Wooden You Know It!
Workshops of Carneros furnishes a full range of home decorating solutions. Plus commercial real estate news, developments at the Teleperformance site, still more restaurant news, businesses on the move, and more.
Spotlight on. . .
Workshops of Carneros has been in its downtown Bullard Street location in Silver City for 12 years. Chris Raphael, who owns the store with his wife Sally, says they first were looking for a highway location but came up dry. "There just wasn't anything available at the time," he says. "But this has worked out really well, and here we get a lot of walk-by traffic, which is great."
The store's two front windows showcase furniture groupings—homey little rooms incorporating the store's products into fully decorated bedrooms, kitchens, dining areas and dens.
"Elaine Wilson has been doing that for us for about six years now," Chris says. The displays, which are changed about every six weeks, "help people imagine what their room could be like."
Chris says customers can choose whether to finish their pieces themselves or have Workshops of Carneros hand paint or stain their purchases. The store also has finished products, including convertible futon couch/beds.
And decorative items—hand-woven coasters and pillow covers, bent-iron wall sconces and magazine/firewood racks, geckos and horn toads forged of pewter, hand-woven wool rugs—are just the thing for locals looking to finish off their decor. They also appeal to walk-by tourists who want to take a taste of Southwest style home with them.
Workshops of Carneros carries a wide range of solid wood furniture—tables, chairs, entertainment centers, desks, bookcases and more—in a variety of woods, including alder, maple, pine, red oak and para wood. The grain and color of red oak are more consistent than that of white oak, Chris says. Para wood is a newer product, a plantation-grown, sustainable wood that finishes up like oak and has a hardness comparable to oak and maple. Workshops of Carneros specializes in hand-applied finishes, including two-tone paint/stain combinations that have become popular. Customer demands have prompted him to add some higher-end, quality pieces, like finer woods and items with dovetailed joints.
But along with meeting demand for higher-end furnishings, Sally Raphael says the store can also help consumers cut their furnishing costs. "They can buy just a piece or two, whatever they need, and have it finished so that it matches what they already have," she explains. Turnaround for finishing products purchased off the selling floor is between one and two weeks, she says, "depending on what we've got in process." The past holiday season was especially busy, she adds.
Another way to save money, Chris says, is to give new life to old furnishings. "We do repairs," he says. "We can knock (a piece of furniture) apart, re-fit it, and give it new life. We can give furniture a face-lift so you don't have to discard and replace it."
With an eye toward future growth, Chris says the two have thought about opening a second store in Las Cruces. "With all the new housing going in, it'd be a great market for us," he says. But for now, he's more than got his hands full with Silver City's thriving new home construction and new arrivals.
Sally puts in, "We sell a lot; of bookcases. And desks, too." The store sells to a lot of local businesses, she says, such as Border Area Mental Health Services. "I think their whole office must be our furniture," she adds with a laugh.
Still, Chris describes Workshops of Carneros customers as chiefly homeowners, "anybody from their 20s to retirees." While most customers are locals, or semi-local, he adds that they've sold a considerable number of pieces to visitors from Tucson and Albuquerque. He smiles and says, "I'd say we must be doing something good if we're competing with those 'paint-it' places in Albuquerque."
Workshops of Carneros, 405 N. Bullard St., Silver City, 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, 538-8889.
Eatery News
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, executive chef Geoff Moore and his wife Susan soon will open Moore Please!, serving lunch at Cienega Spa & Salon and catering events through the restaurant and off-site. Geoff was installed as executive chef last October at the spa's Orchid Cafe, which closed mid-February. The building remains for sale. The Moores are still in rental and arrangement negotiations with spa owners Pam and Robin Hogan, but Susan confirms, "We're taking over, we are definitely staying in town," and that the new arrangement offers "some really great possibilities" for the couple of food professionals. Look for Moore Please! to soon begin serving lunch Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., specialty "ethnic dinners" monthly, and private event catering.
Messiah's Health Shoppe, the health products and lunch shop tucked away on East 13th Street in Silver City, will expand its restaurant operations and hopes to open Baja Grill under the same roof as early as April, says John Fuller, who owns the shop with his wife Kasey. The new eatery will keep to the healthy-food theme, offering Mexican-style fresh and grill items with less fat.
Las Cruces-area folks looking to "Eat Fresh" will soon have more Subway restaurant options. Mac Griffin and Charlene Salopek, who bought their first Subway franchise in 2000, now operate seven of the restaurants and are exploring their options to locate another in Dona Ana. Separate from their deal, another Subway restaurant is coming soon to the corner of North Valley Drive and McClure Road. The Subway company Web site reports that there are more than 26,500 restaurants in 85 countries, and that the chain serves up nearly 2,800 sandwiches and salads every minute. That's a lot of freshness!
Savino's Ristorante Italiano has opened at 1120 Commerce Dr., Suite C, in Las Cruces, taking the place where Jaan's Indian Restaurant gave up the curried ghost.
