readers' choice 2015 #3

READERS’ CHOICE 2015

Saturday, January 30, 2016

A Turlock Journal Publication www.turlockjournal.com

3 Auto Shopping Professional

2 Saturday, January 30, 2016

Thank you Turlock for voting us best used

auto dealership

(209) 632-3946 • 1601 Auto Mall Drive, Turlock • www.smithchevroletcadillac.com

USED AUTO DEALERSHIP

OTED BEST

CALL TODAY (209) 632-3946 |1601 Auto Mall Dr., Turlock, CAwww.SmithChevroletCadillac.com

3Readers’ Choice 2015


Call Today (209) 634-3031 | 115 Florence St., Turlock, CAwww.SmithCollsionCenter.com

SINCE 1954

Voted Best Auto Body Shop

Thank you for voting us Best Body Shop in Turnlock!We work with All Insurance Companies

We Can Handle Your Claim For You

LIFETIME Guarantee On All Repairs Performed!

We Service All Makes & Models!

YOUR LOCAL FARMERS AGENT

5 E. Main St. Turlockwww.ndfarmers.comwww.facebook.com/NDFARMERS

(209)485-9006

LIC # 0G31530

Auto • Home • Life • HealthWorkers Compensation • Commercial

Nathan DabulewiczInsurance Agency, LLC.

TO ALL OUR LOYAL CUSTOMERS FOR VOTING USYOUR FAVORITE PRINT SHOP!

549 S Walnut Rd, Turlock, CA, 95380 • 209-632-9961

KELSO'S TOWINGThank You

to all of our loyal customers for the last 57 years!

Best Towing Service 2015

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C O N T E N T S

Favorites in Auto .......................................................6Smith Chevrolet Cadillac ...........................................6Favorites in Shopping ................................................7Farm House ..............................................................8Just Cause Consignment ...........................................9Geiger’s Jewelers .................................................... 10Joy Dravecky Jewelry .............................................. 11Favorite Professionals ............................................. 12Oak Valley Community Bank .................................. 13

To advertise in the next special section contact the advertising department at (209) 634-9141.



FAVORITE AUTO SALES & SERVICES

Auto Body ..........................................................................Smith Collision CenterAuto Dealership (new) ..............................................Smith Chevrolet CadillacAuto Dealership (used) .............................................Smith Chevrolet CadillacAuto Maintenance .....................................................Smith Chevrolet CadillacCar Wash/Detail ...................................................................................... Prime ShineOil Change ............................................................................10 Minute Lube & OilSmog ...................................................................................Balswick’s Quick SmogTire Store..............................................................................................Balswick’s TireTowing Service ..................................................................................Kelso’s Towing

STAFF REPORTSTurlock Journal

Turlock has changed significantly since 1926, but one thing that has remained a mainstay in the community is the Smith family auto dealership.

The family-owned company, now run by Lee and Larry Smith, was voted —once again — the Turlock Journal Read-ers' Choice for Best Auto Body, New Auto Dealership, Used Auto Dealership and Auto Maintenance.

With a full range of new and used vehi-cles as well as an auto body and collision center, the new Auto Mall Drive location is unique from other dealerships in that it

is a full service location, somewhat of a rarity in the present day industry.

Smith Chevrolet Cadillac’s diverse range of services and the optimal location also affords the dealership the ability to reach customers from across the region. However, not only reaching customers, but attending to them is vital for the busi-ness and something to which the Smiths attribute to their business’ success.

By meeting more than 300 percent of the General Motors recommended train-ing standards, Smith Chevrolet Cadillac is well equipped to help individuals’ needs whether they are prospective buyers or looking to repair damage to their vehicle.

Smith Chevrolet Cadillac recognized for sales and service

We are so Honored that you Voted us

Best Women's Apparel 5 years in a Row.

Thank you Turlock!

