The Manchester Enterprise
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Businesses trudge forward despite economy
Restaurants change menus to attract new customers in area
By Alana West, Special Writer
PUBLISHED: January 8, 2009
Many business owners in Manchester say they have not yet felt the pinch of the foretold recession that has swept the nation. Several owners tout a steady income from a loyal customer base and new ideas to tap into a larger market.
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Resident Dee Miles said that sales are slow at her art gallery, The Wild Acorn, which opened in May - but added that this might be because of location, as well as a slow economy.
"We are struggling," she said. "We are down the steps that nobody comes down ... People are slow in learning that we are here."
The gallery is located in the Manchester Mill directly under Worth Repeating.
"Many local artists are selling their art at very reasonable prices," Miles said.
The "homestyle" art features work from resident Nancy Feldkamp's watercolor paintings to Rich Wood's baseball photos, and Miles' own handcrafted jewelry, among many others.
Miles originally wanted to rent space in the former Village Gifts location, but the owners weren't ready to rent at that time, she said. To generate interest in the store, Miles has produced fliers during the Farmer's Market and printed ads in church bulletins to boost December sales, but to no avail.
"The December sales were disappointing," she said. "They were low, low sales."
Worth Repeating owner Sharon Curtis said that the slow economy has actually helped her business, which is operated by all volunteers, including herself. The non-profit resale shop offers gently used clothing and other merchandise for sale in order to raise funds for community-wide programs and projects.
Curtis said that visiting resale shops is a good way for people to satisfy their need to impulse buy on a smaller budget.
"We're not a typical business," Curtis said, adding that nation-wide, people have been flocking to resale shops.
Curtis said when she first heard about the recession, she was concerned the amount of donations would decrease. However, donations continue to flow through the doors.
"There's a lot of good stuff: We offer excellent merchandise and you have to come in daily to see what's new," she said.
Dabbling into uncharted territory is one way Classic Pizza owner Andy Bobo is trying to bring in new customers. Recently he noticed a trend in requests for a square pizza, and he decided that he ought to find out more about it. About a month ago, he began to offer it, he said.
"There were a lot of people asking for it, and it actually tastes different," Bobo said.
He describes it as a Chicago-style thick-crust pizza with plenty of garlic butter. Classic Pizza offers two medium square pizzas for $20.
"I've sold over 100 in the last month," Bobo said.
With competition for pizza customers growing in Manchester, Bobo said he is "trying to think outside the box" by offering a specialty pizza with Cajun seasoning. His favorite pizza is the Classic Deluxe, which offers double cheese, onions, green peppers, pepperoni, ham, Italian sausage, fresh mushrooms, ground beef and olives.
Jim Collins, owner of Frank's Pizza, said that his restaurant has experienced no slowdown during the sluggish economy, and believed that this was due to his loyal customer base.
"We're staying afloat because of our loyal customers," he said.
Currently, he is in the process of consolidating his menu to keep the most popular items.
"Our customers have many good ideas that they have given us," he said.
The restaurant, which opened 20 years ago, has a menu based on old Italian recipes, Collins said. The dough is hand-tossed, then cooked in a traditional brick oven.
Collins' favorite pizza is the tomato butter basil pizza, which he says is a favorite that grows on people the more they try it.
"We feature fresh basil and fresh tomatoes," he said.
Chris Moyle of Mr. C's Pizza & Grinders is also trying something new on the menu.
Moyle said he is planning to unveil his new Mexican menu in early February. The menu will include eight different kinds of burritos, and several different appetizers.
"It will be completely different from what everyone else is offering," he said, adding that he hopes it will bring new customers in, rather than just offering more choices with his existing customers.
Moyle said he is concerned about the slow economy, especially through the winter months of January through March, typically the slowest months for them.
He wants to tell customers not to worry when ordering pizza delivery from him during snowstorms, because he has four-wheel drive delivery vehicles, and hot bags that accept pizzas right out of the oven which are then immediately plugged into the car to maintain a 175 degree Fahrenheit temperature.
"Our customers say they can't believe their pizza is that hot," said Moyle.
Moyle's favorite pizza also brought him third prize in an Ohio-based pizza tasting competition: The Steak-n-Bacon Pizza, which includes steak, onions, bacon, canned mushrooms, mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. He said he wished he had won first prize, which included a trip to Las Vegas.
Bobo said he is trying to think outside the box by offering a specialty pizza with Cajun seasoning. His favorite pizza? The Classic Deluxe, which offers double cheese, onions, green peppers, pepperoni, ham, Italian sausage, fresh mushrooms, ground beef, and your choice of olives.
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