “The best women’s store I think is La De Da on the city market. They have a wide range of clothes and good customer service. I like how they arrange the store — it gives you a warm feeling when shopping there.”
Becky Fairchild
From: Buena Vista
Occupation: Owner, Becky’s Bridal
Best high-end mall: “Stony Point Fashion Park in Richmond is the best high-end mall. It’s a short drive and they have Louis Vuitton, Coach, Saks Fifth Avenue. It has all the high-end shops. I’d rather drive to Richmond than deal with all the traffic [and] bad parking in D.C., and you can find the same things at Stony Point.”
Blair Peyton
From: Roanoke
Occupation: Actor, comedian and star of the local sitcom “Tuned Out.”
Best salesperson: “First person that comes to mind without a doubt is Gwenda Kellett of Plantagenet Rose in Salem. She is such a helpful and professional salesperson. I love dealing with her when I go to Plantagenet.”
Michelle Dykstra
From: Roanoke
Occupation: Co-owner of Six-Eleven Bicycle Co. of Roanoke
Best local hidden gem: “Erstwhile Wardrobe downtown has a great selection of vintage clothing and some of the best merchandising in town.”
Linda Stancill
From: Christiansburg
Occupation: Ballroom dance instructor, owner of Sapphire Ballroom and Dance Center, Christiansburg
Best weekend shopping destination: “I do really enjoy going to the Opryland Resort in Nashville, especially when it’s decorated for Christmas. They have the huge Opry Mills shopping mall nearby.”
Jerry Rush
From: Roanoke
Occupation: Barista
Best local hidden gem: “Eclectic Book Shop on Campbell Avuene [in] downtown Roanoke is such a cool store. The selection is so unique. I remember it being there since I was a teenager.”
Bob Settlage
From: Blacksburg
Occupation: Director of data analysis, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech
Best local hidden gem: “The Blacksburg Farmers Market on Wednesday nights is the best local gem. Gourmet food and music and its out in the open, it’s great for a family evening.”
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