306 E. Main StreetTurlock, CA

209-664-973745706_1

MODESTO (209) 529-3480 l TURLOCK (209) 667-0995 l LIVINGSTON (209) 394-7925

wintonireland.com l Since 1913 l Lic # 0596517

Workers Comp I Agricultural I Health & Benefits I Professional I Crop Commercial Packages I Home & Auto

�ank you Turlock for votingWinton-Ireland, Strom & Greenas your favorite insurance agency

FAVORITE SHOPPING (LOCALLY OWNED)

Smith Chevrolet Cadillac recognized for sales and service

Antique Store ...................................................................... Main Street Antiques

Apparel Children’s ...................................................................Envy Fine Clothing

Apparel Men’s ............................................................................Camera's Clothing

Apparel Women’s .....................................................................Glitz Fine Clothing

Bargain/Discount Store ................................................................................ Big Lots

Bike Shop ...............................................................................................Cycle Masters

Consignment Store .................................................... Just Cause Consignment

Craft Store ...................................................................................................... Michael's

Fine Jewelry ..................................................................................Geiger's Jewelers

Flower Shop......................................................................................... Yonan's Floral

Gift Store ....................................................................................................Farm House

Handcrafted Jewelry ........................................................Joy Dravecky Jewelry

Hardware Store .............................................................................. Orchard Supply

Party Supplies ..................................................................................... Yonan's Floral

Shoe Store ....................................................................Boucher’s Comfort Shoes

Sporting Goods ....................................................................Bilson's Sports Shop



Thank you Turlockfor voting Carr’s Cleaners

as your Favorite Dry Cleaners!

Our doors havebeen open

For 71 Yearsbecause of

your supportand patronage.

Turlock: 500 E. Main Street / 209-667-5300Turlock: 2924 Geer Road / 209-634-0870

Atwater: 531 Bellevue Road /209-358-5505Martinizing: Modesto/ 2401 E. Orangeburg Ave., #690 / 209-527-0099

carrscleaners.com

25% OFFONE ITEM - EXPIRES 2/29*SOME EXCLUSIONS APPLY

58670_1

Thank You Turlock

for Voting us BEST Children's Apparel

227 E Main St, Turlock • (209) 632-2752 • envyfineclothing.com

BY NATALIE WINTERSTurlock Journal

Inspired by the farming, old country and roots of Turlock, Farm House gift shop has won the hearts of downtown shoppers since the store opened in April 2015 and was voted the Turlock Journal Readers' Choice for Gift Store.

“We weren’t sure how Turlock would react towards another gift store down-town, but the way we have been wel-comed, supported and encouraged is just wonderful,” said Candace Gonsalves. “We can’t thank everyone enough for that; we really appreciate it.”

Gonsalves is a part owner of Farm House alongside Kim Jonson, who spe-cializes in their painting and Caley Ruth-erford, the display expert extraordinaire.

“We just try to do something complete-ly out of the box,” said Gonsalves. “Our goal is for our shoppers to have an expe-rience the second they come through the door—whether that’s being awed by our displays or the connection they feel with us and the community.”

Farm House focuses on rustic, unique farm pieces, but also a take on modern, new art. Staying local is important to them and a lot of their metalwork and woodwork is done local, as well.

“When we set up the structure of the store, giving back locally to the communi-ty was one of our biggest priorities,” said Gonsalves. “We do a lot of fun things to try to encourage people to come down-town and just give back as much as pos-sible. I guess we’re not really just running a gift store, we’re trying to do a lot of dif-ferent things.”

Gonsalves explained that her and her partners Jonson and Rutherford constant-ly want to be bigger and better.

“It’s so humbling for us to be voted best gift shop,” she said. “It’s almost a little scary for us because we always try our hardest to ‘wow’ our customers and we don’t want to lose that. We’re extremely grateful, thankful and appreciative and will continue to work as hard as we pos-sibly can.”

Farm House is located at 311 E. Main St. For more information, call 668-8800.

Farm House: A gift store and more

Thank You For Voting Us Best Antique Store

For 2015!!!!208 E Main St., Turlock, CA 95383 • (209) 669-7000 58

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Just Cause didn’t win the Turlock Journal Readers' Choice for Best Con-signment, well, just ‘cause. This family-owned consignment store founded their store with the idea of giving back to the community, and for three years now they have been doing just that.

