Everyday, the CitySquares team recognizes each local business’ and website user’s contribution to the overall CitySquares community.

We are working to create an online CitySquares Community Scrapbook where we will highlight one local business per week on our Facebook Fan Page. These are businesses that people have recently shown interest in and wrote positive reviews on the specific company’s profile.

We want to help spread the word about local businesses that are helping their neighborhoods by providing the services and products they do and creating an enjoyable experience for their customers and the people in their communities.

Included in the scrapbook is a link to the company’s profile, how the company views their impact on their community and a picture showing the products and services the business offers their neighborhood.

A big part of this scrapbook process will be fans tagging themselves in the photo your business provides to show they have visited your business before. We will also ask them to write a comment if your business’ products or services had a big impact on them or their local community.

We would love your input about this idea and suggestions of local CitySquares’ businesses that should be highlighted. If you are a local business and have a CitySquares’ profile that you would like to be featured, you should contact Marissa to receive further details.

The CitySquares’ Team is excited to see the Scrapbook grow each week and continue to show how much local businesses have become essential parts of communities across the nation.

Become a part of the CitySquares family and sign-up today!

The Health & Wellness Top 10 are as follows!

• Clevergreen Cleaners – Best Dry Cleaning & Overall All Star winner! This is their second year in a row!
• Unique Verve - Best Massage
  
• 379 Club – Best Barbershop
  
• State Street Barbers – Best Barbershop (runner up)
  
• Satin Wellness Personal Training – Best Personal Fitness
  
• Sain Visage Skin Care – Best Facials (runner up)
  
• Sole Tanning – Best Tanning Salon
  
• Indulge Day Spa – Best Day Spa
  
• Darque Tan – Best Tanning Salon (runner up)
  
• Stingray Tattoo – Best Tattoos
  

Congratulations to all the winners! Be on the look out for their All Star Winner decals in their windows and awards on their walls!

Coming up next… the CitySquares Dining and Entertainment All Stars… announced very shortly!

Throughout 2009 scores of people will rate businesses on CitySquares.com and we invite you to rate your favorite destinations! Each season there will be a different All Star campaign, with Beauty & Wellness being the first, Dining & Entertainment being the second and Shopping starting in October.

Whether it’s the bicycle shop who helped you find some new wheels, or that local clothing retailer around the corner who had the perfect jacket, this is your chance to say thanks and give them some recognition. All Star winners will be picked according to your votes, there are no editorial picks. And hey, while you’re at it, why not share your experiences with these businesses as well? To add your review simply create a free CitySquares.com user account and add as many reviews as you’d like.

Thank you for supporting your local community on CitySquares.com!

• Habit – Best Boutique and Overall Shopping All Star Winner
• Stained Glass Works – Best Repair and Restoration
• Clothes Call – Best Stylist
• Ku De Ta – Best Women’s fashion
• French Dressing – Best Lingerie Boutique
• Chinook – Best Outdoor Clothing
• Twilight – Best Party Dress Boutique
• in-jean-ius – Best Denim Selection
• Dream on Futon – Best Furniture Store
• Brookline Booksmith – Best Bookstore

Congratulations to all the winners from the CitySquares Team and be on the look out for their All Star Winner decals in their windows, and their awards on their walls!

CitySquares

To nominate a business as an All Star, just log on to CitySquares.com and either search for the business or browse to any retail business and just click on the button. Also be sure to visit the All Star page for vote tallies and top 10 leaders!

As you probably know, the 2008 Dining & Entertainment All Star contest came to a close this month. It was a well fought contest too, with The Fireplace Restaurant in Brookline fighting it out with Lilly’s Gourmet Pasta Express in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood literally to the final hour! It’s so great to see such good-spirited competitiveness among neighborhood businesses. This is what we really want the All Star contest to do! So far, so good.

CitySquares is delighted to announce the winners of the Dining & Entertainment All Star Contest.

In first place we have Lilly’s Gourmet Pasta Express! They are the official first place winner of the 2008 Dining & Entertainment All Stars! They racked up a record 103 votes from their customers. They were so actively engaged in the contest that when they answered their phone they’d say, “Thank you for calling Lilly’s Gourmet Pasta Express. Please be sure to vote for us on CitySquares.com! Can I take your order?” That’s just fantastic pride and spirit! A great example for other contestants. We’re proud to see Lilly’s win this summer’s contest! Congratulations Lilly’s!

We have 10 other winners, and they include:

The Fireplace Restaurant – Most Romantic Restaurant

Something Savory – Best Catering Service

Sevan Bakery – Best Bakery

Bobby C’s Ristorante – Best Dinner

J.J. Foley’s – Best Bar

Mystery Cafe Dinner Theatre – Best Entertainment

The Red Fez – Best Cocktails

The Samuel Adams Brewery Tour – Best Weekend Activity

The Winery – Best Wine Selection

Strip T’s – Best Sandwiches

Schoolhouse Pizza – Best Pizza

Congratulations to all the winners, and to all the businesses who competed in this summer’s campaign! It was a success in so many ways.

We’d also like to announce our next All Star campaign, the Shopping All Star Contest! It starts in October and we’ll ask you, our community, to get out there and vote for your favorite shopping destinations. The contest will close at the end of the holiday season. We’ll announce the launch of the contest on the blog and in our newsletter, and once we do all you have to do to nominate a business as an All Star is just log on to CitySquares.com and either search for the business or browse to any retail business and just click on button. Also be sure to visit the All Star page for the vote tallies and top 10 leaders!

Do you have any ideas for the All Star Contest? Or would you like to see something changed? We’re totally open to your suggestions so please feel free to comment below.

– Ben

[wpvideo 3b9SxYcs]

Once again, thanks to everyone who made this possible and be on the lookout for the shirts on sale at local businesses starting in just a few days!

A couple of months ago we had an idea to put a bit of an animation together that demonstrates how we feel about traditional print media, specifically the phone book and local newspapers. We didn’t want it to be too serious or lengthy, so Jason, Amber, and myself put a storyboard together and found someone who could help us get it done. We’re really happy with the final result, and we hope you are too. It’s only a minute and a half long. Check it out!

[wpvideo hzFkWr0h]

You can find the original Flash version of the movie here on CitySquares.com. We also threw it up on YouTube and the CitySquares Facebook page.

What do you think?

– Ben

These hip t-shirts, designed by students from the Joseph J Hurley and the McKinley public schools in Boston’s South End, are available in two styles and various sizes.  They can be yours for the low price of $20 + shipping and handling. Your $20 goes to the CommuniTee Art Project. In September we intend to cut a large check to the South End’s McKinley and Joseph J. Hurley School art programs so they can buy supplies and materials for their students! Please, buy a T-shirt, represent the South End, and spread the word!

– Caitlin

This Thursday at the CommuniTee party we’re unveiling the winning designs on tee shirts, which will also be for sale at the party and thereafter around town. The proceeds of the tee shirt sales will go to those schools and their art programs to help purchase art supplies. Also at the party, which will be emceed by WCVB’s Bianca de la Garza, we’re going to have a silent auction, of which proceeds go to the school art programs as well. There’s actually quite a bit of valuable items going up for auction too!

You can check out the party on the CitySquares Facebook page, or right here:

When: June 5th, 2008 @ 5:30pm
Where: Gallery XIV, 37 Thayer Street, in Boston’s South End.
Featuring: Cocktails, bites from Red Fez, silent auction!

Please RSVP to Caitlin Sullivan by email at csullivan@citysquares.com. We’re looking forward to seeing you there!

And check out the CommuniTee Art Project on Boston’s WCVB Channel 5 a couple weeks ago…

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeEwIbHkH6c]