Realtor Brian Bleeker by Arnold Wayne Jones
When you’re buying or selling your place, it really does help to work with someone in the community who understands not just the neighborhoods, but the people who make them up. Brian Bleeker has been an integral member of the Dallas community for years, and one of its most reliable Realtors. He knows what it’s like to set up a home (he’s partnered with fellow Readers Voice Award winner Chad West. Esq. — see below) and nothing matters more to him than making sure you’re as happy where you go as he is. When it comes to real estate, empathy can be as essential as a smooth closing in deciding who you like to work with.
BEST REAL ESTATE AGENT
Brian Bleeker,
Dave Perry-Miller & Associates
2828 Routh St., Ste. 100.
214-542-2575. HewittHabgood.com.
BEST CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY
Chad West, Esq.
900 W. Davis St.
214-509-7555. ChadWestLaw.com.
BEST REAL ESTATE AGENCY
Hickman Weber
5500 Preston Road, Ste. 290.
214-300-8439. HickmanWeber.com.
BEST MORTGAGE LENDER
Prime Lending
3500 Oak Lawn Ave.. Ste. 150.
214-987-0500. PrimeLending.com.
BEST ACCOUNTANT/TAX PREPARATION
Ron Allen, C.P.A., P.C.
2909 Cole Ave., Ste. 119.
214-954-0042. RonAllenCPA.com.
BEST CIVIL/FAMILY ATTORNEY
Rebecca Covell, Esq.
3710 Rawlins St., Ste. 950.
214-443-0300. CovellPC.com.
BEST INSURANCE AGENT
Alex Long, Allstate Insurance
3435 N. Belt Line Road, Ste. 119.
972-570-7000.
Agents.Allstate.com/Alec-Long-Irving-TX.html.
BEST TAILOR/DRY CLEANER
Sunshine Cleaners
4114 Maple Ave.
214-521-9921.
The gay community is more diverse than it gets credit for. But the one thing we have discovered in our travels is that all gay people enjoy a spa. In fact, it’s the pampering exemplified by a “spa day” that really fueled the whole metrosexual movement and made celebs out of the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy crew. And why not? Until you’ve had a Himalayan salt stone massage, or a Shirodhara “drip” treatment, or just a rejuvenating facial or relaxing foot ritual, you can’t fully appreciate the wonders of Green Lotus, the gay-owned Uptown-area spa that tickled the fancy of our readers most.
BEST SPA TREATMENT
Green Lotus Spa & Retreat
4447 N. Central Expressway, Ste. 115
(additional location in Colleyville).
214-520-6560.
TheGreenLotusSpa.com.
BEST FINANCIAL PLANNER
Brian Walker
5214 N. O’Connor Blvd. Ste. 300, Irving.
972-910-0040.
Prudential.com/financialadvisor/tx/tx/brian-walker.
BEST MANI-PEDI
The Salon Nail Spa
5150 Lemmon Ave., ste. 101.
214-599-8886. Find them on Facebook.
BEST MASSAGE THERAPIST
Scott Fryer
Call for appointment.
214-957-3695.
First, there were barber shops. Then, there were salons. And now? Now there are “hair lounges and collectives.” That’s how Vertigo 12 — so named because it’s on the 12th floor of a Downtown office building, with vertiginous views of the city — describes itself. It makes sense: You don’t go just to get your hair cut and styled, you go to enjoy a complimentary draft beer (courtesy of Fort Worth’s Martin House Brewery) and for the funky atmosphere and the friendly staff, led by hunky owner Nolan Matthew. (If you think you recognize one of the other stylists, you probably do: It’s local drag legend Krystal Summers.) You don’t just get a nice cut at Vertigo, you have a blast hanging with friends.
Nolan Matthew and the staff at Vertigo 12 by Arnold Wayne Jones
BEST HAIR SALON
Vertigo 12 Hair Lounge & Collaborative
211 N. Ervay St., 12th floor
Open Tuesdays–Saturdays at noon.
214-699-7824. Vertigo12.com.
BEST MOVING COMPANY
Fantastic Moves
10610 Metric Drive.
Call for appointment.
214-349-6683. FantasticMoves.com.
BEST PHOTOGRAPHER
Nathan Scott Photography
972-998-5319. Find him on Facebook.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition March 11, 2016.
