Shenandoah Valley Business Journal - February 2020

Volume 21, No. 4, February 26, 2020

How High Of Wages Can Restaurants Stomach?

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SHENANDOAH VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Inside This Issue The Shenandoah Valley Business Journal is a monthly publication of the Daily News-Record, 231 S. Liberty St., Harrisonburg, VA 22801.

Focus Section: Restaurants ■ How High Of Wages Can Restaurants Stomach?....Page 3

Other Business News

Editorial Staff Publisher: Craig Bartoldson Managing Editor: Jim Sacco Contributing Writers: Ian Munro, Kathleen Shaw Contributing Photographers: Ian Munro, Daniel Lin

■ Red Front To Close..........................................Page 8 ■ Tech Firm Constructs New Research Building......Page 10 ■ Jess’ Lunch Closes Doors...............................Page 10 ■ Floral Designer Turns Over A New Leaf.........Page 11

Columns ■ Investments with Matthew Frakes..................Page 6 ■ Financial Focus with Kathy Armentrout..........Page 9

F&M Announces Officer Promotions Timberville-based F&M Bank recently announced several officer promotions.

The following employees were promoted, effect Jan. 24.

Bank officer: Ann Kirtley, Elkton Branch coordinator; Carrie Grimes, Timberville branch coordinator; Christy Trail, Woodstock branch coordinator; Emily Rhodes, credit analyst; Mary Pavlovskaya, business deposit services officer; Teri Hasley, deposit operations manager Assistant vice president: Ashley Lam, Crossroads and Grottoes branch manager;

Jessica Fletcher, dealer finance associate; John Coffman, Woodstock branch manager; Jordan Dean, commercial relationship manager; Matt Hill, commercial relationship manager; Vice president: Calan Jansen, Infinex financial adviser; Matt Robinson, Infinex financial adviser; Sarah Prusak, business deposit services officer; Senior Vice President: N a t a l i e S t r i ck l e r- A l t , Northern Area Market m a n a g e r ; S a r a B e r r y, Southern Area Market manager; Paul Eberly, Agricultural & Rural Programs leader.

— Staff Report

Harrisonburg, Va.

Contact us By mail: Shenandoah Valley Business Journal P.O. Box 193 Harrisonburg, VA 22803 By email: svbjnews@dnronline.com By fax: 540-433-9112 By phone: 540-574-6281 (news) 540-574-6223 (ads)

On The Cover: Ian Munro / DN-R Walter Requeno, of Harrisonburg, puts cheese on a pizza before placing it in the oven at Italian Touch in Broadway.

March 16. To learn more about the Main Street and a right-turn lane onto requirements of the petition and how East Kaylor from Main.

Another right-in, right-out access to receive one, contact Dale Davenport point will be located at South Main’s The Shenandoah Valley Electric at (540) 433-2444. intersection with Boxwood Court.

Cooperative is seeking members who Construction began in December on live in Rockingham County to run for City Buys Old Pano’s the new school. It will be located on 60 a seat on the board of directors.

City Council voted to spend another acres between Interstate 81 and South Board members serve staggered four-year terms, with two seats up $2.2 million on land for the new high Main Street, which council bought for for re-election in 2020. Those occupy- school Jan. 28, but officials hope to re- $5 million.

Staff determined during right of ing the seat will represent the entire cover much of that money.

Council unanimously approved the way acquisition work that it’d be pruco-op membership while residing in purchase of a 2.52-acre parcel that in- dent to buy the entire 2.52 acres of the county.

In December, the board selected cludes the former Pano’s Restaurant the Pano’s property rather than only members for the 2020 nominating and Lounge on South Main Street, the parts needed for the infrastructure committee, who nominated incum- owned by Sylvia and Pete Karageorge. work at the East Kaylor Park Drive inLocated at 3190 S. Main St., the tersection, said Chris Brown, the city’s bents Suzanne Obenshain, board vice chair, and Stephen W. Burkholder to property is just south of East Kaylor attorney.

The work would eliminate the busiPark Drive, which will serve as the pribe on the ballot.

Other SVEC members who want to mary entrance for the new high school. ness’ front entrance and some parking, City officials plan to install a traffic among other effects, Brown said. be a candidates must submit a petition with the signatures of 50 SVEC signal at the intersection, along with — Staff Reports account holders. Petitions are due a left-turn lane onto East Kaylor from

SVEC Seeks Candidates To Serve On Board Of Directors

Harrisonburg, Va.

