ABBIES

2013 ABBIE Winners Announced

By Katie Pyzyk

ABBIES logoThe people have spoken and today the 2013 winners of the annual Arlington’s Best Business Awards (ABBIEs) were announced.

Arlington Economic Development organizes the contest and residents vote for their favorite businesses in each category. The winners were announced at this afternoon’s County Board meeting. This year’s winners are:

County Board Chairman Walter Tejada offered the reminder that the best way to support these and other Arlington businesses is to shop locally, especially during Arlington Small Business Day on Saturday, November 30.

Arlington Looking for ABBIE Nominations

By Ethan Rothstein

ABBIES logoArlington County is again seeking nominations for the annual People’s Choice ABBIE awards for the best local businesses.

The awards, presented by Arlington Economic Development, are in the following categories:

  • Best Bargain Restaurant
  • Best Boutique
  • Best Brunch Spot
  • Best Coffee Shop
  • Best Cultural Group or Venue
  • Best Customer Service
  • Best Dessert Spot
  • Best Family Friendly Business
  • Best Fine Dining
  • Best Gym/Fitness Center
  • Best Happy Hour
  • Best New Business
  • Best Outdoor Dining
  • Best Pet Friendly Business
  • Best Pizza Place
  • Best Salon/Spa

Those interesting in nominating a business — any business in Arlington is eligible — can do so at the ShopArlington website. Nominations will be accepted from now until Oct. 4. All nominations and voting are tracked via IP address; only one vote per IP address will be counted, according to AED.

Any submissions for businesses with more than one Arlington location must specify which location the submission represents in order to be valid. To receive an ABBIE Award, each business or organization must be in compliance with all Arlington County laws, ordinances and code requirements.

Once finalists are selected based on the nominations, final voting will take place Oct. 18 to Nov. 1, and the winner will be announced at the Nov. 19 County Board meeting.

2012 ABBIE Award Winners Announced

By ARLnow.com

The 2012 winners of the annual Arlington’s Best Business Awards (ABBIES) were announced at this afternoon’s Arlington County Board meeting.

The contest organizer, Arlington Economic Development, said residents cast more than 5,000 online votes for their favorite local businesses. The nominees in each of the 17 categories can be found here.

The big winner today was Mark Fedorchak, co-owner of Liberty Tavern and Northside Social, who walked away with three awards. ARLnow.com also won an award.

The winners are as follows:

  • Best Place for Arts & Culture: Signature Theatre
  • Best Bargain Restaurant: Lost Dog Café
  • Best Boutique: Artisan Confections
  • Best Brunch: The Liberty Tavern
  • Best Business Lunch: The Liberty Tavern
  • Best Coffee: Northside Social
  • Best Community Non-Profit: Animal Welfare League of Arlington
  • Best Customer Service: Arlington Public Library
  • Best Dessert: Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe
  • Best Family-Friendly Spot: Arlington Public Library
  • Best Happy Hour: Westover Beer Garden & Haus
  • Best New Business: Trader Joe’s
  • Best Online/Social Media Presence: ARLnow.com
  • Best Place to Pamper Yourself: Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa
  • Best Pizza: Pupatella
  • Best Place to take a Date: Arlington Cinema & Draft House
  • Best Place to Work Out: Thomas Jefferson Community Center

Morning Notes

By Katie Pyzyk

Green Party Outperforms Past Results — By pulling in 12.4 percent of the vote for County Board, Green Party candidate Audrey Clement roughly doubled the percentage of the vote Green candidates have typically received during past County Board races. The question now is can the Greens get that percentage even higher next time by better identifying who is voting for the party’s candidates? [Sun Gazette]

Miss Saigon Coming to Signature Theater — Signature Theater has secured the rights to the well known musical Miss Saigon, and will open its 2013-2014 season with a version of the production. It will be the first time a theater company in the D.C. area has taken on the show in 15 years. [Variety]

Ballot Wording Angers Aquatics Center Opponents — Voters passed all four bond referenda on the Arlington ballot on Tuesday, including one for a park bond that funds the proposed $79 million Long Bridge Park aquatics and fitness center. Opponents of the facility, however, say the measure only passed due to vague wording on the ballot which stated that the bond was for “various capital projects for local parks and recreation, and land acquisition for parks and open space.” [Washington Examiner]

ABBIE Voting Ends Today — Today is the final day to cast your votes for Arlington’s best businesses. The businesses in 17 categories were nominated by residents and winners are determined by popular vote. ABBIE winners will be announced at the County Board meeting on November 27.

