D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
July
2008
Lights! Gifts! Action!
Legacy Home & Gifts offers illuminating fixtures and perfect gifts in its new larger showroom. Plus Hilton do-over, rock stars, Walgreen's, Starbucks and more.
Looking out over the large, colorful showroom of Legacy Home & Gifts, assessing whether she feels settled into her business' new location on Hudson Street in Silver City, Julie Maben breaks into a wide smile.
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Julie Maben, who co-owns Legacy Home & Gifts
with her husband Johnny, shows off some hostess gifts in the business'
expanded showroom. (Photo by Donna Clayton Lawder) |
"We're getting there. I mean, it's been one event after another," Maben says with an animated sigh and shrug of her shoulders. Trying to think backwards and ticking off the past seven months on her fingers, she adds, "Well, there was Christmas, and we have our big open house. Then there was the big sale in January. Then it's spring and you have a whole shift of merchandise, then the tea." The business hosted the afternoon tea for the 24 Club's Home Tour last month, for which around 300 people passed through, Maben says.
"But no complaints!" she says with a wave of her hand. "I'd rather be busy than not!"
Maben and her husband, Johnny, bought the business — then called Legacy Lighting — from its founders, Lindy Poe and Georgellen Turnbull, five years ago. Poe and Turnbull had started the company just 18 months before, in 2001.
Turnbull's husband's job got transferred, and Poe found she couldn't balance the demands of family with running the business solo, Maben explains. The Mabens took over on May 1, 2003 — "The exact same day I officially retired (as an area manager) from PNM!" she says with a laugh.
About eight months ago, the Mabens renamed the business "Legacy Home & Gifts" to reflect its expanding product line and moved up Hwy. 90 to a bigger showroom at 910 N. Hudson. The new location, Maben says, has allowed her to expand product lines and better display merchandise — and a lot more merchandise at that.
"Oh, gosh yes, this space is two times larger," she says. She adds that she had to go into an accelerated buying mode while the new space was being renovated for the move: "I'd come in and look at the space and think, 'Oh, my gosh, am I going to have enough inventory to open my doors?' So I'd go home and think about it and order more product. I had two 10-by-20-foot storage units full of merchandise that we just unloaded into the store! It all just got sucked into the space!"
The new location has been a boon to business, too, Maben says. "We're so much more visible here. People are finding us. Hudson is a great street to be on, and here we're a little closer to the street and our entrance is now on a side street, which is easier for people to pull in and park."
Besides the Mabens, Legacy has four part-time employees. Julie Maben says she is "the main design person," and that the rest of the staff can help customers in any area throughout the store.
"I guess you could say I help people find their style," she says, adding that she does a fair number of in-home visits to help customers get ideas or solve problems. "I go to market three to four times a year, to see what's new, what's out there, and how things work, too, so I can recommend the right things."
Legacy Home & Gifts still sells a wide range of lighting fixtures, along with decor items and gifts. Lighting has always been the lion's share of the business, Maben says, but that shifts at Christmastime, of course.
"Gifts shoot way up then," she says with a laugh, "and hostess gifts are popular all year 'round."
She holds up a colorful drink coaster, shaped like a beach sandal. The base of the wine glass is held by the sandal's elastic strap.
"I love these!" she exclaims. "They're great little coasters, they stay on the drink, and because they're unique, they function as a wine charm, identifying the glass, too."
The business carries several exclusive lines, Maben says, noting she is the only local outlet for Yankee Candles (since Fantastic Finds closed), new Fiestaware table ware, the entire line of Mikasa, Scentier room fragrance bottles and the Southcoast line of colorful serving ware and dinner table items.
The store also carries linens, placemats, mirrors and lamps, "and a large variety of crosses," says Maben, gesturing to a wall full of the religious symbols. "People here really love crosses, they're beautiful, and we have styles to suit all tastes."
Maben estimates that her customer base is about two-thirds from Grant County to one-third out of town, with many customers being repeat buyers. "That's a real vote of confidence. It makes me feel good and tells me I'm doing something right when people come back and back." A lot of her customers, she adds, "started out remodeling one room and then, well, just kept going."
Not all Legacy's customers are decorating residences — Gila Regional Medical Center has been a large-scale repeat customer. "Ever since they went with the PlaneTree plan, where they want things to feel more like home, they want the surroundings to be more comfortable," Maben says. "They've been renovating one area after another, patient rooms, and they've been coming to us for products and ideas."
The area's active relocation market has been good for her business, Maben says, adding, "Electricians and other contractors have been very good for referring people to us."
Customers include both new construction and remodeling homeowners, and Maben nods enthusiastically when asked if the plethora of home improvement TV shows bring her business.
"Definitely! People get a lot of ideas from the shows, and they want to find those products they've seen on TV. We carry a lot of those products, like Candice Olson's line on 'Divine Design' (on HGTV). They come in and ask, 'Do you have something like this?' And when they see the actual product here, their eyes just light up!"
