Saline Chamber of Commerce Announces People's Choice Winners at the Fair

The Saline Area Chamber of Commerce presented the People's Choice Awards to some of Saline's favorite local businesses, Wednesday night at the Saline Community Fair.

The chamber, an organization dedicated to helping and promoting Saline area businesses, held an online poll, asking people to vote for their favorite chamber members in 20 different categories.

Attendance for the event was much higher this year than last.

"We had a great crowd, and great weather and people had a good time. It's great to celebrate our local businesses," said Lisa Bozzi, Chair of the Saline Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

A reception was catered by Dan's Downtown Tavern. Local Boy Scots also provided beverages.

Miss Saline Sophia Bauman greeted guests and posed in the pictures with the winners and finalists, along with Bozzi and Molly Coy, Vice Chair of Community Events for the Chamber.

Bozzi encouraged the winners to proudly hang their banners in their businesses and march with them in the upcoming Holiday Parade.

The winners appreciated the recognition from the Chamber of Commerce and the voters. One of the winners was Jill Durnen, co-owner of Hartman Insurance Agency in downtown Saline.

"I think it's a really nice honor. You know, insurance is one of those businesses that doesn't get a lot of good attention. So it's nice to be nominated and receive votes from the people," Durnen said.

Monica VanOvermeer is the owner of Jet's Pizza, which won for the second consecutive year.

"It's a great honor. And it was really nice to see the full house in attendance this year. It was wonderful," VanOvermeer said.

Bill and Lindsay Gibson, owners of Fine Print Bookshop in downtown Saline, won for best new business.

"This is fantastic. We appreciate the support that we've gotten from the community and this feels like the capstone to our first year," Bill Gibson said. "We're really excited and we hope that we do well in the next year."

The winners are:

Best Burger - Dan's Downtown Taver. Other finalists were Salt Springs Brewery and Brecon Grille.

Best Local Coffee Shop - Brewed Awakenings. Baker's Nook was also nominated.

Best Pizza - Jet's Pizza. Other finalists were Little Caesar's Pizza and Dan's Downtown Tavern.

Best In-House Dining Experience - Salt Springs Brewery. Other finalists were Mac's Acadian Seafood Shack and Biwako Sushi.

Best Take-Out Food (Not Pizza) - Biwako Sushi. Other finalists were Smokehouse 52 and Dan's Downtown Tavern.

Best Brewery - Brecon Grille. Other finalists were Dan's Downtown Tavern and Salt Springs Brewery.

Best Salon/Stylist - Apothke. Other finalists were Cani Nails and Voila Salon and Spa.

Best Automotive Repair Shop - Gerry's Tire & Alignment. Other finalists were  Express Tire and Saline Automotive.

Best Bank/Financial Services - Bank of Ann Arbor. Other finalists were Old National Bak and Key Bank.

Best Lawn Services - A&H Lawn Service.

Best Automobile Dealership/Parts - Briarwood Ford. Other finalists were Lafontaine and Saline Chevrolet.

Best Grocery Store/Party Store - Busch's Fresh Food Market. Other finalists were Saline Farmers Market and Village Party Store.

Best Speciality Retail Store - NU2U Again. Other finalists were Baker's Nook and Rock Paper Scissors.

Best New Business - Fine Print Bookshop. Whitepines Studio was the other finalist.

Best Breakfast - George's Saline Inn. Other finalists were City Limits Diner and Brewed Awakenings.

Best Golf Course -  Stonebridge Golfclub. The other finalist was Lake Forest Golf Club.

Best Insurance Company - Hartman Insurance Agency. The other finalist was Susan Rosales State Farm Agency.

Best Real Estate Agency - Charles Reinhart Saline Agency. Other finalists include Real Estate One (Danielle Grostick Agency) and Courtney Bersuder.

Best Dentist/Orthodontist - Dr. Katherine Kelly. Other finalists were Woodland Family Dentistry and Dr. Michael Singleton.

Best Chiropractor - Steadfast Chiropractic. Other finalists were New Era Chiropractic and Arc Chiropractic.