Sunday, March 08, 2009
Awards shop to expand
Jenny Kincaid Boone
Jenny reports on the latest news on the Roanoke Valley retail industry.
Recent stories
The economy hasn't halted the business of giving pats on the back, high-fives and other special recognitions. Awards banquets still are happening, and trophies are being handed out.
To accommodate demand, All Star Impressions, a Roanoke awards shop, is expanding. When the space beside this Townside Road retailer became vacant, co-owner Eric Danielsen seized the opportunity.
He's renovating the suite formerly occupied by a hair salon by tearing down the separating wall and adjoining the spaces. Next month, he expects the work to be complete. Danielsen, who owns the shop off Franklin Road with his father, Vernon, wouldn't reveal the cost of the expansion.
He plans to house the production part of his business in the new space, doubling its size. His business crafts trophies, plaques, acrylic and glass awards, and donor walls for corporate giving. Its showroom will stay put with the renovations.
"People are still spending money," Danielsen said. Often they "might be changing their patterns and not doing exactly what they did last year," he said, related to the types of awards they order.
"They're always telling me they don't want to scrap an awards banquet," he said.
Eatery plans larger space
A Roanoke Chinese restaurant wants to draw big appetites.
Hong Kong, an eatery at Hunting Hills Plaza near Wal-Mart, plans to expand into a neighboring retail space that formerly housed AT&T. Husband and wife owners Mandi and Xiang Chen will double the size of their 3-year-old establishment by tearing down the adjoining wall.
The new space will house a buffet serving Chinese and other Asian foods, though patrons still can order from the menu.
Mandi Chen maintains that the price for the buffet will be affordable and competitive, if not lower, than other local Chinese buffets. Hong Kong will charge $6.75 for lunch and $10.75 for dinner.
The Chens hope to complete the expansion by April.
Subhed will go here
In its eighth year, a weeklong consignment sale is prepping for its debut in Southwest Roanoke County.
From March 28 to April 5, the temporary sale, named Lauren's Friends & Alex, will set up shop in the former A&N space, beside Direct Buy on Electric Road. It will sell spring and summer children's clothing, toys, books, home decor and maternity wear. Most of the items are fit for children as young as newborns to size 16.
All leftover items will be donated to Total Action Against Poverty, unless consignors take them back.
Each sale, held during the spring and fall, draws 175 to 200 consignors, said Ellen Cleveland, a Roanoke County stay-at-home mom who organizes the sale and runs the business.
She is considering taking this same kind of temporary selling venue to Lynchburg and Christiansburg and calling it Consignment Express. But the details haven't been worked out, she said.
For more information about Lauren's Friends & Alex, visit www.lfaconsignment.com.
News from the Storefront blog at blogs.roanoke.com/rtblogs/storefront/:
n Olde Virginia Barbecue in Rocky Mount has closed.
n Ritz Camera has filed for bankruptcy. It's unclear if its stores will close.
n The Mix in downtown Roanoke is becoming the second location for Red Clay, which also is in Rocky Mount.
Mandi Chen maintains that the price for the buffet will be affordable and competitive, if not lower, than other local Chinese buffets. Hong Kong will charge $6.75 for lunch and $10.75 for dinner.
The Chens hope to complete the expansion by April.
Consignment sale will be held in Roanoke County
In its eighth year, a weeklong consignment sale is prepping for its debut in Southwest Roanoke County.
From March 28 to April 5, the temporary sale, named Lauren's Friends & Alex, will set up shop in the former A&N space, beside Direct Buy on Electric Road. It will sell spring and summer children's clothing, toys, books, home decor and maternity wear. Most of the items are fit for children as young as newborns to size 16.
All leftover items will be donated to Total Action Against Poverty, unless consignors take them back.
Each sale, held during the spring and fall, draws 175 to 200 consignors, said Ellen Cleveland, a Roanoke County stay-at-home mom who organizes the sale and runs the business.
She is considering taking this same kind of temporary selling venue to Lynchburg and Christiansburg and calling it Consignment Express. But the details haven't been worked out, she said.
For more information about Lauren's Friends & Alex, visit www.lfaconsignment.com.
News from the Storefront blog at blogs.roanoke.com/rtblogs/storefront/
n Olde Virginia Barbecue in Rocky Mount has closed.
n Ritz Camera has filed for bankruptcy. It's unclear if its stores will close.
n The Mix in downtown Roanoke is becoming the second location for Red Clay, which also is in Rocky Mount.
