D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
June
2009
Business Exposure
Page: 2Two local car dealerships are affected by the nationwide restructuring of the auto business. Scott Nichols Motors in Silver City is losing its General Motors affiliation, as reported in The Albuquerque Journal. The dealership says it will continue in business as a Toyota dealer. And Sandoval Dodge in Las Cruces is being closed by Chrysler after 40 years.
Although management at Pat Goff's Appliance and TV Warehouse in Las Cruces announced last month that the business was remodeling for an inventory downgrade, remaking itself into a strictly discount appliance outlet specializing in "scratch-n-dent" items, it now seems unlikely to reopen. General manager Jim Jenkins had originally said Goff's extreme makeover would take about four months, but now says he doesn't know when or if business will resume. Eight of the store's nine employees were laid off, with Jenkins being relocated to Pat Goff's remaining store in El Paso. The company's building at 1333 E. Amador Ave. is now listed for sale or lease with Steinborn/TCN Commercial Real Estate.
On Hold. . .
Thanks to the sluggish economy, plans to bring a Holiday Inn to the Mesilla Valley Mall are on hold. Ed Garland with Garland Realty and Development, one of the originators of the planned project, blamed the current financial climate and confirmed that the site, which used to house a Bealls department store, is for sale. Garland adds that the idea is not yet dead, and that he is working with Holiday Inn and hopes to find a partner to bring the project to completion.
New in Town
Arminder Kaur has registered a new company, Advantageous Community Services, doing business as Imagine, LLC, at 1214 Bennett St. in Silver City. The company offers residential and community services for people with developmental disabilities. (505) 489-7196, (505) 480-8615.
David Miller, a designer with more than 20 years experience in the industry who has just completed a project with the Salvador Dali Museum in Florida, has opened Ignition Group, a new design firm at 909 W. Amador Ave. in Las Cruces. 405-8632.
Got grime? Find out! Brothers Carlos and Frank Bueno have opened Bueno Air Duct Services, a Las Cruces business that uses a special camera system to show you just how dirty your air ducts are, then cleans said ducts with a special rotating Rotobrush system. The cleanings can take three to five hours, depending on the size of the house, and you can watch — via the cameras — if you wish. 571-8416.
Mesilla has a new grocery store. San Pasqual, selling fresh organic fruits and vegetables, baked goods, ice cream, coffee, sandwiches and more, has opened its doors at 2488 Calle de Guadalupe, in the same building as A Hair & Body Shop. The store will sell single servings of enchiladas, beans and rice and salsas from Andele Restaurante.
David Trejo has opened Go Green Nursery and Landscaping at 126 E. Amador Ave. in Las Cruces, offering a variety of trees, plants and nursery materials. 524-0045.
Tanya Gallardo has opened Pimpinelas, a home-based daycare business at 470 El Prado Ave. in Las Cruces. Gallardo has worked with young-uns for more than 15 years, and offers breakfast, two snacks and lunch — all homemade — at her new facility. Activities are designed to help children develop their motor skills as well as practicing letters and numbers, according to their needs and ages. 496-4632.
Two new businesses offering therapeutic benefits have just opened. Rhonda Hipp has started A New Spirit, a business that will enable people with autism to ride horses for the therapeutic benefits she has observed. The horses are her own and the business is based at her home, 41 Homestake Road in Mesquite, 496-3450.
And Nannette Boyce, owner of the three Discovery Child Centers in Las Cruces, has opened a new location in Anthony. The company handles infant and toddler care, and has pre-kindergarten and after-school programs as well. 107 Discovery Lane, 882-3700.
Bigger and Better
Tyrone Mercantile is growing and developing. The multi-vendor venue located next to the post office in Tyrone recently was renamed and is gathering strength with new vendors and a varied business and marketing plan. Organizer Faith Calloway says outside vendors are more of the flea-market variety, focusing on bargains aplenty, while the indoor merchants are "more upscale" in their wares. Calloway also reports that a Tyrone museum is in the works and that the mercantile will be incorporating various community services, such as diabetic screenings, to offer more to browsers and shoppers. Tyrone Mercantile is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. To find out more or to become a vendor, call Calloway at 534-3911.
Don't go around shaggy! Emilio Perez has opened a fifth Milo's Barber Shop at 1434 Missouri Ave. in Las Cruces.
FirstLight Federal Credit Union has broken ground for a new branch to be built at Fort Bliss in El Paso. The company already has three facilities in the Las Cruces area and five in El Paso. More than 6,000 square feet of the new 16,000-square-foot building will house a state-of-the-art USO for the soldiers, with an Internet cafe, refreshment area, pool tables, a theater room and more. The facility is slated to open in early 2010.
On the Move. . .
Crystal Star Gift and Boutique in Mesilla has moved from the Don Felix Plaza, near the Mesilla Plaza, to 1701 Calle de Mercado. The quaint shop sells a variety of giftable items, such as jewelry, pottery and stained-glass panels. 541-9541.
After 20 years in its location at 925 S. Walnut St. in Las Cruces, Del Valle Printing has moved to a smaller space at 266 W. Court Ave. Company owner Jud Wright says technological advancements have allowed him to shrink his staff and that he and his wife, Anna Perez-Wright, wanted to be nearer the art community and involved with the downtown revitalization project. The company handles jobs from small to large, including banners and large-format printing. 526-6101.
After 10 years on Lohman Avenue, commercial real estate company Grubb & Ellis has moved to 201 N. Church St. in Las Cruces. Managing director Rick Stoes has been involved with the city's downtown revitalization project and reports he is happy the move puts his company right in the heart of the project.
Western Heritage Bank is preparing to move to new, larger quarters in the lot adjacent to its current Las Cruces location at 230 S. Alameda Blvd. The bank bought the land with the intention of putting up a new building, but that won't start for a year. The company recently renamed itself, as well. It formerly was the Mesilla Valley Bank.