Johnny Carino's update: Last October, all the Johnny Carino's eateries in New Mexico, Arizona and El Paso closed suddenly when Albuquerque-based Sandia Food Group, which ran them, filed for bankruptcy. The El Paso restaurant currently is being remodeled and will reopen soon under the name Carino's Bar & Grill, according to parent company Fired Up Inc. The company says there are no plans to reopen the Las Cruces site near Mesilla Valley Mall, but that it may expand into New Mexico in the future, and will for now honor gift cards that were purchased previously at the other locations.
Teleperformance Update
Another call to quash the rumors! The Teleperformance call center on Hwy. 180 in Silver City ain't goin' nowhere. Roy Prasad at Teleperformance US headquarters in Utah confirms that the international call center giant will maintain its facility at the old Wal-Mart-cum-Stream building, and has in fact just signed a multi-year lease for the site. Developer Steve Bestgen of Missouri-based Blue Investments, which owns the commercial property, says there are additional building lots on the parcel, and that the company has improvement and expansion plans, including "developing the site into a small strip center" with a "destination style restaurant and sizeable stand-alone retailer." A daycare center is an additional potential tenant, Bestgen says, adding the entire property will have a face-lift, with grounds improvements and landscaping. Smith Realty's commercial agent Courtland Hall admits that the "For Lease" sign on the property may be fueling people's negative thoughts about Teleperformance's stability, but says the sign refers to other rentable space within the building that would increase if current tenants did not exercise their option to extend their lease. He hopes to soon correct the impression with more explicit signage describing the precise amount of available space (previous sign modifications to that effect were removed, he says) and that a sign regarding a corner piece of the property, already equipped with building pad and suited for a restaurant, will be noted on a separate sign in that space, rather than in front of Teleperformance.
On the Market in Silver
The old Elks building in Silver City is on the market. David Mulvenna says he's hit one too many roadblocks on the way to his certificate of occupancy, the latest one being costly modifications to meet ADA requirements. Mulvenna says he may yet open the Desert Rose restaurant, not as the grand Mediterranean dining establishment he'd once planned, but as a simple pizzeria, at least until the place sells. In the meantime, he's drowning his sorrows with his metal sculpting, working on an "angel series." For the time being, his Ikosaeder Gallery remains. Though Mulvenna says it is most likely that he'll stay local, he's also checking out an attractive artist-relocation program in Kentucky. The Elks building is listed with Smith Real Estate for $689,000.
Gary Lieberman confirms that his property at 109 N. Bullard St.—containing Silver Spirit Gallery, artist studios, several rental apartments and a framing business—is on the market for $825,000.
The commercial property consisting of two brick buildings at the corner of Hwys 180 and 90 in Silver City, currently housing the U-Haul business, is listed for sale at $400,000.
Rebecca Knight of Century 21-Thompson Realty has listed the old drive-in movie property in Arenas Valley on Hwy. 180 between Arenas Valley and Racetrack Roads. The property is zoned unrestricted commercial. Knight says the three-acre parcel, distinguished by a large gate and metal arch, offers highway visibility, easy access and billboard signage. It's listed for $325,000.
Getting Bigger
Elemental Day Spa & Salon, at the corner of Black and Market Street in Silver City, has expanded its staff, adding estheticians Toni Rhoades—"Queen of the Brazilian Wax," marking a return of this service to the spa—and Cher Gray, a natural nail technician with 16 years of experience who "specializes in abused feet."
Kim Young, a main proprietor at The Marketplace in Silver City's downtown Hub Plaza, says the vendor collective has expanded. "Purple glass lady" Robin Cooper has joined the fold, and the Youngs also have added to their inventory the "Personal Potions" line of custom-blendable lotions and oils that previously were carried by the recently closed Fantastic Finds shop.
New in Town
Award-winning design-builder Don Beams has relocated BeamsDesign, his architectural, interior design and custom furniture business, from Phoenix to Silver City. The company, with projects and clients in New York, Detroit and California, has been a home-based business for the last 17 years, and will remain so for the foreseeable future, Beams says, but he's also considering starting up a design center, together with his partners of Eco-Logical Builders. The partnered businesses currently are developing some Beams-designed semi-custom spec homes on Racetrack Road at the edge of Silver City, using sustainable and green building materials and techniques, with attention to making use of the area's abundant solar resources. Beams says technology has made it increasingly easy for him to serve his clients long-distance, enabling him to "become a country boy again," only too happy to leave behind Phoenix's congestion and sweltering summers. (602) 793-5532.
Aunt Judy's Attic has opened at 1950 E. Hwy. 180 in the site of the old pawn shop, across the highway from the Golden Corral restaurant. Proprietor Judy Billings, whose family has lived in the area for seven generations, says "We've really cleaned the place up," and invites the public to peruse her scrapbooking and quilting supplies and gift items. The business also will offer crafting classes. 388-1620.
