Sunday, May 14, 2006
Heavenly Ham owners buy Capt'N Paul's Seafood
Jenny Kincaid Boone
Jenny reports on the latest news on the Roanoke Valley retail industry.
Recent stories
Seafood has created a new flavor for the owner of a Roanoke ham shop.
Frank Guilfoyle and his wife, Suzanne, owners of Heavenly Ham in Roanoke, recently bought Capt'N Paul's Seafood, a seafood shop located next door to Heavenly Ham off Colonial Avenue. The Guilfoyles own the building that houses both of the food retailers. Heavenly Ham moved there from Towers Shopping Center in September 2003, and Paul Corne, the owner of Capt'N Paul's, followed.
But Frank Guilfoyle said Corne decided to sell his business because he was burnt out.
And Frank Guilfoyle didn't want to see Corne's shop close.
"We could have gotten a different tenant, but there's just such a demand" for the seafood, he said.
At Capt'N Paul's, customers can buy fresh crab cakes, shrimp, octopus and others kinds of seafood meats. Frank Guilfoyle said he has expanded the selection at the seafood marketplace, with possible plans to add fresh lobster, and he'd like to eventually create a restaurant area there to serve fish and chips, sandwiches and other menu items.
He also has taken on Capt'N Paul's Daleville location, which is across the street from Lord Botetourt High School, and that shop will reopen this week .
In the future, Capt'N Paul's could expand to Smith Mountain Lake. Frank Guilfoyle said he is considering some spaces at the lake for a new shop.
Meanwhile, he still is keeping his Heavenly Ham shop going. The shop, which the Guilfoyles opened in 1998 at Towers, serves lunch and continues a large corporate catering business.
Rebath
Towne Square Shopping Center in Roanoke is becoming a destination for bed and bath supplies. Rebath is opening a store at the center in a spot beside Once Upon a Child, said Millie Moore, leasing agent for Towne Square. Bed, Bath and Beyond already is located at the shopping center.
While Bed, Bath and Beyond sells bath and home products, Rebath's focus is helping people redesign and remodel bathrooms. It offers design consulting services and various bathtub, shower and tile varieties. Learn more about Rebath at www.rebath.com.
Wal-Mart
Notice any changes at the Wal-Mart beside Valley View Mall? The store has gone through an extensive redesign. Departments have moved to different spots throughout the store, such as the electronics section sliding farther back and toys moving near the automotive department. There's now a wood panel floor underneath the clothing section in the middle of the store.
In the store's grocery department, the freezers now are lined in black, and you'll find black wirelike benches situated in some store aisles.
The outside of the building even has been painted a tan-and-blue color, instead of the previous gray-and-blue exterior.
Wal-Mart plans to remodel 1,800 of its older stores across the country over an 18-month period, a step that officials expect will boost productivity and put all of its stores on an equal playing field, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal.
Mary Marie Petites
Kelley Clark likes to shepherd speciality-sized clothing into the Roanoke Valley.
Her new shop on Brambleton Avenue in Roanoke County sells petites, and she'll soon become owner of Mimi's Plus, a women's plus clothing shop at the Forum in Roanoke County.
Clark's new store, Mary Marie Petites, is located at the Brambleton Plaza, across from Oakey's South Chapel.
It carries women's apparel brands like David Brooks and Liz Claiborne, and the shop is named for her grandmother, Marie, and after her mother's first name, Mary.
Clark also runs the Roanoke County Mimi's for her mother, who goes by her middle name, Carolyn O'Dell. O'Dell owns Mimi's and operates a Greensboro, N.C., Mimi's store. Clark plans to take over ownership of the local Mimi's in the summer or the fall.
Provisions
Another Roanoke retailer is making a presence at Smith Mountain Lake. Provisions Gourmet at Piccadilly Square on Franklin Road plans to open a shop at Westlake Towne Center. It will combine Provisions with its other business RSVP, a stationary/invitation and gift shop, at the new location, while still keeping its Piccadilly Square spot.
The store will open in the first part of June, said Debra Cunningham at Provisions.
Fazoli's
The Fazoli's restaurant on West Main Street in Salem has closed its doors, and the property is for sale. But no more information is available about this restaurant and its fate. An official in Salem's finance department said the property was not behind on its taxes to the city.
