A Turnkey Restaurant Operation Turns Two
Plus openings and closings, a Hub update and news for cooks and birders.
Spotlight on. . .
Vicki's Eatery
Greg Bond knows when he's got a recipe for success. When he and his wife MaryAnn Marlar bought Vicki's Eatery in downtown Silver City, they were actually thinking of buying a coffee shop. But they were impressed by the restaurant's established reputation and liked the ambience of the place, right in the hub of the local art district. Plus it had a patio for outdoor dining.
Now celebrating his second year of owning the eatery, Bond smiles and says, "This was supposed to be a 'pre-retirement' thing for me. It's turned out to be a heck of a lot more than that, but I sure don't mind."
Bond insists his strength is in management. He can work the food-prep line if absolutely needed, and he'll bus tables and refill glasses of iced tea before wait and bus staff even has a chance to notice the need. But solving staff and service problems—running out to get some emergency half-and-half or fixing a schedule glitch—is where he shines. Well, that and greeting his customers. While the restaurant's former owner, Vicki Sondheim, was a major presence in the restaurant's kitchen and scarcely had time to give a friendly wave out the cook's window, Bond leaves the soup pots and grill to the pros and spends most of his time greeting and chatting up his patrons.
He points out that his devoted staff of nine, several of them with "years in the business," has a well-oiled system of running things.
Bond credits the restaurant's former owner and namesake with creating "the perfect menu" for the lunch cafe. There's hardly ever any waste, he says, so efficiently does the menu—with Greek, Mediterranean, Southwest or "classic deli" choices—utilize salad and soup ingredients, sandwich components and breads. Grilled marinated chicken breasts appear in sandwiches, on salads and sometimes the daily special. Dolmas and hummus appear as side dishes and in sandwich plates.
And there's never any of Vicki's famous German potato salad left over to go to waste.
"We bought everything: the menu, her recipes, the furniture and her name. She deserves a lot of credit. Vicki had the formula worked out to the last detail," he says. "We've hardly changed a thing!"
Okay, he did add "Greg's Sandwich," a grilled chicken-breast sandwich with green chiles and Swiss on pita. It's listed right under the "Vicki's" sandwich, perhaps yet one more tip of the hat to Sondheim.
And he did add a new cole slaw to the menu. He says they experimented with all types of the shredded vegetable side dish before deciding on a creation with apples and horseradish. "It adds a nice little tang, I think."
Bond says the restaurant does rely on tourists, but a full 60-70 percent of customers are loyal locals. Being at the heart of the Texas-Yankie Street art district, Bond says his gallery neighbors "are a good gauge for how the tourist trade is going."
And he wouldn't trade his dining patio for anything. "It's one of our biggest selling points," he says. "It's something people really love." An outdoor heater stands ready to extend the season.
One thing Bond says he doesn't want to extend are the restaurant's hours—in order to serve dinner. There are a number of restaurants downtown that do a wonderful job of that, he says. Besides, he did give that a go when he first took over, but it wasn't successful enough to justify the extra payroll and work it entailed.
"I'm really satisfied with the lunch business," he says. "And we do a good business of that."
Vicki's Eatery is located at the corner of Texas and Yankie Streets in downtown Silver City. It serves lunch Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. 388-5430.
New in Town
Iron Works Gym has opened in the space on North Bennett Street that once housed The Gymnasium. Carla and Nathan Casler, body builders for 20-plus years, have recently moved to Silver City from Alaska. The facility has all-new equipment with the latest fitness technology. "We've got things many people will have never seen before," Carla says. The couple plans to add a juice bar with workout protein drinks, and will install televisions and XFM Radio to entertain clients during their treadmill time.
Sold!
Golden Dragon Chinese Restaurant has a new owner. Wayne T. Xie, who owned and operated two Chinese restaurants in Los Angeles, purchased the Silver City restaurant and moved to town two months ago. Xie says he will add some new menu items, and that a new chicken dish the restaurant recently offered as a special was well received by his first customers.
Lusk Flowers and Gift Shop recently was purchased by Lana and Allan Swaggerty. Lana is a native Silver City-ite who lived away for a number of years and moved back to the area in 2000 from Alaska. Lana says the shop will continue with Frankie and Moose White's tradition of being "Simply the best, since 1928." The shop is an exclusive dealer for the Nambé gift line, and will carry fresh-cut and silk flowers, live plants, gifts and gift baskets. Lana says they will continue to deliver to the tri-city area, and will host an open house in October to celebrate their new ownership and business location at 1303 N. Pope St.
The Hub Update
Carla DeMarco, owner of The Loft, a clothing business above the Antiques Mall on Broadway and Texas, will open Decades, a store selling vintage clothing, jewelry and accessories, at The Hub, the new commercial plaza being developed by Janey Katz at the College Street end of Bullard in Silver City. The store will open Nov. 1.
