Rory Jones

Warren Best Car Detailing Buff-It

He makes cars look like a billion bucks

507 W. Commercial St., East Rochester | 585-752-3850 facebook.com/wmbuffit

There is no telling when the muse will strike and change the course of a life.

For Warren Mapes, the owner of Warren Buff-It auto detailing in East Rochester, she struck about six years ago over a beer with friends at Johnny’s pub on Culver Road.

There, Mapes was contemplating what to do with the rest of his life as he closed in on 50 years old. He had spent the better part of two decades working in marketing and graphic design, a fickle industry that had him hopping jobs and enduring layoff after layoff.

“I just got to the point where I was like, you know, I can’t keep doing this the rest of my life,” Mapes said. “I need to figure something out.”

To make ends meet between gigs, he fell back on detailing cars out of a one-car garage at his East Rochester home. It was a hobby he had pursued with a passion since he was barely old enough to drive, and now he wondered whether he could make a living at it.

That’s when the muse hit him.

“The original name for my business was going to be Buff Daddy — I’ll buff the junk out your trunk,” Mapes said with a laugh. “But then I was like, ‘Wait. Warren Buffett. Warren. Buff. It. Warren Buff-It!”

His business’s motto came to him in a flash for reasons that should be obvious to anyone familiar with the most famous investor in the world: “Keeping your ride looking like a billion bucks!”

“My buddy was like ‘Oh my God, there it is,’” Mapes recalled. “So I grabbed a bar napkin and a pen from the bartender and sketched out my logo.”

Warren Buff-It is symbolized by a high-speed polisher clenched in a closed fist — an image that reflects the combination of technology and elbow grease that embodies the business.

Mapes, now 53, works a few blocks from his home out of a garage on West Commercial Street that accommodates several cars. He details everything from McLarens and Porsches to minivans and SUVs and everything in between.

Speaking of everything in between, Mapes is so meticulous in his work on interiors that he has been known to remove the seats of cars to ensure the deepest of deep cleans before reassembling the vehicle.

“It’s really about honing in on not just vacuuming the car, but getting the dust in all the crevices around the radio buttons, the dust in the vents,” he said. “I had a motorcycle in here yesterday and I pulled all the fairings off, I pulled all the panels off of it so I could get into the nooks and crannies.”

On the exterior of vehicles, Mapes has a reputation for removing swirl marks by polishing the paint to a glimmering finish. He is certified in Gtechniq ceramic coating, a highly-regarded method for protecting paint.

His scrupulousness has not gone unnoticed by his customers. Online reviews laud his attention to detail and communication.

Mapes is quick to give credit to his crew, which includes his 19-year-old son, Connor Mapes, who has been learning the trade from him since the days of his father working out of that one-car garage.

“I’m building this to hopefully hand it down to him,” Mapes said. “I put all my faith in myself and it’s done nothing but grow.” DAVID ANDREATTA

PHOTOS BY MAX SCHULTE

Finalists: Arete Auto Salon Austin-Spencer Automotive Titan Motorworks

BEST INDEPENDENT BOOKSELLER

Lift Bridge Bookshop

45 Main St., Brockport | 585-637-2260 liftbridgebooks.com

Good books swallow readers and do not let go. A good book store, such as Lift Bridge Books, can do the same. The shop is located on Brockport’s main drag and its two floors have plenty of current bestsellers, novels, books by local authors, magazines, and reference books to keep curious browsers busy for a while. It also boasts a large selection of children’s books and used books, art supplies, and posters. The shop is a lively space that holds events, including author signings and book-club meetings. Finalists: Akimbo Bookshop | Hippocampo | Small World Books BEST LOCAL TELEVISION PERSONALITY

Scott Hetsko (WHAM 13)

13wham.com | twitter.com/scotthetsko

Meteorologist Scott Hetsko has won this category a few times over the years. He’s an affable guy who has endeared himself to viewers across the region with his upbeat and trustworthy delivery of all things weather — even when he’s forecasting an incoming snowstorm. People grumble about the winter weather, but they don’t take it out on Hetsko, on whom they rely to tell them when the barrage of snow and sleet will end. The region rallied around him a few years ago when he fell ill due to cardiac sarcoidosis — a rare autoimmune disease that attacks the body — and cheered when he received a heart transplant. Finalists: Don Alhart (WHAM 13) | Adam Chodak (WROC 8) Doug Emblidge (WHAM 13)

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BEST LOCAL RADIO PERSONALITY

