Annual contest announces area’s ‘favorite businesses’

EAST ORANGE, NJ — Fourteen local businesses have been chosen by customers as their “2020 Favorite Businesses,” according to an annual contest conducted by two local business organizations in East Orange and Orange. The Business and Professional Association of the Oranges and the Orange Chamber of Commerce distributed ballots to customers during January and February and collected 184 ballots that cast 306 votes for 77 businesses in 28 categories. The 14 businesses that reached the minimum threshold of votes to win their categories are:

• Auto service: Friendly Auto Service, Orange.
• Bank: PNC Bank, East Orange and Orange.
• Child care: Zadie’s Early Childcare Center, East Orange.
• Clothing store: Pure Charisma Boutique, East Orange.
• Convenience store: 7-Eleven, East Orange.
• Deli: Sandwiches Unlimited, East Orange and Orange.
• Electronics/cell phones: RK Wireless, Orange.
• Furniture: HD Furniture, East Orange.
• Media: the Record-Transcript of East Orange and Orange.
• Pharmacy: E&M Pharmacy, Orange.
• Restaurant, full service: Dominy Restaurant, East Orange.
• Restaurant, quick service: Papa John’s, East Orange.
• Sneakers/shoes: Snipes, East Orange.
• Supermarket: ShopRite Supermarket, East Orange.

The 14 “favorite businesses” will be recognized at an awards banquet when the coronavirus pandemic has ended. Meanwhile, ballots from two lucky voters, Adrian Ballot of Elizabeth and Bibi Stewart of East Orange, were drawn, qualifying each of them for $100 shopping sprees at participating BPAO and OCC businesses.

For more information about the BPAO and the OCC, call 973-666-8072 or visit www.NJBizPros.org.

  PNC, ShopRite