Tracy Myers explains that their name, “Just Cause Consignments” says a lot about what they do. Their tagline, “for you or your cause” demonstrates that the owner of any piece of furniture they bring in has the option to “consign for a cause.”

“It’s really a great program and people seem to love the concept as well,” she said. “We match 10 percent of our com-mission to the same cause of their choos-ing; they don’t have to choose a cause, but it’s a neat option for them.”

Teen Challenge, churches, We Care and Westside Ministries are just a few of the numerous organizations that Just Cause Consignments has donated to.

“We’re very happy to be able to donate to so many different causes throughout the community,” Myers said. “Especially to those organizations that help people get into housing who may have nothing—it’s nice to be able to donate the furniture to them. We’ll make sure the organization gets the furniture within a certain amount of time regardless of if the furniture has sold; it’s always for a worthy cause.”

Giving back to the community isn’t the only thing that sets Just Cause Consign-ment apart from other stores. Unlike most

thrift stores, they only consign furniture.“We don’t do clothing or jewelry, which

most people think of when they think of a consignment store,” said Myers. “Most of what we get is from people downsizing or moving to assisted living, things like that. It’s like-new furniture; just barely, gently used.”

Myers adds that the style of their store doesn’t reflect a consignment store hardly at all.

“My sister and I decided to set it up like a living room set and have the furniture arranged like it would be in a house,” she said. “They’re set up in staged areas, which really adds to the feel of the store.”

A true family operated store, Myers runs the store alongside her mother Vicky Myers, her father Ken Myers and her sis-ter Trina Walley.

“I think the family aspect of it makes Just Cause Consignment very special,” she said. “We all take turns doing what-ever needs to be done, and my dog Shorty is here most of the time—he has a bigger fan club than all of us.”

Myers makes clear that Just Cause Con-signment is thankful for the community support and without it the store wouldn’t have survived this long.

“Most small businesses are happy to make it through the first year,” she said. “We wouldn’t be here without commu-nity support, that’s for sure... but that’s what’s so great about Turlock. We’re hap-py to be able to continue to do what we do and make a difference.”

Just Cause is located at 100 N. Palm St. For more information, call 485-8796.

Just Cause Consignment Store looks to help non-profits9Readers’ Choice 2015


Serving Generations of Families Since 1876State of the Art Funeral Home. Traditional Chapel with 400 seat

Capacity. Lush and Scenic Grounds. In House Flower Shop.All funeral and cemetery arrangements are cared for in one convenient location.

Lic # FD1843 CML# COA114

We are proud to be servingsuch a wonderful community.

THANK YOU, TURLOCKfor voting us your favorite funeral home!


Family owned and operated Geiger’s Jewelry store in Turlock offers the largest selection and variety of jewelry in the area complete with great value and a professional yet personable approach to business, which is why it was named the Turlock Journal Readers' Choice for Fine Jewelry.

“It’s not your typical kind of jewelry store; we have a comfortable setting that ties hand in hand with the hometown feel of Turlock,” said Marissa Geiger, daugh-ter in family business.

Rick and Yvonne Geiger opened the business in 1983 following Rick’s 12 years of prior experience working in the jewelry industry that he describes as “so much fun” and what helped him become the expert jeweler that he is today.

His daughters, Marissa and Kindrea, joined the fam-ily business in 2000 and are a critical component to the store’s continued success.

“I’m thankful to have the girls here selfishly for me, but they’ve also been such a huge bonus for the business as well,” said Rick Geiger. “It’s amazing. You’d think that as the owner you’ll always know what is best for the store—especially inventory wise—but having a younger and fresh opinion has helped us out a great deal keeping

up with styling, fashion and brands.”What sets Geiger’s apart from the traditional jewelry

store isn’t just the family operated business style, but also the expertise and knowledge when it comes to picking the pieces for their store.