Disclosure: The ABBIE Awards/Arlington Economic Development is an ARLnow.com advertiser

Nominees Announced, ABBIES Voting Begins

By ARLnow.com

The nominees have been announced and the voting has begun for the 2012 ABBIE Awards.

The ABBIES recognize “Arlington’s best businesses” in 17 different categories. Businesses were nominated by residents and the winning businesses will be chosen by popular vote.

Voting will take place through Nov. 9. The winners will be announced at the County Board meeting on Nov. 27. Last year’s winners can be found here.

ARLnow.com is one of the nominees this year, in a new “Best Online/Social Media Presence” category. A complete list of categories and nominees can be found below.

Disclosure: The ABBIE Awards/Arlington Economic Development is an ARLnow.com advertiser

Arlington’s Best Place for Arts & Culture

  • Artisphere
  • Arlington Arts Center
  • Arlington Public Library
  • Northern Virginia Arts Center
  • Signature Theatre

Arlington’s Best “Bargain” Restaurant

  • District Taco
  • La Union
  • Lost Dog Café
  • Pupatella
  • Whitlow’s on Wilson

Arlington’s Best Boutique

  • Artisan Confections
  • Covet
  • Current Boutique
  • Gossip on 23rd
  • No Place Like Home

Arlington’s Best Brunch

  • Carlyle
  • Cassatt’s Kiwi Cafe & Gallery
  • Lyon Hall
  • The Liberty Tavern
  • Whitlow’s on Wilson

Arlington’s Best Business Lunch

  • Boulevard Woodgrill
  • Carlyle
  • Circa
  • Me Jana
  • Rustico
  • The Liberty Tavern
  • Willow

Arlington’s Best Coffee

  • Bayou Bakery
  • Buzz Bakery & Lounge
  • Java Shack
  • Northside Social Coffee & Wine

(more…)

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

APS Posts Pass Rates for State Test — Arlington Public School students passed the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) tests at rates above statewide averages, with one notable exception. Hispanic students in Arlington passed the English reading test at a rate 5 percentage points below their statewide peers. [Arlington Public Schools]

GOP Opposes Recreation Bond — Calling it a “boondoggle,” the Arlington County Republican Committee has voted overwhelmingly to oppose a $50.6 million bond that would help to build a new aquatics center at Long Bridge Park. At the same time, Republicans voted to support a $42.62 million school bond. The bond issues, along with bonds for Metro and for “community infrastructure,” will appear on the November ballot. [Sun Gazette]

Public Meeting for Housing Study — Arlington County is seeking public input for the first stage of a three-year affordable housing study. The county spends about $52 million, or 5 percent of its budget, on affordable housing. The affordable housing study public meeting will be held from 10:00 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 22, at the Wakefield High School cafeteria. [Arlington County]

ABBIE Award Nominations Starts — Nominations are being accepted for the ABBIES, the Arlington best business awards. The online nominations, in categories from Best Pizza to Best Place to Pamper Yourself to Best Community-Based Nonprofit, will run through Oct. 3. [Shop Arlington]

Disclosure: The ABBIES are an ARLnow.com advertiser.

ABBIE Award Winners Announced

By ARLnow.com

The 2011 winners of the Arlington’s Best Business Awards (ABBIES) were announced at this afternoon’s County Board meeting.

