We’re creating a “Mom’s Choice Business Directory,” and we need your help to find the most mom-friendly businesses in Northwest Arkansas who deserve a spot in the directory.
Often, we get e-mails from moms who are new to Northwest Arkansas who are searching for a certain item or service but don’t know where to look. Sometimes they’re searching for a bakery in Bentonville that can make a Transformer birthday cake, or a place where they can find a variety of backyard swing sets. Even moms who have lived in NWA for years can benefit from a business directory made up of companies recommended by fellow moms.
So we’re asking you to nominate some of your favorite businesses (stores or service businessses) that you would recommend to a friend.
To thank you for the help, we’re going to choose two people AT RANDOM to receive a set of 4 movie passes to any Malco movie theatre as well as a dinner gift certificate at Guido’s Pizza!
Guido’s has locations in Fayetteville, Springdale and Rogers, so there’s probably one fairly close to you and the food is awesome. The tickets can be used at any Malco theatre location.
You could use the pizza and movie passes for a double date with another couple, a fun girls’ night out, or you could take the kids out for pizza and a show. It’s up to you.
Here’s a list of some of the categories we’re looking for, but you can nominate businesses that don’t fall into these categories as well:
- bakeries
- gift stores
- carpet cleaners
- restaurants
- dry cleaners
- eye doctors
- furniture stores
- chiropractors
- birthday party places
- handymen services
- painters
- realtors
- travel agents
- veterinarians
- child care
- plumbers
- electricians
- movers
- housecleaning services
- play places
- frame shops
- banks
- women’s clothing
- caterers
- dentists and pediatric dentists
- lawn services
- car repair
- florists
- spas
- salons
- shoe stores
- toy stores
- bookstores
Nominate as many businesses as you like. Click the “comment” button below to type your list of favorites or send us an e-mail at giveaways@nwaMotherlode.com.
We’ll also choose six readers AT RANDOM to receive one of our new nwaMotherlode.com t-shirts, which we think are pretty cute. There will be lots of winners on this giveaway, so start commenting or e-mailing asap, and we’ll reveal our business directory within the next few months.
We hope it will be a big help to moms and businesses in our area. Thanks in advance for your suggestions!
Rick’s bakery is fabulous, and the “new” (ish?) Patron Grill near Target in Fayetteville has amazing service and food- very hot, fresh, and FAST service. I found a new opthamologist not too long ago, it’s Dr. Jeff Myers on Robinson in Springdale (479-756-6500). We recently switched our entire family to a new Dentist: Dr. Robert Stark at Founder’s Park in Springdale. There are some really great businesses in NW Arkansas,I’m looking forward to reading everyone’s recommendations!
This is a good idea.
My picks:
Bookstore: Dickson Street bookshop. I almost always find a book I want, or one I’m looking for. And the prices are great. Barnes and Noble in Rogers is also good bookstore.
Restaurant: El Chico (Fayetteville): We always get great service, and the food is hot and delicious!
Play place (also a restaurant for kids): both Chick Fil A restaurants in Rogers
Gifts: Kate Austin, with a good variety of jewelery and accessories
Carpet cleaners: Blue Diamond
Women’s clothing: the GAP
Salon – I use Sarah at the new Cut Loose salon in Lowell. She is great!
Pediatric Dentist – Only Dr. Caple in Rogers for us.
Dentist: Dr. Black in Rogers
Restaurant: Pattaya on 412 in Springdale is locally owned and DELICIOUS!
Realtor: Lavinna Wood – Caldwell Banker in Fayetteville
Bank: Arvest
Lawn service: Fairway Lawns
Play places: Chik-Fil-As with playgrounds, Wilson park, and Gulley Park has a bathroom near the play equipment.
Kristyn at Urban Blue hair salon in Rogers.
Baby & kid- The Baby Habit *in Siloam Springs* personlized embroidery, Heather Hill dresses, great wood toys.
Home & Her: Amandromeda *Siloam Springs* Modern Vintage stuff for something funky and unique.
Seriously can’t beat the Sam’s snack bar to fill up a big family on a budget! And the cinnamon sugar pretzels are a real treat for mom.
I love Shag hair salon in Fayetteville on Block St. I use Cristal, she is awesome!!!
For carpet cleaning, I recommend Extra Life Carepet Cleaning. Glenn and his crew are great! They take their time to make sure the carpet looks great and smells awesome too! Just a few suggestions!
For Hair- Shag Salon in Fayetteville. I use Cristal and she is great but Camille or Ruth can take great care of you too!
For Local Flavor- Got to love me some Tony C’s Italian Restuaronte out towards the lake (Rogers) So yummy for over 10 years now!