“Old people like me get fed up with a lack of service you get from the majority of chain stores,” said Rick Geiger. “There’s a lack of knowledge because the em-ployees aren’t experts in their field, they just sell with the incentive of commission.”

Marissa and Kindrea Geiger explained their profes-sional approach of what they look for during the pro-cess of handpicking each piece for their store and why its backed with the guarantee of repairs.

“The value of each piece is as important to us as the look of it,” said Marissa Geiger. “Durability, weight, sizing ability, they’re all contributing factors… We hold ourselves and the pieces in our store to the same stan-dard our customers would expect.”

Rick added that Geiger’s Jewelry takes great pride in finding out what the customer wants.

“We explain to them the quality, we explain to them the value and if that fits into everything they had in mind then they can make a decision to buy,” said Rick Geiger. “That’s the kind of thing that I think has made our store since day one—no pressure.”

The family attributes their success to “the Geiger ex-

perience” and believes that’s the explanation for the loy-alty of their clientele, that and the support of the Turlock community.

“Turlock has grown and we’ve grown with it,” said Marissa Geiger. “We are so proud to be part of such an amazing community and we love to give back in dona-tions every year, it’s a give and take relationship and they’ve given us so much.”

Love of jewelry runs in the Geiger family

11 Years and Counting...

STAFF REPORTSTurlock Journal

Although the Joy Dravecky Jewelry storefront has only been open on Turlock's Main Street since last fall, Dravecky's jew-elry collection has been up and running for six years.

Her work combines organic materials such as rough-cut, semi-precious stones paired with gold-filled metal, oxidized silver or vintage brass. Dravecky said the inspiration for her jewelry, is the stone it-self; each one is unique with its own mar-bling and characteristics.

“I don’t see imperfections, I think each stone is unique and that’s what makes it cool,” she said in October. “I’m a fan of anything unique, organically grown — just things that stand out. Using natural stones really helps with that, so anything I do is just the icing on it.”

Dravecky's unique style has earned her the Turlock Journal Readers' Choice for Handcrafted Jewelry.

To learn more about Joy Dravecky Jew-

elry, visit the shop from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday at 210 W. Main St. or joydraveckyjewelry.com.

Local shop brings one-of-a- kind jewelry to Main Street



THANK YOU TO ALL OURLOYAL CUSTOMERS WHO VOTED

BILSON’S AS YOURFAVORITE SPORTS SHOP!

We have what you need to gear up for a SNOW-FILLED WEEKEND

Salomon Skis & Bindings | Snowboards Ski & Snowboard Boots

Adult Ski GlovesGordini Gloves for Toddlers & Juniors

Discounted Bear Valley Tickets

Shop Local - Shop Bilson’s

201 LANDER AVENUE • TURLOCK209-634-4543

ALL WINTER SPORTS EQUIPMENT & APPAREL 30-50% OFF.

FLORAL • LINENSRENTAL • DECOR

LIGHTING

yonans� oralweddings.com209-664-9325

2425 Geer Road, Turlock, CA 95382

Attorney ......................................................................Strategic Legal Group, PC.

Bank ........................................................................ Oak Valley Community Bank

Cellular Store .......................................................................................AT&T Wireless

Computer Service & Repair .......................................................................... Staples

CPA/Tax Service .............................................. Wahl, Willemse & Wilson, CPAs

Credit Union ............................................................................Mocse Credit Union

Dry Cleaning ..................................................................................... Carr’s Cleaners

Funeral Home ..................................................................Turlock Memorial Park

Hotel .......................................................................................... Holiday Inn Express

Insurance Agency .........................................Winton-Ireland, Strom & Green

Insurance Agent .........................Nathan Dabulewicz / Farmers Insurance

Music Store/Lessons ............................................................................Dale’s Guitar

Photographer ...............................................Rachelle Heppner Photography

Print/Copy Shop.....................................................................Harder’s Print Shop

Transportation Service ........................................................................Dream Limo

Travel Agency ..........................................................................................................AAA

FAVORITE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Thank You Turlock!We are so honored to be voted

your favorite Gift Store!

