Business Products

PUBLISHED JUNE 27, 2023

BEST AUTO DEALER (DOMESTIC)
Ford dealerships sweep the honors with the regularity one can expect from precision service and machining. BOB SIGHT FORD in Lee’s Summit takes Gold, a fitting achievement in its 100th anniversary year. Acclaimed for its line of new trucks and SUVs and for its blue-certified used vehicles, Bob Sight remains a consumer staple. Silver belongs to OLATHE FORD LINCOLN, which boasts an inventory of ol’ reliable Mustangs and F-150s, as well as the EVs of the future. Quality customer service and vehicle parts are hallmarks both dealerships are proud to carry into the future.   

BEST AUTO DEALER (FOREIGN)
Style is the keyword of this category—style and quality—and with brands like Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, and Jaguar, along with exceptional service, it’s small wonder ARISTOCRAT MOTORS is our Gold winner. MOLLE TOYOTA returns to our lists in securing Silver, serving customers from Olathe to Columbia, and providing the best of new and used Toyota trucks, SUVs, hybrids, and hatchbacks. VOLKSWAGEN OF LEE’S SUMMIT drives off with the Bronze, recognized not only by our readers but by their own flagship brand, having won Volkswagen’s Wolfsburg Crest Club Award seven times in the past eight years.   

BEST CORPORATE GIFTS
Whether you want to recognize someone’s achievements or simply want to give a gift to someone you love, you can’t do better than these. Unsurprisingly, MEIEROTTO JEWELERS takes Gold with a range of gifts from coins to watches to pens to luxury pocketknives—something for every occasion. It’s in their name: MADE IN KC is a gift shop where every product is made in Kansas City by Kansas Citians but are made for anyone, anywhere, and the local artisans secure the Silver. Bronze is a familiar face on these lists: HALLS KANSAS CITY, and what better place is there to find gifts than from Halls and affiliate Hallmark?

BEST FLORIST
Spring yields to summer, and the call for floral arrangements increases. Rising to that challenge is TOBLER’S FLOWERS, now 123 years old, as Gold winner. Producing delightful arrangements with care and artistry, Tobler’s success can be attributed to hard work and loyal customers. Who else could stand next to them?  As it turns out, STUDIO DAN MEINERS and THE FIDDLY FIG; both clinched Silver—narrowly—with their reputations for luxurious flowers and quality gift sets for all occasions. TRAPP & CO. takes the Bronze for its candles and floral arrangements, which have set standards since 1969.   

BEST JEWELER
This category is always a shining example of flawless quality available in Kansas City: Watches, necklaces, rings, and diamond fittings are the specialties of these honorees, who can evaluate and repair your most prized heirlooms and special pieces. MEIEROTTO JEWELERS wins the Gold—quite fitting for a company that specializes in the very best of luxury accessories. TIVOL is the pride of two plazas—Country Club and Hawthorne—as our Silver winner, and JOSLIN’S JEWELRY in Overland Park narrowly but deservedly claims Bronze. Of note: all are multi-generational, family-run companies, a testament to hard work, quality, and endurance. 

BEST LIQUOR/WINE SELLER
Without the gifts of fermentation and distillation, the world would certainly be a far less happy place. LUKAS WINE & SPIRITS SUPERSTORE takes Gold with its huge selection of wine, beer, spirits—even cigars. Service is the name of the game at Lukas, where a courteous staff member is just around the corner. GOMER’S takes Silver for its reputation as a steadfast cornerstone of the communities they serve. For their excellent selections and family roots in Kansas City, both MIKE’S WINE & SPIRITS and RED X share the Bronze.   

BEST OFFICE FURNISHING FIRM
Office furnishings are not just about providing tools or a space to work; workplace design is about building a home for workers, one that also meets customer needs. Our Gold winner, SCOTT RICE OFFICE WORKS, provides office furniture, dividing walls, and desks that create communities for its clients. Silver winner ENCOMPAS takes pains to learn customers’ needs and designs offices accordingly. Serving Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, JOHN A. MARSHALL CO., our Bronze winner, has built office spaces for four generations of family ownership.

BEST MEN’S APPAREL
Dressing to impress is hard enough, but even more so in this highly competitive voting. HALLS KANSAS CITY in Crown Center emerges from the scrum as Gold winner, thanks in part to its extensive collection of designer brands and accessories and their style experts who can guarantee swagger and satisfaction. Work and play go hand in hand at Silver winner NORDSTROM, which caters to every need from sports apparel to business suits. Bronze this year came to a tie between a longstanding legacy PETER’S CLOTHIERS in its new location on State Line Road and a seven-year young legacy in ULAH in Westwood.   

BEST WOMEN’S APPAREL
Here’s an indication of shopping trends: the top two in women’s apparel are the same stores cited in the men’s category. HALLS KANSAS CITY’s designer collections for women are the epitome of confidence and beauty as the summer really kicks off, and good for Gold. NORDSTROM’s chic range of light wear and bold styles for dress occasions are perfect for any occasion and sew up the Silver. And for Bronze, an oldie but a goodie: MACY’S. It takes a lot for a chain that’s 150-plus years old to stick around—specifically, fashion sense, style, and excellent service, all traits of the Barry Road, Towne Center and Oak Park Mall locations. 

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