Are you a finalist or winner? Need your certificate? Email kimberly@jacksonfreepress.com or call 601-362-6121 ext 11. 19 th annual
Best Place for Unique Gifts; Best Locally Owned Business: The Prickly Hippie
Those looking for a full day’s pampering need look no further than AQUA the Day Spa at the Renaissance shopping center in Ridgeland. “We offer the full experience,” owner Susan Barnette says. “From the time (customers) enter to the time they leave, we make sure that they have a good experience and that we fulfill their expectations while they’re there.” For AQUA, the “full experience” includes facials, massages, manicures and pedicures, body treatments, waxing and lash extensions, but Barnette believes that much of the relaxation occurs between services, noting that the day spa offers “relaxation rooms” complete with beverages and snacks in order to help clients maintain their trouble-free mindset throughout the day. The staff, too, is pivotal to their clients’ relaxation. “We have a lot of experience,” Barnette says of AQUA’s 24 years in the Jackson business scene. “We have great therapists who are well-trained.” A number of these well-trained employees are nail technicians, who offer a full range of treatments to care for customers’ hands and feet. “Sport” manicures and pedicures are aimed at the spa’s male clients, while anyone looking to enhance their standard nail-care can add hot stone or paraffin applications to their choice of French or shellac polishes. —Taylor McKay Hathorn
Jenni Sivils says The Prickly Hippie café in Ridgeland is a reflection of her three passions under one roof: good coffee, perfectly imperfect baked treats and wacky plants in wacky pots. “I am a creative and a lover of people, so it made sense for me to have a business where I was able to create in a few different categories, and work with people every day,” she says. The 32-year-old from Eufaula, Ala., earned a degree in creative writing from the Mississippi University for Women in 2012, learning how to bake as a side-hustle. After three years on the road as a traveling baker, Sivils decided to open a catering business back home in Jackson in 2015. Three years later, she founded The Prickly Hippie at its current location. “The name Prickly Hippie came to me because I’m very much a hippie, and cacti are prickly, and hippies don’t always shave their legs,” she says with a laugh. The store is a full-service coffee shop, bakery and florist. Customers can choose their own cacti or succulent and plant it in a zany pot, order a homemade tie-dye donut or “peace tart,” browse the Build-A-Bouq wall, make a custom flower arrangement and much more. Although COVID-19 closed her storefront down for a while and cut her staff, Sivils is grateful for her customers and optimistic for the future. “I would not exist anymore without the Jackson community,” she says. —Kyle Hamrick
Best Day Spa Finalists Body Anew (1040 Gluckstadt Road, Suite B, Madison; 601-605-0452; bodyanewmedicalspa.com) / Drench Day Spa and Lash Lounge (118 W. Jackson St., Ridgeland, 601-7075656, drenchdayspa.com) / NomiSpa at Fairview Inn (734 Fairview St., 601-948-3429, fairviewinn.com/spa) / Soul Synergy Center (5490 Castlewoods Court D, Flowood, 601992-7721, soulsynergycenter.com) Best Nail Salon Finalists Bellagio Nails & Salon (385 Ridge Way, Flowood, 601-397-6937, bellagionailsalon.com) / Fondren Nails (2906 N. State St., 601-316-9264, facebook.com/FondrenNails) / Organic Nail & Lash Bar (179 Grandview Blvd., Suite 970, Madison; 601-898-1339; facebook.com/ Organic-Nail-Lash-Bar) / The Nail Lounge (4500 Interstate 55 N. Frontage Road, Suite 103B, 601-398-4451, facebook.com/The-Nail-Lounge-HV) / Rouge Nails Lash Wax (5352 Lakeland Drive, Suite 1900, Flowood; 769-572-4747; facebook.com/rougenailsms) / ZaZa Nails and Spa (1053 Highway 49, Richland, 769-447-5959, facebook.com/zazanails49)
(960 N. Flag Chapel Road, 601922-7575, carams.org)
Receiving no government funding, Community Animal Rescue & Adoption, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit no-kill shelter, finds support exclusively through private donations from individuals, businesses and fundraising efforts. A team of volunteers and part-time employees run the operation. “We’re dedicated to saving dogs and cats in the Jackson area who need loving homes,” shelter manager Stevana
Williams says. “We also provide low cost spay/neuter options to reduce the population of unwanted animals and educate the community on responsible pet ownership.” CARA houses about 120 animals in the building and has a small foster network. “We have undergone many changes recently to improve the animals’ lives and increase adoptions,” Williams says. “We do behavioral testing and have large playgroups in our private dog park. This makes for healthier, happier dogs.” The shelter sets itself apart and boosts adoptions by having its veterinarian-trained staff perform heartworm
Best Unique Gifts Finalists Beacon (3030 N. State St., thebeaconsupply.com) / Bellaches (1000 Highland Colony Parkway, Suite 7004, Ridgeland; 601-605-2239; shopbellaches.com) / Herbal Blessings (614 N. Farish St., 769-216-3450, herbalblessings601.com) / Mockingbird Marketplace (2119 Highway 471, Brandon, 601-487-8802, facebook.com/Mockingbird-Marketplace) / OffBeat (151 Wesley Ave., 601-376-9404, offbeatjxn.com) / Soul Synergy Center (5490 Castlewoods Court D, Flowood, 601-992-7721, soulsynergycenter.com) Best Locally Owned Business Finalists 4th Avenue Lounge (209 S. Lamar St., 601-259-5825, 4thavenuejxn.com) / Enchanting Memories Entertainment (662-590-2748, facebook.com/enchantingmemoriesentertainment) / Josephine’s Kitchen (4638 Hanging Moss Road, 769-572-4276, josephineskitchenms.com) / Lakeland Glass and Tint (2665 Lakeland Drive, Flowood, 601-946-1000) / Magically Perfect (504-502-2847, facebook.com/magicallyperfectentertainment) / OffBeat (151 Wesley Ave., 601-376-9404, offbeatjxn.com)
tests in-house, with animals receiving heartworm prevention or treatment afterward, as needed. “This is often costly, but ongoing generous donations of cash and items on our wishlist ensure we can provide the best care for our animals,” Williams concludes. —Michele D. Baker Finalists: ARF - Animal Rescue Fund (395 Mayes St., 769-216-3414, arfms.org) / Cheshire Abbey (cheshireabbey.com) / Mississippi Animal Rescue League (5221 Greenway Drive Extension, 601-969-1631, msarl.org) / Webster Animal Shelter (525 Post Oak Road, Madison, 601-605-4729, facebook.com/websteranimalshelter)
COURTESY CARA
Best Animal Shelter: CARA—Community Animal Rescue & Adoption
COURTESY THE PRICKLY HIPPIE
(500 Highway 51, Suite F, Ridgeland, 601-910-6730, pricklyhippie.com)
COURTESY AQUA THE DAY SPA
(1000 Highland Colony Parkway, Suite 8001, Ridgeland; 601-898-9123, aquathedayspa.com)
February 3 - March 2, 2021 • jfp.ms
Best Day Spa, Best Nail Salon: AQUA the Day Spa
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