Banking- Signature Bank has good rates, is customer oriented and employs the greatest staff. Added perk- they refund all ATM charges 🙂
For eating we love Patrick’s burgers in Springdale on 40th and Elm Springs rd. The burgers are homemade and incredible.
For cakes well I do and awesome little razorback lol but I usually go to Shelby Lynns in Springdale.
Bella’s downtown Springdale for embroidery and unique toys and gifts.
Glasqows in Bentonville for mexican food been going there since I was little the enchiladas, tacos and guacamole dip are amazing.
Of course I think The Errand Girl is the best “Mom-Friendly” business around!
Best Chicago Style pizza – Gusano’s
Best Chiropractor – Dr. Joanna Hudec (Fayetteville)
Dry Cleaner – Elite in Downtown Fayetteville
Bakery – Rick’s (Fayetteville)
Spa – I.M. Spa (on the square in Fayetteville)
Appliances – Nino’s Trading Company (Tontitown)
•carpet cleaners: Stanley Steamer
•eye doctors: Dr. Witherspoon, Village on the Creeks
•furniture stores: Tucker’s in Rogers
•birthday party places: Chick-fil-A on Pleasant Grove
•veterinarians: Lowell Veterinary Center
•child care: MDO+ at First United Methodist Church, Rogers
•play places: Fun City, Chick-fil-A on Pleasant Grove Rd., McDonald’s near the corner of 8th and Walnut in Rogers. NWA Mall, Pinnacle Promenade Food Court.
•frame shops: Hobby Lobby
•dentist: Dr. Kennan Decker of Decker Dental off Pleasant Grove in Rogers
•pediatric dentists: Dr. Brent Caple
•car repair: Tim’s Automotive in Bentonville
•salons: Bloomhills Studio in Bentonville
•toy stores: Dilly Dally’s
Some of my favorites:
Chinese food: PF Chang’s, great food even our kids love.
Pediatric Dentist: Dr. Ward on Mission and Crossover in Fayetteville. Everyone there is very friendly and they are also very good with dealing with any anxiety issues (fear of x-rays, etc.)
Bookstore: Barnes and Noble, especially if you have a little boy–mine will play with Thomas the Train in the children’s section for a half hour while I read and drink coffee!
Appliance Repair: Gliedt Enterprises.
Forgot to put in a plug for Rhea Lana’s: awesome consignment sale that happens twice a year in NWA. Great deals on kids clothing, toys, furniture,etc.
salon: Definitely Urban Image Salon in Bentonville.
What a great idea! I can’t wait to see what everyone recommends.
For chiropractor – Dr. Joe at Bentonville Chiropractic
For pediatric dentist – Dr. Jeffery Rhodes in Rogers or Springdale.
For furniture – I.O. Metro at the Pinnacle and ask for Mary Beth!
Although I am a huge fan of Rick’s Bakery it is difficult to get to Fayetteville from Bella Vista so I also use the White Oak Station Baker at the Promenade Mall.
My kids love Steak ‘n Shake plus there are healthy side items.
For Child & Teen Psychiatric – Dr. Mathew Crouch in Fayetteville
I’m looking for the following and hope you can find recommendations:
Good gift shoppes, embroidery and personalized gifts, and a tailor.
How about Pre-Schools? Moms who move into the area or who have babies that become old enough that they want to send to Pre-Schools sometimes don’t know where to go. And I would along with other moms I’m sure always go with a recommendation from another mom who’s child has been to the program. His-House, Pleasant Grove Rd. and Noah’s Ark in Bentonville.
I highly reccommend Pate Dentistry in Bentonville on J street for kids and adults alike. The staff is incredibly friendly and they are all amazing with children! We switched to Dr. Pate after seeing how they did with our then 3 y/o son. They were so patient and kind to him! We wouldn’t go anywhere else!
Chick-Fil-A: Even as a vegetarian, I’ll take my kids there because the service is AWESOME and there’s an area to play. 🙂
Pizza: Cable Car in Fayetteville. Delicious, very reasonable prices, and they have a ‘kid’s corner’ filled with puzzles, toys, crayons, etc. The owners are very nice and always ask if there’s anything they can do to improve.
Bookstore: Barnes & Noble in Fayetteville
Childcare: Bright Haven Christian Learning Center in Springdale, right off of I-540. It’s a brand new facility with secure cameras in each room. Wonderful staff, very fairly priced–My son loves it, and so do we!