SHENANDOAH VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

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How High Of Wages Can Restaurants Stomach?

General Assembly Weighs Eventual $15/Hour Requirement

By IAN MUNRO

Daily News-Record

Local restaurant owners said a minor bump in wages would have little impact on their businesses, but some foresee higher prices for consumers if a proposal to eventually make the minimum wage $15 an hour is successful.

House Bill 395 would raise the minimum wage to $9 an hour on July 1 and increase the minimum wage by $2 an hour each year until reaching $15 an hour on July 1, 2023.

“I don’t think going up to $9 [an hour] would, but if it starts approaching minimum wages around the $12 or $13 range, then that’s when you really will start seeing impacts,” said Aaron Ludwig, owner of Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint and Billy Jack’s Wing & Draft Shack.

While the state’s existing minimum wage is $7.25 on paper, Ludwig said market forces push the lower pay threshold higher.

“I honestly don’t know of any business that pays minimum in order to stay competitive to get employees,” Ludwig said.

In a tight labor market, employers are often forced to offer more competitive wages or benefits to ensure a supply of good workers.

Unemployment in the Harrisonburg metro area is 2.2%, according to the most recent data available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Nationwide, unemployment reached a 50-year low of 3.5% in 2019 and was at 3.6% in January, according to the most recent information from the bureau. The national rate is adjusted to account for seasonal factors, while the local rate is not.

“It’s turning into a minimum wage battle where everyone keeps increasing their wage higher and higher to keep getting people,” Ludwig said.

House Bill 395 was passed by the House of Delegates on Feb. 11,

Henry Marin, of Broadway, cooks fettuccine alfredo at Italian Touch.

Ian Munro / DN-R

55-45, and cleared the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor on Feb. 17, 12-2.

Ludwig said he likes the idea of regional minimum wage increases based on costs.

“That made a lot more sense to me than $15 across the board in the entire state,” he said.

A Harrisonburg line cook, who declined to give his name, said he supports increasing the minimum wage.

“I think people are fed up with what the state of things [are],” he said of rising costs, such as rent, and wages that don’t seem to keep up.

He said he has worked for two years in various positions in the back-of-house of a locally owned restaurant and makes more than $9 an hour.

“Your profit margin can be more reasonable when you consider the human component to this and the reality that some of these people are having a really hard time affording

the necessities of life,” he said.

Diane Roll, owner of the Dayton Tavern, Mama’s Caboose food truck and the Dayton Catering Co., said higher wages can pay dividends.

“If you pay somebody $15 an hour, $14 an hour now you get three times the work of three people being paid $7.25,” Roll said.

Ludwig predicted menu prices would increase if the minimum wage goes beyond $9 an hour, a sentiment shared by Roll.

“That’s the only thing that business owners are going to be able to do is increase the price that they’re selling at to cover the cost they’re paying,” he said.

If the minimum wage rises to $15 an hour, Roll also said she would have to be more stringent on breaks, how much time she could schedule employees for, and other benefits such as staff meals and beers after shifts.

She also said positions such as dishwashers could be cut from some

restaurants, making other staff members do more work.

“You can’t reduce your level of service when somebody is getting married,” Roll said about her catering business. “You’re just going to have to raise prices, and we don’t want to do that.”

Jeff Hill, the owner of the Joshua Wilton House and the Local Chop and Grill House in Harrisonburg, also said a $9 an hour requirement wouldn’t have a major impact on his businesses, but expressed caution about the $15 an hour rate.

“Even our dish wash team makes more than that starting out,” Hill said of $9 an hour.

“The jump to $9 [an hour] is not really going to affect us that much,” he said. “Now, down the road, if it’s going to keep going up, I don’t know.”

As restaurants have to pay more to workers because of laws or other outside forces such as the tight labor market, Roll said a happy workforce pays for itself.

“My philosophy — you pay well, you keep people. ‘Cause every time you have to replace somebody, it costs lots of money,” Roll said.

The Harrisonburg line cook said he anticipated the wage increase to be signed into law, but in what form, he is curious to see.

“I understand it would be difficult to do that all in one fell swoop,” the line cook said of raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour from $7.25.

But he said, something has got to give as many are uneasy about their economic futures behind counters, grills and server stations in Harrisonburg and Rockingham.

“I think a lot of people feel they’re undervalued and they don’t have a lot of recourse to change that so there’s a lot of frustration I think,” the man said.

