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This week’s edition, we look at the success of a local toy store, book store and a fast-food chain returning to our area.
713-290-8277 5000 west Tidwell
McElvy Media Group expands 1B · Blg Blue Whale celebrates first birthday 2B Business Spotlight: Jim Andrews 3B
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Saturday, July 4, 2015 • Page 1B
The Book Scene begins next chapter at new home By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com It’s been nearly 25 years since Virginia Martino opened the Book Scene, and for most of that time her shop was on Ella Boulevard next to Tony’s Mexican Restaurant. In April, however, Martino moved to new digs on 43rd Street in the same building that houses Hudson Chiropractic Center and Salon Studio. “Tony told me he wanted to put a church in there, but he gave me several months to find a new place,” said Martino. “It was my customers who helped me find this one.” While her regulars know where she is now, Martino hopes that adding a sign out front will help bring more attention to her shop. “She’s a nice lady,” said avid reader Perry McGee, “so I followed her over.” Martino said it took “a lot of courage” to open the shop in the 1980s. After she retired from Prudential insurance, she was looking for something else to do. She had a couple of friends who owned book stores and later bought their inventory. “My husband said to get rid of it or open a book store,” she said. The store offers both hardcovers and paperbacks in fiction and non-fiction. Martino said
that her top sellers are mysteries, romance, paranormal and sci-fi. New titles from publishers are available and there are children’s books too which will soon make their way out onto the floor. Martino is still in the process of unpacking. Most of the books in the store are half-price and customers can also trade their existing books in for new ones. Need a recommendation? Martino is more than happy to oblige you. She says that she reads just about anything. “Some people will come in and say ‘pick me out some books’ so I do,” said Martino. “I get to know what they like.” Martino, who used to live in Lazybrook and now resides off of Hwy 290, signed a threeyear lease and looks forward to her store being around for years to come. It may happen without her at the helm though. In her 70s now, Martino wants to eventually retire for good. She is going to wait for her shop’s 25th anniversary in August and then look for someone to buy both the name and her books. “It’s my baby though,” she said. “I want to see it in good hands.” The Book Scene is closed on Sundays and Mondays and open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.
McElvy
Photo by Betsy Denson Virginia Martino has en eye for her customers wants and needs as far as their reading choices go. Some of her customers have come in and explicitly asked her to pick out book choices inside of her own store.
Owner of The Leader acquires four community papers in North Carolina The owners of The Leader, along with a group of investors, announced Wednesday that they have acquired four community newspapers and their websites in North Carolina. The newspapers, all located south of Charlotte, N.C., include the South Charlotte Weekly, the Union County Weekly, the Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly and the Pineville Pilot. In all, Charlotte Media Group LLC will reach 60,000 readers every week in a growing area of Charlotte. McElvy Media Group LLC, owned by Leader publisher Jonathan McElvy and his wife, Meghan, leads a group of owners that include Frank Vasquez, associate publisher of The Leader, Douglas McElvy and Robb Reeves. “Obviously, this is an exciting time for our company,” said McElvy, who will serve as president of Charlotte Media Group. “Exactly three years after purchasing The Leader, and kind of cutting our teeth on a new era of print journalism, we had a wonderful opportunity to buy a group of suburban newspapers that has immense potential for growth.” The corporate office for the new company will be located on T.C. Jester Boulevard in the same office as The Leader. “My wife, son and I have made this area of Houston our home, and while this new company isn’t exactly a car-ride away, it will be a fun challenge to continue growing what we’ve built at The Leader while taking this same business model to a new market.” Along with The Leader and the North Carolina acquisition, McElvy and Vasquez also manage the Fort Bend Star and the Fort Bend Business Journal. “A lot of people look at us sideways when we tell them we’re
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investing in newspapers,” McElvy said. “And yes, there’s good reason to question why we continue to pursue acquisitions in an industry that many people think is dwindling. “What all of the investors love about our business, and what I still believe about our business, is that we provide a product that no one, anywhere, provides,” McElvy continued. “It doesn’t matter whether it’s large newspapers, websites or social media, if you open your edition of The Leader, you’ll be hard pressed to find any of our content anywhere else. And if we do a good job of telling original, important stories and addressing issues important to our community, we believe we offer a wonderful marketing option for local businesses trying to reach customers who live close by.” Allegiance Bank worked with McElvy Media Group as a financial partner in the acquisition.
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One month left to apply for SBA Disaster Loans Director Tanya N. Garfield of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Disaster Field Operations Center - West today reminded Texas private nonprofit (PNP) organizations of the July 28, 2015, deadline to apply for an SBA federal disaster loan for property damage caused by severe storms, tornadoes, straightline winds and flooding that occurred May 4 - June 19, 2015. PNPs that provide essential services of a governmental nature are eligible for assistance. According to Garfield, eligible PNPs of any size may apply for SBA federal disaster loans of up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets. SBA can also lend additional funds to help with the cost of making improvements that protect, prevent or minimize the same type of disaster damage from occurring in the future. In addition, SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) to help eligible PNPs meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. EIDLs may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that cannot be paid because of the disaster’s impact. EIDL assistance is available regardless of whether the PNP suffered any property damage. PNPs have until February 29, 2016, to apply for an SBA economic injury disaster loan. SBA low-interest federal disaster loans are available in Angelina, Archer, Atascosa, Bastrop, Baylor, Blanco, Bowie, Burleson, Caldwell, Cass, Cherokee, Clay, Comal, Comanche, Cooke, Denton, Fannin, Fayette, Gaines, Garza, Gillespie, Grayson, Grimes, Harris, Harrison, Hays, Henderson, Hood, Houston, Jasper, Johnson, Kaufman, Kendall, Lamar, Lee, Liberty, Lynn, Madison, Milam, Montague, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Newton, Polk, Refugio, Rusk, Sabine, San Jacinto, Travis, Tyler, Uvalde, Van Zandt, Walker, Wharton, Williamson, Wilson, Wise and Zavala counties in Texas. The interest rate is 2.625 percent with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by SBA and based on each applicant’s financial condition. Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at https://disasterloan. sba.gov/ela. Disaster loan information and application forms are also available from SBA’s Customer Service Center by calling (800) 6592955 or emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Individuals who are deaf or hard‑of‑hearing may call (800) 877-8339. For more information about SBA’s disaster assistance programs, visit http://www.sba.gov/disaster.
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