Follow us on Facebook & Instagram!

311 E. Main Street209-668-8800

Store Hours: Mon-Sat 10am-5:30pm

BY KRISTINA HACKERTurlock Journal

The "Community" part of Oak Val-ley Community Bank's name is very important to the company's president and CEO, Chris Courtney. And for good reason. Courtney attributes the relation-ships that are made between bank em-ployees and their customers in each and every community as the secret to the company's success.

"It's the people. The people make the business different. We create a warm, inviting feeling where people know each other; that's our secret, if you will. We live that pledge," he said.

That pledge is one reason Oak Valley Community Bank was voted the Turlock Journal Readers' Choice for Banking.

Oak Valley's secret has led to much success over the past 25 years. The bank

has grown to over $700 million in total assets and currently operates 16 branch-es in Oakdale, Sonora, Escalon, Turlock, Stockton, Patterson, Ripon, Manteca, Tracy, Modesto and the Eastern Sierra.

In 2009, Oak Valley Bancorp received NASDAQ listing approval and in 2014 the company was named one of 25 U.S. banking institutions to the KBW "Bank Honor Roll" of superior performers, an honor the Oak Valley has earned for the past three years.

Although Oak Valley Bancorp has un-questionably made sound business deci-sions over the past two decades, Court-ney said that each branch is empowered to serve their customers in the best way for that individual community.

Oak Valley Vice President and Busi-ness Development Officer Susan Quig-ley and Turlock Branch Manager Di-anna Bettencourt are proud to serve the

community of Turlock."Turlock is a great place to live and

work," said Bettencourt.Quigley said she enjoys helping cus-

tomers find the right fit for them."I'm dealing with three or four genera-

tions of customers," she said.Each branch of Oak Valley Commu-

nity Bank is involved in philanthropic ef-forts, and the Turlock branch gives both money and volunteer hours to a number of local organizations.

For more information about Oak Val-ley Community Bank, go to www.ovcb.com or visit the Turlock branch located at 2001 Geer Rd.

Community banking at its best



FINE JEWELRY

THE GEIGER FAMILY WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR

SUPPORT AND VOTING US BEST JEWELRY STORE FOR 11 YEARS IN A

ROW AND THANK YOU FORVOTING GEIGER’S AS THE MOST

COMMUNITY INVOLVED BUSINESS!

209◆668◆GOLDWWW.GEIGERSFINEJEWELRY.COM

FIND US ON ACEBOOKA

ARE YOU

ONLINE?

LET US HELP.

TURLOCK 634-9141 MANTECA 249-3505 OAKDALE 847-3021

We at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites are grateful for your

support and for voting us as your favorite hotel!

209.664.9999 3001 Hotel Dr. Turlock


866.844.7500 • ovcb.comOakdale • Sonora • Modesto • Turlock • Patterson

Escalon • Ripon • Stockton • Manteca • Tracy

At Oak Valley Community Bank, we take pride in helping our customers and communities get

stronger. �e most rewarding opportunities are often those which provide local businesses the

ability to grow and help our communities thrive.

We’re honored to be chosen as Turlock Journal’s 2015 Readers’ Choice “Best Bank.”

Deep Roots ~ Strong Branches

HELPING VALLEY BUSINESS GROW

Mark and Dana Kirkes, Owners of MK Electric & Design,with Oak Valley’s Dianna Bettencourt, Turlock Branch Manager, 209.633.2867

and Susan Quigley, Business Development O�cer, 209.633.2855

Mark and Dana Kirkes, Owners of MK Electric & Design,with Oak Valley’s Dianna Bettencourt, Turlock Branch Manager, 209.633.2867

and Susan Quigley, Business Development O�cer, 209.633.2855

“We have never had a bank ask what they could do to help us be more successful. When we were approached

by Oak Valley Community Bank that’s exactly what their team did. They’ve been interested in our business,

proactive, and helpful from day one.”

- Mark Kirkes, MK Electric and Design Inc.

readers' choice 2015 #3

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