Favorites:
toy store: Dilly Dally’s
gift/clothing: 3 monkeys in Rogers
pizza: Johnny Bruscos in Bentonville
dentist: Dr. Caple
pediatrician: Dr. Barry Allen
spa: Heavenly Salon and Day Spa in B’ville
Bakeries- Ricks in Fayetteville (Yummy)
Gift Stores- First Impressions in Fayetteville (Can always find the perfect gift)
Veterinarian- Stanton Animal Hospital in Fayetteville (great staff and my dogs love them)
Bank- Bank of Fayetteville (great place to bank)
Car Repair- University Auto (very nice staff, very reasonable)
Chiropractor–Steven Whitelaw at Millenium Chiropractic on Joyce Blvd in Fayetteville. He is awesome (he takes care of the Razorback football team as well as us common folk) and the staff is friendly and efficient.
Family dentist–Rebecca Lucke on Appleby Ln in Fayetteville. She is a really good dentist and everyone there is great with adults and kids. My son has never had any fear going there for checkups or cleanings.
Salon–Pink Papaya near Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville. Kristen does a great job with my hair and also gives my 5-year-old a very stylish and reasonably priced cut. It’s always a pleasant place to go, even with a little one (but alone is the best!)
Natural Foods–Ozark Natural Foods on College Ave. in Fayetteville. They have an excellent selection of natural, organic, gourmet, and hard-to-find foods. And it’s a cooperative, which means the shoppers are owners.
Auto service/repair–University Auto on Rebecca, just off College Ave. in Fayetteville. Amazing service and reasonable prices. They have done most of our services the same day we drop off the vehicle. I can even walk in and wait for an oil change.
And while you are waiting for your oil change to get finished, walk across the street (on College) to Baba Boudan’s–the best coffee and scones and most interesting folks you will meet. And by this time of day, you need what they have! If you don’t have time to sit and chat with the owners, you can go through the drive thru for your pick-me-up before hustling off to pick up the kids at school. They have ice cream too.
These are some wonderful local businesses that I love to use and are VERY mama friendly:
Ozark Natural Foods: Great selection of organic foods and a great place to find frozen fruits and veggies to make baby food for the little ones.
Nightbird Books: Great little bookstore in the old Smokehouse building on Dickson. I always find the obscure book I’m looking for and if I don’t, they order it for me! There is a cute bird sanctuary that the kids love.
Hammontree’s: Serves WONDERFUL gourmet grilled cheeses and soups. Fun, family friendly place to go. In the Smokehouse building also; right next to Nightbird!
Terra Tots: The owner, Bernice is so nice and helpful. Always eager to answer any questions that I might have about cloth diapering, etc. Nice, big selection of cloth diapering products and natural toys. Just moved to the old Nightbird books location off of School in the Industrial District.
Greenhouse Grille: YUMMY organic and natural food, great place for lunch, dinner or date with the honey. We also took our 9 month old there, so it’s family friendly. Don’t forget to order the Greenhouse Salad. It’s the best salad in Fayetteville! Also has nice organic wines.
Handmade: Great selection of gourmet foods and gifts. I always find the PERFECT gift here. It’s also fun to walk around and just look! In Feista Square.
Handheld: Great place for yarn and inspiration if you knit. Off the square.
These are some of my favorite places in Fayetteville! It makes a fun Saturday to stop in at all of them!
hmmm…here are a few of my faves:
bakery: Rick’s is fantastic(unless you want petit fours- then Chuck’s Cake Shoppe has THE BEST- heavenly!!) both in Fayetteville
toy store: dilly dally’s in Rogers has a GREAT selection
coffee shop :(Bentonville) Kennedy Coffee is delicious
locally owned restaurants:
1)Pesto Cafe in Fayetteville is probably one of our all time faves- i’ve never had anything bad from there in 8 years of going…
2)Table Mesa on Bentonville Square- the food is WONDERFUL, good atmosphere- the service is hit or miss though
3)Tim’s Pizza on College has the best pizza! and salad!
gift shops: Perfect Choice in Bentonville, Melody’s Choices at the Promenade, & Bellas in Springdale
bank: Signature Bank- great staff!! 🙂
pedicures: ProfessioNails has always done a great job
I loved reading everyone’s comments! Here are my suggestions!
•bakeries-Rick’s Bakery!
•restaurants-The chick-fil-a on 6th Street is the best!
•realtors-Christine Cook with Lindsey Realty
•child care-We love Sonshine School at Mt. Comfort Church of Christ for MDO on Monday and Wed. mornings!