Contact Ian Munro at 574-6278 or imunro@dnronline.com. Follow Ian on Twitter @iamIanMunro

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SHENANDOAH VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL

HARRISONBURG – ROCKINGHAM

Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet and Award Ceremony The Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Banquet and Award Ceremony was held at the Hotel Madison and Shenandoah Valley Conference Center on January 8th, 2020. There was an amazing turn out from our local business community to help celebrate the evening. This event was presented in part by Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport and United operated by SkyWest. Here are a few photos from Joshua Gooden Photography of the evenings award winners.

Harrisonburg, Va.

STAFF Frank Tamberrino President & CEO frank@hrchamber.org Sheena Armentrout Director of Membership & Investment sheena@hrchamber.org Sara Wittig Director of Marketing & Communications sara@hrchamber.org Carlie Floyd Administrative Assistant information@hrchamber.org Trent Turner Finance & Administration Manager trent@hrchamber.org

CONTACT US Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce

Farm Family Stewardship Award Windcrest Holsteins (The Yutzy Family)

800 Country Club Road Harrisonburg, VA 22802 (540) 434-3862 information@hrchamber.org

VISIT OUR WEBSITE TODAY TO: BECOME A MEMBER

http://chamber.hrchamber.org/ member/newmemberapp VIEW AREA JOB POSTINGS

Diversity Leadership Award Christopher “Chris” Jones

Community Champion Richard “Dick” Morin

Ambassador of the Year Stuart French

http://chamber.hrchamber.org/ jobs JOIN THE CONVERSATION + KEEP UP WITH YOUR CHAMBER NEWS & EVENTS www.facebook.com/hrchamber www.twitter.com/HR_Chamber www.youtube.com/hrchamber www.linkedin.com/company/ harrisonburg-rockinghamchamber-of-commerce

Entrepreneur of the Year Appeal Production Team

Business Person of the Year Chair, Frank Oncken takes the Sarah Elson-Staniunas

gavel from Dr. Downey

https://www.instagram.com/harrisonburgrockinghamcc/

SHENANDOAH VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Harrisonburg, Va.

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

CHAMBER COMMITTEES If you’re interested in building relationships with local businesses and community leaders who share similar interests and passions, join a Chamber Committee. Visit the Chamber’s Online Events Calendar or call the Chamber Offices for more information on upcoming committee meetings for Chamber Members.

Aging in Place Roundtable educates the community about local services supporting vitality and choice in the second half of life and provides a forum for discussion and collaboration about the issues surrounding aging in place.

AMP’T is a collaborative, energetic group dedicated to personal and professional development for all next-generation leaders connected to Harrisonburg & Rockingham County.

ValleyFest20 Beer and Wine Festival

We are excited to be celebrating our 20th Anniversary of ValleyFest Beer and Wine Festival on May 23, 2020. There will be great live music on two stages along with craft, food, cider, wine and beer vendors.

Come out and enjoy a day of fun with us on en the slopes of Massanutten Resort. Gates open at Noon and festivities will go until 7pm.

Tickets will go on sale March 9th, 2020.

Thank you to Valley Honda, Nissan, Subaru,, n VW, Chrysler, Dodge, RAM, also to Molson Coors Beverage Company and Blue Ridge Beverage Company for their continued al! support of ValleyFest Beer and Wine Festival!

For more information: www.valleyfestbeerandwine.com.

2020 Calendar of Events MONTHLY EVENTS: Business Smarts Educational & Professional Development Classes, Networking Events and the following committees: Ambassadors, Public Policy, Regional Business Alliances, AMP’T, Aging in Place Roundtable, Member Success Orientations (open to new, current and prospective members).

QUARTERLY EVENTS: Business at Breakfast, Leadership Smarts, Shenandoah Woman’s Alliance

ANNUAL EVENTS • ValleyFest | May 23 • Valley Business Give Back | June 1 -19 • Presidential Address | Summer • Golf Tournament | September 18* • Connections2020 | October 15* • Pre-Session Legislative Breakfast | Winter • Shop Small & Shop Local Campaigns | November

Shenandoah Women’s Alliance is a network of dynamic, diverse women empowering one another through inspiration, education and service.

Business Councils - including Broadway-Timberville, East Rockingham, Greater Ashby, and Diversity - provide businesses opportunities to connect through informational and educational meetings in order to promote the economic vitality and quality of life throughout the community.

