The Baltimore Sun’s readers have voted on what’s the best in the region, from acupuncturist and garden center to wedding venue and bike shop. This year’s winners include people and businesses recognized for outstanding service and customer satisfaction over the last year.
The poll includes nearly 200 categories in six areas — Activities & Arts, Home & Garden, Food & Drink, Lifestyles & Shopping, Personal Services and People & Media. More than 80,000 ballots were cast cultivating a list of your favorite museums, pizza joints, boutiques, TV anchors, radio hosts and more.
For more categories, go to baltimoresun.com/best.
Best Furniture Store
Jarrettsville Furniture
3743 Federal Hill Road, Jarrettsville. 410-557-7961. jarrettsvillefurniture.com
Purchase a mattress and the staff will deliver it, remove the old one and even make the new bed. Drag a reluctant spouse here to shop and watch the mood change: There’s a big-screen TV where one can watch sports, eat popcorn and down a beer or two.
Customer service is paramount at Jarrettsville Furniture, said Frank Avena, co-owner of a family-owned business celebrating its 50th year. The showroom, one-eighth of a mile long, is filled with bedroom, dining room and living room sets on parade for the company’s 10,000 clients. As Maryland’s top politico, Larry Hogan outfitted several bedrooms and sitting rooms in the governor’s mansion. Former Orioles manager Buck Showalter and his family are patrons, as are several judges, who have dressed up their chambers with high-end tables and desks.
“We have furnished entire homes, more than we can count,” Avena said. His staff of 25 includes 6 designers who visit clients’ residences to scope out the premises and chat with buyers before signing off.
“The more we learn from our customers, the better we can help them,” Avena said.
Furniture, from love seats to lounge chairs, hails from artisans in Ohio, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, among others. In the four years since they bought the business, the current owners have quadrupled annual sales to more that $7 million. A big slice of that comes from moving mattresses which, curiously, weren’t on the menu before.
“If people come for bedroom sets, we want to sell them something they can sleep on, as well,” Avena said.
Stepped-up advertising, on TV, radio and social media, has brought a new set of shoppers to the showroom which, when built half a century ago, flanked farmland and pastures. Last month, the business began making its pitch on the scoreboard behind home plate at Camden Yards.
— Mike Klingaman
Cleaning service: Dave’s Cleaning Consultants
Honorable mentions:
Cornerstone Cleaning
Butts’ Best Cleaning
Molly Maid of Hunt Valley
Electrician: Dan Flowers Electric
Honorable mentions:
Constellation Home
Clinton Electric Co.
Brothers Services Co.
Fence installation: Pyle Fence Co. Inc.
Honorable mentions:
Long Fence
Abbey Fence & Deck Co.
Fence Masters Inc.
Flooring and carpeting: Bode Floors
Honorable mentions:
Jason Brown Wood Floors
The Vertical Connection Carpet One Floor & Home
Jim Boyd’s Flooring America
Furniture store: Jarrettsville Furniture
Honorable mentions:
Urban Interiors
Su Casa Furniture
Second Chance Inc.
Garden center: Valley View Farms
Honorable mentions:
Green Fields Nursery
Kroh’s Nursery
Sun Nurseries
Handyman: Clarksville Construction Services Inc.
Honorable mentions:
Brothers Services Co.
Ace Handyman Services Columbia
Just-IN-Time Roofing & Renovations
Hardware store: Courtland Ace Hardware & Hearth
Honorable mentions:
Clarks Ace Hardware Ellicott City
Falkenhan’s Hardware
Kendall Hardware Inc.
Home security installation: Elite Home Entertainment
Honorable mention:
Westminster Security Co.
Home staging: Kate Wunder Interiors
Honorable mentions:
Studio A Staging
Urban Interiors
Staging Solutions, LLC
Homebuilder: Keystone Custom Homes – Eva Mar Farms
Honorable mentions:
Brockton Homes Inc.
Point Modular Homes
Gemcraft Homes
HVAC repair: Clarksville Heating and Air, LLC
Honorable mentions:
BTR HVAC Services
Krause Companies
A.J. Michaels
Interior design: Anna Graham Interiors
Honorable mentions:
Kate Wunder Interiors
Urban interiors
Jenkins Baer Associates
Landscaper: Vin’s Total Care Landscaping, LLC
Honorable mentions:
Lazo Landscaping
Rhine Landscaping
Oaklawn Landscaping
Lighting: Jones Lighting Specialists
Moving company: Von Paris Moving & Storage
Honorable mentions:
Thompson’s Moving Inc.
Senior Transitions
Perry Moving & Storage
Painter: Goode Design Painting & Wallcovering Inc.
Honorable mentions:
Painter Girl
Baltimore Paint Authority
Abbyart Home Services
Plumbing: Saffer Plumbing, Heating & Electrical
Honorable mentions:
PlumbCrazy
Ken Griffin Plumbing Services Inc.
O’Neill Plumbing & Heating
Real estate agent: Kim Kazaras, Cummings & Co. Realtors
Honorable mentions:
Stephanie Bamberger, Real Broker LLC
Destination Home Group of Long and Foster Real Estate
Kim Parsons, American Premier Realty (tie)
Melissa Barnes, Cummings & Co. Realtors (tie)
Remodeling: Chesapeake Premier Remodeling Inc.
Honorable mentions:
Clarksville Construction Services Inc.
Cornerstone Remodeling
Bearded Builders, Baltimore
Roofer: Tar Heel Construction Group LLC
Honorable mentions:
Westview Roofing Co.
Badger Contracting
Allied Remodeling (tie)
Brothers Services Co. (tie)
Rug cleaner: Kleenize Rug Cleaners
Honorable mentions:
Main Street Oriental Rugs
Borhani Rug Co.
Solar installation: Maryland Solar Solutions Inc.
Honorable mentions:
American Sentry Solar
Nu Look Home Design Inc.
Upholstery & furniture refinishing: W. Savage Upholstery & Furniture Repair
Honorable mention:
Ibello Upholstery Inc.
Editor’s note: Winners and honorable mentions were determined by popular vote. Readers were invited to nominate and vote online from April to June. The results are generated solely by readers’ votes. The Baltimore Sun does not take responsibility for the services offered or advertised by those listed.
