COMINGS: Blimpie franchisees change course
Fans of Blimpie sandwiches may have noticed that two Yuma shops are vacant and a third one now has a new name.
Terry Gibbs, who with wife, Teresa, took over the Blimpie franchise in Yuma in January, said he decided to end that relationship and operate as a locally owned “Mom and Pop” business. He explained that going independent allowed them to introduce additional menu items and to give back to the community by supporting school fundraisers and other events.
Closed and vacated are the former Blimpie stores at 1025 W. 24th St. and 290 W. 32nd St.
The store inside the Chevron convenience store at 592 E. 16th St. now actually has two businesses, Gibbs said. Stackers Sandwich Shops features “build your own style” sandwiches, salads and breakfast dishes. The other side of the menu is for Chile Express, featuring Mexican foods made New Mexico style.
In addition, the couple has opened a new location at 7875 E. 24th St. in the Tamarack Center near Arizona Western College. And they're working on a third location on Payson Street near Big O Tires in the Foothills, which they hope to have open by mid-October.
Both stores are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. For call-in orders or catering information, call the 16th Street store at 783-9313 or the Tamarack store at 366-1181.
Gibbs said the couple had a sports bar in Texas but sold it to move to Yuma to be close to their son, who is stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, and his family.
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Looking for the ingredients for an Asian dish? Check out Asian Store at 698 W. Catalina Drive. It carries an array of Asian staples, some fresh vegetables and frozen seafood, as well as select dry goods. The store is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. It can be reached at 345-9977.
The store is owned by Dung H. Lam, who previously had Dollar Plus in the Foothills but wanted a business closer to his home in Yuma.
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A sign taped to the window of the Rusty Spoon Cafe, 2855 S. 4th Ave. in Thunderbird Plaza, says the business is closed and thanks the establishment's loyal customers for their business.
The sign also says that a new establishment will be opening there soon.
Stay tuned for details.
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Sofia Chavez and Marisa Macias have merged their salons together and are now located at 1695 W. 24th St., Suites A and B, just down the hill from Yuma Regional Medical Center. They have the same phone numbers of 344-1234 for Macias and 246-7444 for Chavez.
Chavez and Elvia Moya were at VIP Styles for seven years while Macias and Mariana Jacques previously were at Steel Roots Hair Studio at Southgate Mall.
The four experienced hairstylists offer trendy hair styles for men and women, skin care, makeup, permanent makeup and gel nails.
The new salon is open Mondays through Saturdays; walk-ins are welcome.
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Sheer Delight, Yuma's newest pet grooming shop, is now open for business at the Cielo Verde Shopping Center, Suite 11 (located next to the Avenue 8E/3nd Street Walmart). It is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and can be reached at 344-2804.
The shop is the business of Billie Wooten, former store manager for Petsmart, who has been in the pet business since she was 18. She grooms cats as well as dogs and will trim bird wings. In addition, she also offers doggie daycare.
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In other news about the Cielo Verde Shopping Center, construction of the second phase is nearly finished.
So far, a laundromat has signed to go into the new building, leaving four other units still available.
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Papa Murphy's Pizza in Yuma has earned top honors for Customer Relations Management out of a total of 1,305 stores in the U.S. and Canada.
Each period, Papa Murphy's corporate recognizes top scoring stores rated by their customers in the categories of quality of food, speed of service, cleanliness of the store, appearance of the employees and overall satisfaction with their visit. The Yuma store had the highest Customer Relations Management score — 97.6 percent — for Period 7 (July 3-Aug. 6). During the rating period, customers commented on the excellent service, friendly workers, good food and reasonable prices.
The Yuma store, 2951 S. Pacific Ave., is owned and operated by Steve and Janelle Raabe and managed by Jeff Marlow.
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Ross Wait and his business partner are having plans drawn up to build a 5,000-square-foot office building on vacant land next to the former Eckert Drug at 40th Street and 35th Place. The building will offer smaller office spaces, something Wait said there appears to be a lot of demand for.
The intent is to have the building available to tenants by August or September of 2013. He's also looking for a tenant where the drug store was located. For more information about leasing a space in either building, call Wait at 1-928-920-0665.
Report Comings and Goings to jlobeck@yumasun.com or call Joyce Lobeck at 539-6853.
