Explore Your Best of St. Croix Valley 2025 Winners

Say hello to summertime and the results of our Readers’ Choice Poll.

Summer is here, and you know what that means … we’re thrilled to congratulate the winners and finalists of our annual Readers’ Choice Poll, as chosen by the St. Croix Valley community! These businesses, organizations and service providers are the heart and soul of the Valley.

And there’s no better time to appreciate these exceptional members of our community than summertime, when we can appreciate the best patios, start on a home and garden project, take up a hobby or find a new corner of the Valley to explore. From restaurants and breweries to spas and swim schools, we hope you reference this list on all your summer adventures.

Dining

Best Bakery

1. St. Croix Baking Company
2. Buddy’s Bakery
3. Keys Cafe & Bakery

Best Bar, Brewery or Distillery

1. 45th Parallel Distillery
2. Hop & Barrel Brewing
3. Pitchfork Brewing

Best Breakfast or Brunch

1. Keys Cafe & Bakery
2. Oasis Café
3. San Pedro Café

Best Burger

1. Barker’s Bar & Grill
2. Milwaukee Burger Company
3. Agave Kitchen

Best Dessert or Ice Cream

1. Knoke’s Chocolates and Nuts
2. Nelson’s Ice Cream
3. Dipsy Ice Cream Shoppe

Best International Cuisine

1. San Pedro Café
2. Miko Thai Kitchen
3. Sapporo Japanese Restaurant

Best Locally Owned Coffee or Tea Shop

1. Ember and Bean Roasting Co
2. Joe to Go
3. Wheelhouse Coffee

Best Outdoor Dining Space

1. Pier 500
2. San Pedro Café
3. Urban Olive & Vine

Best Pizza

1. Bricks Neapolitan Pizza
2. EJ’s Pizzeria
3. Melt Pizza Company

Best Plant-Based or Vegan Menu

1. Urban Olive & Vine
2. The Wild Hare
3. Protein House

Best Restaurant

1. San Pedro Café
2. Lolo American Kitchen & Craft Bar
3. Pier 500

Abode

Best Carpet and Flooring Store

1. Carpeting By Mike
2. H & F Home Furnishings
3. Tie: Abbott Paint & Carpet; Hamernick’s Flooring Solutions

Best Custom Home Builder

1. Tie: Derrick Custom Homes; Wittstock Builders
2. Hartman Homes

Best Garden Center/Nursery

1. Farrill’s Sunrise Nursery and Garden Center
2. Rose Floral and Greenhouse
3. Abrahamson Nurseries

Best Home Décor or Furniture Store

1. The 715
2. H & F Home Furnishings
3. Rustic Eagle Home Décor & Furnishings

Best Interior Design Firm

1. Kelli Kaufer Designs
2. Bobbie Peterson Interiors
3. Brick + Linen

Best Landscape Design Service

1. Willow River Company
2. Stone & Leaf Landscaping
3. Myhra Design Group

Best Remodeler

1. Wildwood Kitchens and Baths
2. Derrick Custom Homes
3. The Fortress Project

Best Senior Living Residence

1. The Sycamore of River Falls
2. The Deerfield
3. Boutwells Landing

Self Care

Best Barbershop or Salon With Men’s Services

1. Prohibition Barbers
2. The Barber Shop – River Falls
3. 4 North Beauty Collective

Best Boutique Fitness or Yoga Studio

1. Light House Yoga + Fitness
2. Fit PT
3. Inspiring Actions Yoga

Best Hair Salon

1. 4 North Beauty Collective
2. Tangled Salon & Spa
3. The Hair Tailor

Best Manicure and Pedicure

1. 21 Nails
2. INails & Spa
3. Turbo Nails Oak Park Heights

Best Massage

1. Just For Me “The Spa”
2. River Bend Massage Therapy
3. Tie: Lori’s Salon & Day Spa; The Healing Hand

Best Med Spa

1. St Croix Skincare
2. Stillwater Skin Medspa
3. Willow Medspa & Fitness

Best Spa

1. Just For Me “The Spa”
2. Stillwater Skin Medspa
3. Sandalwood Skin Studio

Wellness

Best Chiropractic Practice

1. Vitality Chiropractic
2. Tie: Croixview Family Chiropractic; Move•Well Chiropractic and Sports Therapy

Best Dental Practice

1. St. Croix Kidds Pediatric Dentistry
2. Oakwood Dental
3. Ashley Dental

Best Dermatology Practice

1. Advanced Dermatology Care
2. Tareen Dermatology
3. Forefront Dermatology

Best Family Medicine Practice

1. Hudson Physicians
2. HealthPartners Clinic Stillwater
3. Western Wisconsin Health

Best Holistic Wellness Practice

1. Healing Waters Health Center
2. Fit PT
3. Evensong Wellness

Best OB-GYN Practice

1. Hudson Physicians
2. Evensong Wellness
3. Western Wisconsin Health

Best Orthodontic Practice

1. Brettin Orthodontics
2. Orchin + Orchin
3. Valley Orthodontics

Best Physical Therapy Practice

1. Fit PT
2. Twin Cities Orthopedics
3. Velocity Physical Therapy

Best Pediatric Practice

1. St. Croix Kidds Pediatric Dentistry
2. Hudson Physicians
3. Central + Priority Pediatrics

Best Vision Care Practice

1. Associated Eye Care
2. Christensen Vision Care
3. Pearle Vision

Learning

Best Dance Studio

1. Helmer Dance Studio
2. The Dancing House
3. The Phipps Center for the Arts