Out of the several dozen nominated local businesses and organizations, the following won in their respective categories after voting by the public:

  • Best “Bargain” Restaurant: Lost Dog Cafe
  • Best Boutique: ShoeFly
  • Best Brunch: Carlyle
  • Best Place to Care for Your Pet: Dogma Gourmet Dog Bakery and Boutique
  • Best Community-Based Nonproft: Arlington Food Assistance Center
  • Best Customer Service: Circa
  • Best Place to Dance the Night Away: Clarendon Ballroom
  • Best Dessert: Heidelberg Pastry Shop
  • Best Family-Friendly Restaurant: Lost Dog Cafe
  • Best Happy Hour: Whitlow’s on Wilson
  • Best Late Night Spot: Bob & Edith’s Diner
  • Best Place to Learn Something New: Arlington Public Library
  • Best Neighborhood Bar: Ireland’s Four Courts
  • Best New Business: District Taco
  • Best Performing Arts Organization: Signature Theater

Out of the 15 categories, 10 had the same winner as last year.

ABBIE Award Voting Begins

By Katie Pyzyk

Disclosure: The ABBIE Awards/Arlington Economic Development is an ARLnow.com advertiser

Now’s your chance to make sure your favorite businesses in Arlington get recognized. Voting for the 2011 ABBIE awards begins today.

Nominations for Arlington’s Best Business Awards came via online voting from September 21-October 12. They’ve been narrowed down to the to the top five (and in one case six) finalists in each of 15 categories.

ABBIE winners will receive recognition from the Arlington County Board, a year’s worth of promotion in various local publications, and special placement in the Arlington County Visitors Guide and Map.

Voting runs through November 16. To cast your vote click here.


Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

It’s Christmas Time Again — Thanks to the owners of Ballston Common Mall, Pentagon Row and other retail outlets around Arlington, we are reminded that this is the time of giving… your credit card to the person behind the register.

Shirlington Plans Tree Lighting Ceremony — Shirlington Village will hold a tree lighting ceremony on the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 30. The event will feature free horse-drawn carriage rides. More from the Shirlington Village Blog.

Board to Vote on Trader Joe’s Requests — At its 6:30 p.m. meeting today, the Arlington County board will vote on whether to grant the site plan amendment requested by Trader Joe’s for its planned Clarendon store. The board is expected to give Trader Joe’s what it wants, but if it doesn’t the grocery chain could walk away from its plans. It has not signed a lease yet.

ABBIE Awards to be Announced Today — The 15 winners of the annual Arlington’s Best Business Awards — or ABBIES — will be announced today at the county board’s 3:00 p.m. meeting. ARLnow.com was nominated for an award in the “Best Place to Learn Something New” category, but we apparently did not win. Thank you to everybody who voted for us.

Flickr pool photo by BrianMKA

Last Day for ABBIE Award Voting

By ARLnow.com

Today is the last day to help your favorite local businesses win an ABBIE Award. Online voting for the annual awards, which honor Arlington’s best businesses, ends at midnight.

ARLnow.com has been nominated for an ABBIE, under the category “Arlington’s Best Place to Learn Something New.” However, we’re facing tough competition from the category’s reigning champ, the Arlington Public Library system.

Our odds are especially long, considering that the library isn’t any old small business — it’s a large government entity with nine locations around town, dozens of staff members and thousands of customers — who receive its services for free. Plus, while the general public is limited to one vote per computer, ABBIE rules specifically state that publicly-accessible computers at the library are exempt.

Not that we’re complaining or anything.

Good luck to the nominated businesses and organizations in all 15 categories — even our own!

Reminder: Vote For Us in the 2010 ABBIES

By ARLnow.com

ARLnow.com is nominated for a 2010 Arlington Best Business award, and we need your help to win it.

If you like the original news and information we provide on a daily basis, please vote for us online, under the category “Arlington’s Best Place to Learn Something New.”

Our most formidable opponent in the voting may be the Arlington Public Library (which isn’t really a business, coincidentally). The library won last year, commands considerable loyalty from the community (after all, they give away stuff for free) and has physical outposts around the community where they can post signs and such for thousands to see.

Help us defeat the big, bad library by voting. Thank you!

Disclaimer: The ABBIES are an ARLnow.com advertiser.

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