Sunday, November 11, 2007
Orange Dog has new owner, menu
Jenny Kincaid Boone
Jenny reports on the latest news on the Roanoke Valley retail industry.
Recent stories
A Roanoke hot dog stand is taking on a new menu and maybe more footprints.
Last month, Thomas Gardner purchased Orange Dog at Towers Shopping Center. Bill Gillespie was the previous owner. Gardner wouldn't disclose how much he paid for the business.
Gardner, a native of Roanoke County, said he spent many days as a teenager feasting on Orange Dog hot dogs with his friends.
The stand opened in 1974, serving up its speciality hot dog -- a cheddar cheese dog with chili, mustard and onions.
Gardner said he bought Orange Dog to expand its name recognition. "A lot of people who are younger than me don't even know it's even there [at Towers]," Gardner said. "I wanted to take that name out into the public."
To broaden Orange Dog's local presence, Gardner plans to open additional locations across the Roanoke Valley. The new locations are not final, but he said another Orange Dog may open next month.
Gardner's daughter, Jessica, manages Orange Dog. The stand's menu includes a host of new hot dog types, such as the fiery dog, the orange and maroon foot-long dog and the quarter-pound big orange dog.
The stand still sells some of its signature items, including chicken salad sandwiches. But it no longer serves deli sandwiches.
"I'm taking it back to the comfort foods, based on hot dogs and bratwurtz," Gardner said.
Orange Dog also is giving 10 percent off discounts to police, fire and rescue workers and active military officers.
1,2,3 Shopping Spree
A new discount retailer named 1,2,3 Shopping Spree is replacing former Dollar Duz It stores in central Virginia, including one in Roanoke.
The company that formerly owned the Dollar Duz It chain, D&B Distributing in Lynchburg, is opening 1,2,3 Shopping Spree stores in cities throughout the central part of the state, including Danville, Altavista, Appomattox and Lynchburg. At the new store, items are priced at $3 or less, said Bill Elder, co-owner of D&B.
A location for 1,2,3 Shopping Spree opened in February at North Square Market at Williamson and Peters Creek roads in Roanoke, Elder said. Earlier this year, D&B closed the Dollar Duz It at Crossroads Mall in Roanoke.
The company opened Dollar Duz It stores in 1993, selling all items there for $1. Now, Elder said it needed to raise prices to more than $1 for some merchandise.
"Everybody knows prices are going up," he said. "We can't keep selling everything for a dollar."
Custom Design Cabinets
A former football player for the Washington Redskins is investing in Roanoke.
Last month, Ron McDole opened Custom Design Cabinets at 601 Salem Ave. in downtown Roanoke. The company builds different kinds of cabinets for all rooms in a house or commercial space. The company also designs environmentally friendly or "green" cabinets using materials that include sustainable wood and plywood low in volatile organic compounds, said Roanoker Taz McDole, Ron McDole's son and a manager for the business.
From the Storefront
News from this week's Storefront blog at blogs.roanoke.com/storefront/
n Want a Lands' End in Roanoke? Tell the retailer about it.
n Renovations have begun at the site of a new Save-A-Lot grocery store on Melrose Avenue.
n Get tips for sticking to a holiday spending budget.
