There are more than 40,000 businesses in Boulder County; some 8,000 in the city of Boulder alone. While the Boulder Weekly staff likes to think we’re plugged in, there are simply too many bars, restaurants, accountants, hair salons and gyms for us to recommend the best of absolutely everything. 

Luckily, we don’t have to: You, dear readers, do it for us. This year, more than 150,000 votes were cast for Best of Boulder — the most ever! (At least that we have on record.)

We’re impressed that thousands of people feel motivated to participate in this totally voluntary, somewhat arbitrary contest. You clearly have a deep connection to Boulder County’s many hyper-local, often independent and/or family-run businesses. 

Did you know that 96% of companies in Boulder are small businesses? (That is, they have fewer than 50 employees.) And 78% have fewer than 10 workers. 

While it can feel tricky to shout out the bourgeoisie in an era of late-stage capitalism and corporate destruction of our social and natural environment, we’ll always show love to small, local businesses. Maybe it’s more important now because of all those things, so when you do choose to spend your stretched-thin dollars, you have community-vetted recommendations for the very best burgers, beers and barber shops in town.

• Related Articles
• More From Author