Maben says customer service sets her business apart and keeps it thriving in the face of discount mega-stores and online shopping. "I grew up here, and I know it's important to bring things into Silver City so people don't have to go into the big cities to find variety and good products," she says. "I can't match the prices at the big-box stores, but I'm as competitive, price-wise, as I can be. . . . And I pride myself on having unique products.
"Also, people like to see and touch, something they don't get to do online, and we can answer their questions and demonstrate the product. That's really helpful when you are making decisions about your home," Maben goes on. "I think about what frustrates me and what makes me happy. Those are the same things for the customer. It's frustrating to buy the wrong thing and have to replace it, so I like that we help customers buy the right thing the first time."
Even though she acknowledges Legacy Home & Gifts has just barely settled into its new larger quarters, Maben says she's already giving thought to the business' continued growth. The company's Web site, under construction and hoped to be operational by summer, will offer customers online shopping. And she says she's open to the idea of another "bricks-and-mortar" operation, too.
Looking over her expanded, chockfull showroom, she says, "We've actually doubled our business in less than five years. I find that amazing! But down the road, I can see an additional location."
Then Maben adds with a laugh, "Well, that's my long-term planning!"
Legacy Home & Gifts, 910 N. Hudson St., Silver City.
Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. 388-1226. www.legacyhome-gifts.com
Ch-ch-changes
A re-invented Hilton Hotel is coming back to Las Cruces. A fixture on Telshor Boulevard for 20 years, the Hilton was transformed into Hotel Encanto two years ago when the owner, Heritage Hotels and Resorts, let its franchise agreement expire and gave the place a new, more local identity. Now Heritage Hotel President/CEO James Long has announced he's bringing the Hilton brand back to Las Cruces, as a Hilton Garden Inn. The new 75,000-plus-square-foot, four-story, Spanish Mission-style Hilton Garden Inn will be located off Interstate 25 at 2550 Don Roser Dr., near Memorial Medical Center. It will offer mid-priced accommodations aimed at travelers who want to stay "productively." Suites will have complimentary wired and wireless Internet access, an ergonomic Mirra work chair, an oversized work desk and a hospitality center, complete with a microwave and refrigerator.
Lumber, Inc. in Las Cruces has a new owner. The 400 Crawford Blvd. location was bought by Denver-based ProBuild. ProBuild, a national company, has 500 location in 40 states. www.probuild.com
And Cruces' Sav-On Office Products is now Buffalo Business Products. 1300 El Paseo.
Coming soon. . .
Las Crucens can look forward to more Walgreen's stores opening up. The company currently is building a new store on El Paseo, and a spokesperson confirms that the mega-drugstore plans to open two more locations by next spring: a store on Picacho Avenue, near the corner of Motel Boulevard, and another on East Lohman Avenue, just past Dion's. www.walgreens.com
Got juice? A Batteries Plus store is coming to Las Cruces. Retired Army pilot Kenny Ley and his wife, Maureen, who own the franchise rights for the El Paso and Las Cruces area, plan to open sometime next year. In addition to the whole gamut of household batteries, the company carries a full line of batteries for cars, trucks, laptop computers, cordless phones and other gadgets. www.batteriesplus.com
Need juice? Starbucks plans to open another store in Las Cruces, on the corner of University Avenue and Espina. This makes number five. The store originally planned to open in February, but now is set for an Aug. 1 opening. The first Starbucks in the city opened at 2511 E. Lohman Ave. in 2004.
And not far from that new Starbucks, First Community Bank plans to open a branch on University Avenue this summer. Bank President Gary Lenzo says he's hoping the facility can start taking customers by mid- to late month.
Ribbon cuttin'
The new Allstate Insurance express claims office at 170 Roadrunner Parkway in Las Cruces has held its grand opening, christening its 33,000-square-foot digs. They're still looking for employees to reach their staffing goal of 220 workers. Apply at www.allstatejobs.com
Borman Autoplex has thrown open the doors at its snazzy new 25,000-square-foot showroom, featuring Hondas only, at 470 Boutz Road in Las Cruces. www.bormanautoplex.com
Bigger and better
Material Good, marking one year of business at its 108 N. Texas St. location in Silver City, will host a Business After-Hours event offering shopping and refreshments, and showcasing its expanded product lines of earth-friendly building materials and housewares. July 24, 5-7 p.m. 534-4511, mattie@materialgood.com
Roger and Jacqueline Haden, proprietors of Jolly Roger Knifeworks, have shown them themselves to be, well, sharp businesspersons. The duo has expanded to selling at remote locations, such as at 1220 N. Hudson St. in the Food Basket parking lot in Silver City, as well as at festivals and other retail opportunities. 538-1407.