Evan Dawson

WXXI News “Connections” wxxi.org/show/connections

Evan Dawson elevated the “Connections” brand at WXXI News when he took over as host of the afternoon radio talk show in 2014 — and he’s only gotten better. His show runs from 12 to 2 p.m. on 1370 AM on weekdays, and typically involves in-depth conversations with local and national experts on two specific topics, one devoted to each hour of airtime. A master interviewer and a quick study, Dawson is prepared and often comes off as well-versed as his guests, whether the topic be heavy, light, or irreverent. Dawson makes his listeners smarter. Finalists: Breezy (98PXY) | Brother Wease (95.1 FM) Scott Regan (WXXI)

FILE PHOTO

BEST MECHANIC

Browncroft Garage

762 Atlantic Ave. | 585-288-5060 browncroftgarage.com

One of the oldest auto mechanic shops in Rochester, Browncroft Garage has been in the same spot on Atlantic Avenue since before most American households had cars. The garage traces its roots to 1927, when H.C. Hargarther began repairing and selling used cars for less than the cost of an oil change today. The business became Browncroft Boulevard Garage when Louis Prinzing bought it in 1935 and quickly established a reputation for offering quality service around the clock. Today, owner Scott Posadny carries on the legacy. So loyal are Browncroft Garage customers that the company sells apparel for them to wear. “Honest,” “knowledgeable,” “trustworthy,” and plain old “nice” are just some of the adjectives that surface again and again in online reviews and comments for this fixture of the city’s southeast side. The company is now advertising openings for a second location. D&B Auto Service | Spencerport Auto | Vesa’s Automotive

BEST MEDIA OUTLET (OTHER THAN US, OF COURSE)

13 WHAM

13wham.com

WHAM-TV (Channel 13) has been the dominant local news affiliate for the better part of 40 years, thanks to the longevity of a news team whose members almost everyone in Rochester knows by name. The station’s lead anchor, Don Alhart, has been with WHAM since 1966, and holds the Guinness World Record for “Longest Career as a Television News Broadcaster” (56 years and counting). Anchors Doug Emblidge and Ginny Ryan carried the 5 p.m. newscast together for 32 years until last fall, when both retired from the station. The newsroom boasts a stable of nearly 20 journalists, including popular sports anchor Mike Catalana, and beloved meteorologist Scott Hetsko, who notched a “Best Local Television Personality” win. Finalists: Democrat and Chronicle | The Rochester Beacon WROC-TV (Channel 8)

Best Housewares Store Mayer Paint and Hardware

A classic, old-school hardware store vibe

226 North Winton Road 585-288-7665 mayerhardware.com

Originally opened in 1951 by Clarence and Ruth Mayer on Main Street and Illinois Street, Mayer Paint & Hardware has stayed in the North Winton Village neighborhood all these years.

Known by the locals simply as “Mayer’s,” the shop is now located on North Winton Road in the heart of the village, in a space that was formerly Martin’s Hardware. The Mayers bought it in 1966.

Today, Mayer’s is about 5,000 square feet of hardware, power tools, paint, snowblowers, grills, and just about anything else anyone might need to get the job done.

“We call it, ‘The superstore on a city block,’” said Mayer’s Vice President Dennis McCarthy. “In terms of products, you’ll find about 99 percent of anything you’d get at a Home Depot or a Lowe’s. The only thing we don’t have that they carry is lumber, and that’s just because we don’t have anywhere to put it.”

Mayer has planned renovations for 2023, which McCarthy said will change the layout and improve the customer experience. (But no word on if they’ll be adding wood.)

“Anyone who’s been here knows how good we are at smooshing tons and tons of stuff into our little store,” McCarthy said, adding that because the shop is part of the ACE Hardware cooperative, Mayer’s has the national buying power of ACE. “That’s how we can remain competitive while remaining a local, independent business.”

Mayer’s was purchased by Tom and Barb Green in 1972 and they steadily grew the business footprint to eight times what it was then. Their son, Tom Green Jr., and his wife Sara Green, are the current owners.

Throughout the years, Mayer’s has maintained the classic, old-school hardware store vibe in a world where everything has become a big, yawning box.

“We love that we’re a little maze with wood floors, wood on the walls, you know, dust, creaks, all that stuff,” McCarthy said.

Today, Mayer’s employs more than 40 people with a wide range of expertise and a uniform passion for customer service.