Susan Lain is operating Quality Assessments out of her Silver City home-based office. Lain works through Advance Field Services, providing on-site visits, photographic documentation and risk assessment to the insurance and real estate fields. www.afsweb.com, 313-2176.
James J. Cook has opened Beta Tech Solutions, a computer service, repair and retail business, at 310 14th St. in Silver City. The pink, old West-style building previously was the home of a hat retailer. In addition to hardware and software sales, Beta Tech offers Web site development and graphics services. 956-9605.
Cosette M. LaPerruque has opened a notary public and travel services business at 310 N. Pinos Altos Road in Silver City. 388-4332.
Silver Nails and Spa has opened in the space next to the Dollar General store on Hwy. 180, across from Albertson's supermarket. The space had been available for lease since a deal with another retailer fell through.
Community activist John Fridinger has opened Gila Consultants, a home-based business in Silver City offering solar, "green building" and environmental consulting services to homeowners, especially those working with builders on green technologies. 538-8669.
And just in time for Tax Day, Carrie Ingram and Virginia Sifuentes have opened a ProTax Service office at 2001 E. Lohman, Suite 129, in the Arroyo Plaza in Las Cruces. The business has nine tax preparation professionals with a combined experience of more than 50 years.
Coming Soon
Kohl's department store confirms that it wants to open a facility in Las Cruces sometime this year. No permit has yet been filed and a definite property has yet to be identified, but Lee Ales of the retailer's development team confirms the company is interested in coming to the city.
Dust Pink, a Los Angeles-based retailer, has begun construction in the space next to Anna's Linens at the Mesilla Valley Mall. The store emphasizes goods for young women in their teens to 20s, offering "fashion must-haves" and accessories at an affordable price point.
Happy Anniversary
Vernon and Judy McOsker just celebrated their third year as the owners of Curves in Silver City. The McOskers purchased the women's fitness center franchise soon after moving to the area, and moved the business from its Hwy. 90 location to Memory Lane last May.
Sally and Hal Jones, founders and owners of Jones & Co. Jewelers at 1160 El Paseo in Las Cruces, are celebrating their 38th anniversary. The long-lived family jewelry store has been honored as the number-one jeweler in the city 11 times.
On the Move
Golder Associates, the environmental consultants who opened a Silver City office on Hwy. 90 just last spring, has moved to offices in downtown Silver City at the corner of Broadway and Arizona. Senior project engineer Jan Pepe says the company has established itself now, has hired a number of local people and expanded to the point of needing "a space with a real conference room."
Bryan Truck and Auto is moving from its Pope Street location in Silver City to a lot on Hwy. 90, at the corner of Hudson and 14th Street, across from Daylight Donuts and next to Sonic. Look for an early spring opening.
After a big inventory reduction sale last month, Marley's Frame Shop has closed its downtown Silver City location on Broadway and moved to a shared office space with R.S. Bigelow Construction at 2345 Ranch Club Road, across from Griffin Propane. Nessa Griffin (no relation to the propane Griffins), who owns Marley's with her husband Josh, confirms they will maintain framing samples at the new location and do professional framing by special order.
Luna Gallery on Yankie Street in Silver City's arts district will become a shared space, with areas for current owner Ginny Neumann plus spots for artists Ann Simonsen and Susan Szajer.
Honors
Western New Mexico University's Small Business Development Center has named Udder Delight its 2006 Client of the Year. Kristine Epling and her business were honored last month at the state legislature, along with clients from the state's other 18 other SBDCs. Udder Delight has been in business since 1997, and Epling purchased the Glenwood business in 2005. The company manufactures natural goat milk soaps, lotions and other bath and body products that it sells retail and wholesale.
Inn of the Mountain Gods resort and casino, the 273-room facility with 38,000-square-foot Vegas-style casino in Mescalero, near Ruidoso, has been selected as a AAA Four-Diamond Award winner for the second year in a row. It's not just luck—AAA reports that properties selected for their Four-Diamond award must be upscale in every respect, plush with amenities and have the service thing nailed down.
Small Business Workshops
The New Mexico Small Business Development Center (NMSBDC) will offer "It's All About the Customer," a hands-on workshop with workbook and printed materials, March 28, 8:30 a.m.-12 noon, in the ABC meeting room at the Global Resource Center in Silver City. $10, 538-6320, sbdc@wnmu.edu.
Dona Ana Community College is offering a slew of professional development workshops in March. Beginning March 8, there will be several sessions of "Customer Certification" classes, a course called "Select the Right Employee with WorkKeys" on March 15, and on March 16 a presentation/workshop titled "Bridging Communication Gaps. A "FOCUS" session, part of the FranklinCovey professional series, will be offered March 21. Call 527-7776 or toll free (888) 827-7776, or check their Web site at dacc.nmsu.edu/ctp for workshop times, details and cost.
Business Exposure is a regular 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.
Email donna@desertexposure.com.