Best Learning or Tutoring Center

1. Bright Star Tutoring
2. Mathnasium of Stillwater
3. Learning Rx – Hudson

Best Preschool Program

1. Trinity Academy
2. Bethel Highland Preschool
3. Sunny Hill Preschool

Best Swim School or Lesson Provider

1. Hudson YMCA
2. Little Crappie Swim School
3. Foss Swim School

Pet Care

Best Dog Park

1. Hudson Dog Park
2. River Falls Dog Park
3. Andy’s Bark Park

Best Pet Boarding or Daycare Service

1. Paws and Claws Pet Resort
2. K9-Playtime
3. Goldwood Kennels

Best Pet-Friendly Dining or Retail Businesses

1. Urban Olive & Vine
2. Hop and Barrel Brewing
3. River Siren Brewing

Best Pet Grooming Service

1. Angel’s Pet World
2. Diggity Dawg Grooming
3. Paws and Claws Pet Resort

Best Veterinarian Practice

1. Animal Care Center of Hudson
2. Croix Valley Veterinary Hospital
3. Hillcrest Animal Hospital

Shops

Best Apparel Boutique

1. Tie: La Rue Marche; One:Nine Boutique
2. Mainstream Boutique

Best Florist

1. Hudson Flower Shop
2. Rose Floral & Greenhouse
3. Blooms For Happiness

Best Gift Shop

1. The Bee’s Knees
2. Rose & Lavender
3. Tie: Smith + Trade Mercantile; The Purple Tree

Best Jewelry Store

1. Beth’s Jewelry Shop
2. The Jewelers Bench
3. Diamonds on Main

Best Specialty Food or Kitchen Store

1. Grand Fête
2. Hudson Grocery Co-op
3. Urban Olive & Vine

Leisure

Best Beach, Open Space or Park

1. Willow River State Park
2. Perch Lake
3. Lakefront Park

Best Date Night Spot

1. Lolo American Kitchen & Craft Bar
2. Pier 500
3. San Pedro Café

Best Outdoor Location for Graduation Photos

1. Willow River State Park
2. Lakefront Park
3. Stillwater Lift Bridge

Best Place for Family Activities

1. Willow River State Park
2. St. Croix National Golf and Event Center
3. Eagle Eye Farm

Best of the East Metro

Best Alpine Hill or Nordic Ski Trail

1. Afton Alps
2. Trollhaugen Ski Area
3. Willow River State Park

Best Alterations or Tailoring Service

1. Sew For “U”
2. Tom’s Tailor
3. St Croix Cleaners

Best Biking or Hiking Trail

1. Willow River State Park
2. Brown’s Creek State Trail
3. Gateway State Trail

Best Bridal or Formal Wear Store

1. Tie: Bella Bridal Boutique; Raffiné Bridal

Best Electrician Service

1. Crown Electric
2. Tie: JWC Electric; Steiner Plumbing, Electric & Heating

Best Family Photographer

1. Gwen Larson Photography
2. Lisa Buth Photography
3. NP Design & Photography

Best Financial Services

1. Todd Kockelman at Kockelman Financial
2. Chris Wood at CrossCountry Mortgage

Best Golf Course

1. St. Croix National Golf and Event Center
2. White Eagle Golf Club
3. River Falls Golf Club

Best Heating and Cooling Service

1. Anderson Heating
2. K&C Air Systems
3. Boldt’s Plumbing and Heating

Best Home Cleaning Service

1. Dunn Right Cleaning Services
2. Cleaning with Meaning
3. Integrity Cleaners

Best Home and Property Management Service

1. Tie: Jenkins Property Management; Pro Care Property Maintenance
2. Telus Property Services + Solutions

Best Law Practice

1. Angela Olson Law
2. Galowitz Olson Law Firm
3. Doar, Drill & Skow

Best Local Concert Series

1. Concerts in the Park, Hudson
2. Hillside Music Series, New Richmond

Best Music School

1. Brickhouse Music
2. Rock U Music School
3. Tie: Hovland Conservatory of Music; Jen’s String Studio; The Phipps Center for the Arts

Best Outdoor Skating Rink

1. Perro Park
2. Burton Field
3. St. Croix Recreation Center

Best Plumbing Service

1. Johnson Brothers Plumbing
2. Tie: Boldt’s Plumbing and Heating; Countryside Plumbing and Heating

Best Private School

1. Trinity Academy
2. Saint Patrick Catholic School
3. St. Mary School

Best Professional Theatre

1. The Zephyr Theatre
2. St. Croix Festival Theater

Best Roofing Service

1. Becker Roofing & Construction
2. Bohl Home Services
3. Tie: Fultz Roofing and Siding; JTR Roofing

Best Senior Portrait Photographer

1. NP Design & Photography
2. Lisa Buth Photography
3. Isa Wines Photography

Best Staycation Hotel

1. Hotel Crosby
2. Lora Hotel

Best Summer Camp

1. YMCA Camp St. Croix
2. YMCA Camp DayCroix
3. Hidden Pines Ranch

Best Venue to Watch Fourth of July Fireworks

1. Lakefront Park
2. Lowell Park
3. Pioneer Park

Best Wedding Photographer or Videographer

1. Tie: Ashley Foster Photography; Katie Lee Photography
2. Tie: Dakota Layne Photography; Isa Wines Photography

Best Wedding Venue

1. Oehme Oasis Wedding & Events Venue
2. Tie: JX Venue; St. Croix National Golf and Event Center

Best Winery

1. Rustic Roots Winery
2. Dancing Dragonfly Winery
3. Tie: Belle Âme Vineyard; Cracked Barrel Winery