“If you come into Mayer’s you’re gonna get asked several times if you found what you needed, if you need any help,” McCarthy said. “We have a little sign in our employee area that says

‘The customer is always right,’ and it was printed out in 1973. It’s a silly thing, but it’s very true — that’s the heart of what we do.” REBECCA RAFFERTY

Finalists: Abode Cooks World Historic Houseparts

BEST MUSIC TEACHER

Ben & Katie Morey, The Submarine School of Music

1500 S. Clinton Ave. thesubmarineschool.com

The whimsically named Submarine School of Music is Rochester’s answer to the film “School of Rock.” Husband-and-wife team Ben and Katie Morey created the music ed hub in 2018, and it has quickly expanded to include separate music clubs for rock bands, choirs, and string circles in addition to offering private lessons for multiple instruments, voice, and songwriting. The Moreys emphasize community inclusion with the availability of scholarships and a sliding pay scale. With opportunities for children and adults alike to hone their musical skills, The Submarine School of Music is a solid blend of substance and fun. Finalists: Mike Edwards Stan Martinelli | Bill Tiberio

BEST MUSICAL INSTRUMENT STORE

House of Guitars

645 Titus Ave. | 585-544-3500 houseofguitars.com

House of Guitars isn’t just a Rochester institution. It’s a national landmark of sorts for touring musicians. Jon Bon Jovi, Weird Al, Run-DMC, Metallica, and Tyler the Creator have all made the pilgrimage there. If you’re a musician passing through town, it seems you’re required to stop at this shrine to rock ‘n’ roll. Bruce and Armand Schaubroeck’s store lives up to its name, with thousands of vintage guitars in its holdings. If you can make it past the main showroom and resist buying a new axe, a quick jaunt downstairs at the back of the house leads to an impressive trove of CDs, vinyl records, and T-shirts, plus music memorabilia adorning the walls. House of Guitars is a must-visit for any music lover. Finalists: Atlas Music Bernunzio’s Uptown Music Sound Source

BEST NEIGHBORHOOD GARDEN

490 Farmers

Broadway and Meigs Street 490farmers.com

Before they became an urban farm, the stateowned plots at Meigs and Broadway were just unkempt fields of grass. But 490 Farmers brought life to the land, which is situated adjacent to Interstate 490, hence the group’s name. The PHOTO PROVIDED project started in 2017 as a community garden with 10 plots and a shed. It now has 55 plots for rent; a Children’s Garden; a Free Food Forest with fruit trees, berry bushes and vegetables; a flower farm; beehives; a free food stand; and more. It hosts a weekly farmers market and provides fresh food to three families each week. Finalists: First Market Farm | Maplewood Rose Garden Perinton Community Garden

BEST NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION

Lollypop Farm

99 Victor Road, Fairport | 585-223-1330 lollypop.org

Serving both animals and people, Lollypop Farm is best known for connecting adoptable creatures with loving caregivers. Tens of thousands of local families have found new best friends here, whether that friend be a dog or a cat, a rabbit or a reptile, or a bird or a furry little bugger. The organization, which is the Humane Society of Greater Rochester, estimates that it shelters upward of 5,000 animals a year on its 134acre campus in Perinton. But Lollypop Farm is much more than an animal shelter. It is a petting farm, an animal hospital, an educational institution, and a branch of law enforcement with an expansive calendar of events, from programs designed for young animal lovers to the popular Barktoberfest each fall. Lollypop Farm’s doors are open seven days a week and a visit makes for a fun, free day-trip for families with young children. Finalists: Foodlink | Primetime 585 | Willow Domestic Violence Center BEST PLACE TO BUY KITSCH

Parkleigh

215 Park Ave. | 800-333-0627 parkleigh.com

What began as a pharmacy at the corner of Park Avenue and Goodman Street in 1960 became the castle of kitsch it is today in 1986. Parkleigh is tough to pin down to one retail genre because it has a lot of a little bit of everything. Part gift shop, part hippie wardrobe boutique, and part jewelry shop, Parkleigh offers a wide range of products that smell good, look good, or feel good, the latter of which particularly stands out in its selection of super cozy bathrobes. Finalists: Archimage | Buffalo Bleached | Record Archive

BEST RECORD STORE Record Archive

33⅓ Rockwood St. | 585-244-1210

recordarchive.com

Each of Rochester’s record stores seems to have its own personality. Our voters came out in convincing numbers in favor of Record Archive and its vast warehouse of CDs, DVDs, vintage clothing, audio equipment, gag gifts, and vinyl that you regret having sold years ago. Founded in PHOTO PROVIDED 1975 by one of the city’s unique characters, Richard Storms, the place has anything and everything for the serious audiophile, toy collector, and novelty nerd, with a wine and beer bar to boot. Record Archive’s Backroom Lounge — with the only bar among Rochester’s record stores — is also one of the best-sounding rooms in the area. Finalists: Bop Shop | House of Guitars | Needle Drop Records