Finally, Inweekly Best of the Coast 2023 has arrived.
If you’re an Inweekly regular, you might’ve noticed we’re publishing our annual Best of the Coast issue a little earlier this year. A lot of factors played into this change in our editorial calendar—but the biggest one was just that we couldn’t wait to see what and who everyone is loving around town right now.
Thankfully, you still voted even though we switched things up, and tallying all 16,000 of your ballots gave us the perfect excuse to stay indoors for the bulk of June and July. So thank you for that. Of course, we can only produce Best of the Coast because of ad dollars. So to each and every business that said “yes” to advertising, thank you, too. We truly couldn’t do this without you.
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- You might also have noticed that this issue features some very special art by local creator, curator and collaborator Poppy Garcia. In addition to being voted Best Artist (again), Poppy is also one of the best people we know and we are thrilled to showcase these custom pieces.
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And one issue isn’t enough, so make sure you tune in next week for Rest of the Best, where we celebrate the runners-up.
Complete Winners List
Featured Winners—Community, Media & Culture
Featured Winners—Health & Wellness
Featured Winners—Services
Featured Winners—Weddings
Featured Winners—Retail
Featured Winners—Bars, Drinks & Nightlife
Featured Winners—Restaurants & Food
BOC History
We published our first Best of the Coast issue in September 2000. The News Journal had given up on its version years earlier, and our sales manager Spring Hericks saw an opportunity. We had 50 categories and sold about $10K in ads and were very pleased with ourselves.
By 2003, our categories had doubled, and our ad revenue had tripled. Some of the winners included:
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- Best Politician: Santa Rosa County Commissioner Gordon Goodin
- Best Place to Watch a Sunset: Bobaloos’s on the Beach
- Best Bar for Patrons over 50: Bobby D’s
- Best Place for Karaoke: Hunan’s Chinese Restaurant
- Best Place You Can’t Take Your Parents: Sammy’s
- Best Brunch: Jubilee Restaurant
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This has been a wonderful ride!