We wanted to know the top local businesses in and around Calgary, and we decided to look to our readers for their picks. Avenue’s Best Stores in Calgary ballot is a way to hear from our audience and community partners about their favourites. Anyone can participate and we hope that you do so that collectively we can continue to learn about, celebrate and support our local businesses.
Here are answers to some of our most frequently asked questions.
Where is it?
The ballot is on avenuecalgary.com/shopping-style/best-calgary-stores-ballot/
When is it?
Phase 1: The nomination phase runs from February 2 to 23, 2026. During this phase, we are asking Calgarians to nominate their favourite places to shop in a variety of categories. To do that, simply click “nominate” next to your favourite businesses that already appear, or select the category and type in the name of the business if it doesn’t already appear. All of those nominations will be collected and the businesses with the most nominations will move on to the Phase 2.
Phase 2: The voting period is from March 16 to April 3. The finalists in each category will be displayed online during this time and readers can go to the ballot and vote for the best.
Phase 3: The results of this ballot will be used to shape Avenue’s editorial content.
If you are interested in advertising, this post will answer some of your questions.
How are businesses selected for each category?
The list is generated entirely by audience input.
Why don’t you have a category for _______?
To make this ballot manageable and user friendly, we narrowed down the list of categories. We selected categories that Avenue‘s audience has shown the most interest in and tried to capture a broad range of businesses in Calgary. That said, we had dozens of other categories that we could have included and it is most important that we learn about all of the great stores in Calgary.
How will the winners be chosen?
The business with the most number of votes in a category will be selected as the best store in Calgary in that category.
How many businesses or individuals can I nominate?
During Phase 1, you can nominate once per category.
How many times can I vote?
During Phase 2, you can vote once per category.
When will I know the results?
The results will of this ballot will help to guide Avenue‘s upcoming editorial content.
Can businesses outside of Calgary be nominated?
No, we are looking for businesses within Calgary’s city limits. Avenue is a city magazine that supports local businesses and the surrounding area, but this ballot is limited to local businesses for now.
Why do I need to enter my email address to vote?
It helps us protect against potential voter fraud. The system we use is triggered when an email is submitted that may not be valid. Those email addresses are reviewed and eliminated if they can’t be verified. We will not send you any emails unless you specifically opt-in to receive them.
What do I do if I want to advertise?
Please visit this page for more information about advertising.