Big things are just a little ways down the road for Las Cruces Toyota. The company hopes to break ground within a year on a bigger and better facility on South Valley Drive, farther north of and replacing its current location at 935 S. Valley, according to general manager George Vescovo. www.lascrucestoyota.com
New in town
Doug Miranda has opened Cyber Pros, offering computer repairs and sales, servicing both PCs and Macs. Miranda, a life-long area resident, says, "I also do on-site work at your home. I'll come in and set up a whole network for a customer. I also will have a leasing program for people who can't lay out the cash to just buy a computer, but want one to use." 1816 N. Silver St., Silver City. 313-3011, 388-2778.
Isaac Benavidez, with business partner Doktr Wilson Tattoo, has opened IDEZiNE, at 857 Silver Heights Blvd, Suite #3, in Silver City, the same little business complex in which the Ink Doktr does his stuff. IDEZiNE offers Web design, computer graphics, business cards, brochures, digital vinyl banners and signs, custom invitations and T-shirts, including exclusive Hurley Smoke Stack and Open Pit Mine artwork. 538-5433.
Cosmetologist Brandy Grado is getting her final paperwork in order and preparing to open VIP Hair Salon at 1609 N. Gold St., Suite B, in Silver City. Grado expects to be throwing open the doors of her business early this month. 388-2393.
Jesse Ochoa, with many years of experience in the furniture business, has just opened Clementine Mercantile, a business selling collectibles, antiques and antique-reproduction furniture, at 400 N. Bullard St. in Silver City. Ochoa's business partners are his wife, Olivia Ochoa, and Diane Hanson. 538-5722.
Got rocks?
Rocks 'n Stuff is the new Silver City business owned by Danny Weaver, selling jewelry and other forms of artwork made form stone, wood, silver and copper. 538-5914, (520) 323-1431.
Irene Cullen has opened Cullen Archeology, offering archeological consulting. 421 Ohio St., Silver City, 388-4176.
Josiah S. Fallstitch has opened Teotihuacan Stone and Tile at 58 Elias Road in Silver City. The company installs stone and tile patios. 538-3342.
Medical business news
Hidalgo Medical Services has added psychiatric services to its menu. Jason Coe, MD, who recently served as chief resident of outpatient services at University of Colorado Hospitals, has joined the HMS roster. Dr. Coe is now accepting adult and elderly patients and people with substance-abuse issues. 313-8222.
V. Arline Hoagland, LISW, has joined with the Counseling Group of Southwest New Mexico and will offer outpatient therapy in her new office in the College Street Plaza. Hoagland offers mental health services for individuals, couples and families, including substance-abuse and addiction counseling. 301 W. College, #7. 388-1880, 313-0326.
Updates
After getting some guidance from the Small Business Development Center, Janisma Williams is off and running with April's Attic, a Silver City-based retail "T-shirts for tweeners" business. The Virginia native, who's lived in New Mexico for two years now, says the business is named after her granddaughter. 388-2887.
Richard Chavez, who recently opened Master Control Productions, a Silver City-based video production company, says the business is focusing on a feature-length film project in Lordsburg, on which it plans to start shooting July 20. Some Silver City projects also are in the works. 909 Mountain View Road, 313-4618, hole_e_water@yahoo.com
Kudos
Silver City's award-winning MainStreet Project (see October 2007 issue) has done it again, pulling down high honors from the US Department of Commerce. MainStreet won the award for Historic Preservation-led Strategies to Enhance Economic Development, recognizing the organization's "commitment to sound, research-based, market-driven economic development in helping grow the local economy." US Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Sandy K. Baruah praised the organization's achievements in a formal announcement of the prize.
And in other Silver City MainStreet Project news, manager Frank Milan says that the MainStreet Plaza has officially been sold to the town of Silver City, clearing the way for progress on the plaza, which will contain a performance area, parking and space for the farmer's market (currently operating in the spot, next to Big Ditch Park). Milan says a plaza task force is working on designs for the project, but no significant construction will take place until after the farmer's market season ends in October.
At Western Bank's recent annual organizational meeting, shareholders elected Richard Searle and Dr. Roland Snure to the board of directors.
Going, going, gone. . .
Rusticana Furniture, 1132 S. Solano Dr. in Las Cruces, is having a huge going out of business sale and plans to close its doors by fall. 525-8665.
Tim McAndrews is closing his gallery business, Art in the Alley, listed as 208 1/2 S. Silver St. in Deming, but really located off the bank parking lot, in the alley. The actor and artist reportedly is making arrangements to show his work at a gallery in Las Cruces.
The tide has gone out at the The Beach, an apparel store at 2460 S. Locust St. in Las Cruces. After 14 years in business, the Villescas family that has owned and run the business, announced their plans to suddenly shutter their shop the end of last month.
Shear confusion
Who knew there were two Lynettes in Silver City, both cutting hair for a living? Elemental Day Spa and Salon did employ Lynette Hanson, who moved her shears to Belleza Salon and Tanning, 1309 N. Pope St., after Elemental closed late last year, but never Lynette Ruiz, who is employed at Transformations Beauty Salon, 202 E. 11th St. Business Exposure regrets the error.