•play places-Fun City is a favorite, as well as Jump Zone
Here are my favorites:
•bakeries- Rick’s for sweets and Atlanta Bread Co. for bread
•gift stores- Melody’s Choices and So Inviting
•veterinarians- Animal Medical Clinic
•banks- Arvest
•car repair- Fayetteville Tire and Auto (fast and reasonable) and Sines Auto Body Shop
•florists- Zu Zu’s Petals
•salons- Dead Swanky
•shoe stores- Warren’s
•toy stores- Melody’s Choices, Dilly Dally’s
•bookstores- Barnes and Noble
I would add consignment shops and resale shops to the directory too! My two favorites: the biannual Rhea Lana and Once Upon a Child
Here are a few of our favorite places:
We really like going to the Pinnacle Hills promenade when we have some time to kill. He loves to play on the toys, then go to Melody’s Choices to play with the trains, and we always stop at Auntie Anne’s to get a pretzel.
Hairdresser: Jolana at Blue Door (Bentonville Square). He LOVES to get his hair cut and she is great with kids!
We like eating at ChickFilA, Slim Chickens, Mad pizza, and Rons Hamburgers. We also love getting take-home pizza at Papa Murphy’s.
Preschool and child care: Tiny Tots/ Central Child Care @ Central United Methodist in Rogers.
We also like storytime at the Bentonville Public library. They always have cute stories and activities to go along with them.
Pre-school: We love Fayetteville Creative School.
Restaurant: Eureka Pizza for cheap, fast food. Penguin Ed’s on Mission/Crossover for family friendly eating out. There are a couple of train tables.
Places to eat, Mimi’s, Mad Pizza and Red Robins.
Kids Dentist, Jeffery Rhodes
hair dresser: Super great with KIDS! and $10 for kids cut!!! Shay Weber @ T. Michaels in Rogers She’s been cutting hair for years!! She’s great with Adult Cuts TOO!
Flying Burrito: Kids Eat Free – MOn – Wed ALL DAy
Rogers, Fayetteville
Bakery – Birthday Cakes – Rick’s (Hand’s DOWN!!)
They have the best bday cakes in town.. We’ve tried Others around the NWA area and they can’t be beat for TASTE and creativity! Plus their pastries and breads….. Yum!!
•bakeries-Ricks cutest birthday cakes & Yummy
•gift stores-Love Purple Armadillo Bentonville
•restaurants-Carrabas-Best filet bryan
•eye doctors-Mr. Witherspoon
•furniture stores-IO Metro For that unique,Funky Furniture & paintings
•chiropractors-Kent Moore -Great touch & great staff
•birthday party places-Chucky Cheese I asked my little girl this one she said”Chucky’s DUH”
•child care- All of my children went to Helen Walton The best
•women’s clothing- Can always find something cute at White House Black Market or Chicos
•florists- Shirleys Florist all around good work and beautiful arrangments
•spas- Hands down Blue Moon Spa they have this Jet tub that will blow your stress off..
•shoe stores- Warrens
Chinese Food- Far East in Springdale and Rogers.. Not a buffet but fabulous fresh food.
Childcare- Creative School in Colt Square.. Love the teachers
Hair – Dead Swanky
Nails – Cindy’s Nails in Rogers
I just recently went to Name Brand Clothing and got a lot of bargains. Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger sweaters for around 15.00 a piece.. and a fun rain coat.. they are located in the outlet mall in Springdale.
Mexican. Las Margaritas in Springdale… Service and Food are excellent
Fiesta Square movies have 4.00 movies Mon- thurs and 5.00 popcorn and coke. you usually get the theater to yourself..
Mamas, what are some of your favorite places?
I am always pleased with the cakes I have ordered from Harps Bakery at Crossover/Mission in Fayetteville. The prices are right, it looks good and it tastes good! For eating out, we love Ye Olde King Pizza on Hwy.62 at the Farmington/Fayetteville border. Wonderful pizza, wonderful owners, great place for the kids and their sports teams! We love Dr. Beth Stropes at Crossover Vet Clinic. She has a genuine love for animals and such a way with them. I enjoy getting my hair done at Salon Professionals in Fayetteville. They have cute jewelry, scarves, etc. to make it a little bit of a shopping trip just for a haircut.
Restaurants: Flying Burrito for sure, Chick-fil-A B’vill or Rogers always awesome service, Mad Pizza.
Terra Tots– Bernice is great, kid friendly, earth friendly, need i say more.
Phat Tire -bike shop in Bentonville. Involved in the community. Family friendly.
I second or third the vote for Shag-Ruth has cut my husbands and my sons hair for a while now. Nothing like a mohawk to start the school year off right. Thanks Ruth.
Here are mine-
Gift Store- Bella’s (Springdale)
Restaurants- Flying Burrito
Bakeries- Shelby Lynn’s (Springdale)
Hair- Hair Clinic
Kid’s Clothes- Children’s Place
I think two of the best kept restaurant secrets in Fayetteville are Cable Car Pizza and El Sol Mexican Restaurant. Both are located in the Kantz Shopping Center in Fayetteville.