The Young clan—Arthur, Kim and Ron—recently returned to Silver City from a brief stint in Maine, will open The Marketplace in a 2,500 square-foot retail space at The Hub. It will include a large room shared by other local vendors and artisans. The store will sell an affordable and eclectic mix of products and creations, including new and recycled items ranging from small antiques, furniture and collectibles to books, videos, metaphysical products and more. The Youngs formerly owned and operated the Bullard Street Bazaar, which is now owned and operated by Shari and Luc Jutras, who have endeavored to shape the store and its offerings to their own style over the past year and a half of their ownership.
And a Co-op Update
Construction fencing is in place at the back of the parking area at the Silver City Food Co-op and Phase I of the renovation project—demolition and reconstruction of parts of the warehouse—has commenced. A spokeswoman says they hope to have the rebuilt, structurally sound warehouse operational by the new year.
On the Move. . .
Common Thread an outlet representing and selling the works of the Southwest Women's Fiber Arts Collective, has moved to 107 W. Broadway, in the space recently vacated by Toy Town. A spokeswoman for the collective says the new space will provide much-needed room to show the works of the group's fiber artists, which number more than two dozen.
Many Moons, the Southwest furniture and traditional arts and gifts store on Hwy. 180 in Arenas Valley, officially closed its doors Aug. 31. Owners Antonio Garcez and Hank Estrada will be traveling around to find their next home, starting with a trip to California and the Pacific Northwest. Garcez, author of several books on Southwest ghosts (see Desert Exposure, October 2005), says he is doing research for his next book on restless spirits in Colorado.
Beginning Oct. 12, Louise Cash, DC, will offer chiropractic and complementary healing therapies out of her new office at 309 E. College in Silver City. The Red Hat Healing Center offers "gentle chiropractic," cold-laser therapy, neurologic and muscle testing, and also is a retail source for nutritional supplements. Cash will continue to make home visits and offer chiropractic care to dogs and horses, as well as human patients, at the Red Hat Medicine Ranch, her home/office in the Upper Mimbres Valley. Office hours at the Red Hat Healing Center will be Tuesday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. 388-2970.
Gila Valley Electric, owned and operated by Patrick O'Finch for 10 years, has moved to larger quarters. The new office is located at 1 Ranch Club Road, Suite 4, next to Chuck Johnson State Farm Insurance in Silver City. The firm is a fully licensed electrical contractor, employs more than a dozen people and handles all aspects of commercial and residential electrical work.
Jammin' Jeff Cerwinske, local singer-songwriter and guitarist, has taken space in the Yankie Street Artists Studios at 103 W. Yankie St. Jammin' Jeff's Music Academy offers piano tuning and repair and private guitar lessons with the Jammin' One himself.
Comings and Goings
The New Mexico Veteran's Association Health care System (NMVAHCS) is looking to acquire a building of 4,600 to 5,000 square feet, within Silver City's city limits, for a community-based VA outpatient clinic. The building must be within city limits, zoned for the stated use, and not in the 100-year flood plan. Interested parties may contact the contracting officer, Cathy Dailey at 1501 San Pedro Drive, SE, Albuquerque or 256-2712.
Quaint Essentials, an antiques business on Bullard Street, will be closing its doors. The business' owner says she can't keep two stores open and will be focusing her energies on her business in Globe, Ariz.
Shevek and Mi on Bullard Street in downtown Silver City recently celebrated its fifth anniversary. Chef Shevek says the restaurant is celebrating with new wooden chairs in its dining room, and starting in October will change both its lunch and dinner menus seasonally.
Jessica's Bridal Boutique is up for sale—building, business and bridal gowns. The commercial building, suited for retail/office, is on the market for $625,000. The bridal and formalwear business with inventory is for sale separately for $50,000.
In Las Cruces and Mesilla
Bobolink, a bird-watcher and nature-lover's store at 2521 Avenida de Mesilla in Las Cruces, has been purchased and is now operated by Kathleen Hill. The store sells bird seeds, outdoor furniture and gift items designed for bird-watching and outdoor living. Hill, formerly a decorative painter and muralist, returned to the Las Cruces area after living in the northeast.
FirstLight Federal Credit Union recently broke ground for a branch at 3791 E. Lohman Ave., with nearly 10,000 square feet of office space, eight drive-through lanes and two ATMs. FirstLight operates four branches in El Paso and two others in Las Cruces. The bank anticipates a March opening for the Lohman Avenue branch.
Las Cosas, a kitchen and culinary specialty store in the Mercado de Mesilla, recently celebrated its grand opening with product demonstrations by industry professionals. In addition to upper-end products for the home chef, the store sells specialty foods, tableware and everyday kitchen items, and also offers cooking classes.
Business Exposure is a monthly column that focuses on local business from all angles. Each issue spotlights a featured Southwest New Mexico business, and updates ongoing business items of interest. Feel free to suggest business topics for the column, and let us know about your own business' changes and newsworthy events; send to donna@desertexposure.com.