Hospitality Committee exists to improve the economic competitiveness of the hospitality industry through dialogue and relationship building.

Public Policy identifies, evaluates and monitors social, political and environmental trends, issues and concerns affecting the business community.

CHAMBER MEMBER2MEMBER DISCOUNT PROGRAM Save money and help support the local economy by choosing Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce members for your business and personal needs.

If you’re a member and haven’t taken advantage of this member benefit, contact 540-434-3862 to sign up today!

Spotlight On New Members Stonewall Jackson Inn Workbus LLC Young Children’s Program Roberta Webb Child Care Center withSimplicity LLC Jalapeno Southwest Grill Kensington Strickland Group, LLC Sadie Rose Foundation Acorn Healthy Vending Harrisonburg Republican Committee Harrisonburg University LLC Staunton Creative Community Fund Whalesong Graphics of Virginia LLC LearningRx-Harrisonburg Edward Jones - Josh Defnall

Visit our website for an easy-to-use, online database of all Chamber Members or pick up your free copy of the Membership Directory at the Chamber Office.”

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SHENANDOAH VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Harrisonburg, Va.

Financial Windfall? Consider These Six Actions First If you recently came into a substantial amount of money, you might be tempted to start spending that financial windfall right away. But whether the money is from an inheritance, the sale of a business, life insurance proceeds, a major bonus, or some other means, you should consider the long-term consequences (and potential benefits) before you start spending, says Kyle Fuehne, a financial planning consultant with Wells Fargo Advisors.

“Often, people don’t spend enough time thinking through what they want to do,” Fuehne says. “They just jump in and start spending. But the money always goes quicker than you expect.”

Fuehne offers this advice on making sure you’re getting the most out of your financial windfall.

Consider The Tax Implications

Fuehne recommends consulting a certified public accountant or tax specialist to learn the steps you should take to help minimize the potential tax burden of your wind-

Investments Matthew R. Frakes

fall. Laws governing inheritance tax vary by state, for example. Different types of assets have different tax implications, and your tax rate will depend on what kind of windfall you received and where you received it.

Consider Investing, Even Slowly

“It’s OK if it takes one or two years to invest it all,” Fuehne says. “Investing slowly over time can allow you to implement a dollar-cost averaging strategy, which is an investment technique designed to help protect against a big downturn.”

how that will impact future financial needs.

Would you be better off paying off your mortgage, for example? Could this impact your ability to retire early? Do you want to start a business? You may want to talk to a financial advisor about these short- and longterm goals and how the windfall fits into your overall plan. You can even ask to run tests of your plan in different market environments to gauge its effectiveness.

Update Your Estate Planning And Gifting Plans

If you want to share your wealth with loved ones, you can give someone up to $15,000 a year without paying gift tax under current law. Also consider updating your estate plan. Setting up a trust is probably the Consider Stashing It Somewhere best way to provide for your family and conSmart For The Short Term trol what happens to your assets after you Consider placing your cash somewhere List Your Goals And Priorities You may have an immediate need or die. An estate planning attorney can advise stable, such as in a money market account or even a short-term CD, which offer better wish, such as paying for a child’s wedding you about the different types of trusts and returns than most savings accounts. or paying off a college loan. But consider help you choose the best one for your family.

Your Success is Our Focus Auditing & Accounting Services Services Estate Planning, Administration & Tax Services Individual & Business Advisory Services & Retirement Services Payroll Services

Brown Edwards, recently recognized as one of the top 100 CPA firms in the nation, has eleven locations and over 350 associates who are committed to providing clients with professional, personalized services and guidance in their financial and business needs.

1909 Financial Drive Harrisonburg, VA 22801 540-434-6736 www.BEcpas.com

Harrisonburg, Va.

Consider Alternative Ways To Give To Charity

When considering the tax impact of your windfall, you may want to give appreciated stocks or concentrated equity positions to be more tax efficient versus donating directly, Fuehne says.

Two additional options: A donor-advised fund, which gives you a tax deduction now but lets you make a long-term impact.

A charitable remainder trust lets you make a donation to the trust, and then it would make monthly payments to you. After a specified time or at your passing, the remaining assets in the trust would go to a

SHENANDOAH VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL charitable beneficiary.

This article was written by/for Wells Fargo Advisors and provided courtesy of Matthew Frakes, Financial Advisor in Harrisonburg at (540) 801-3211.

Investments in securities and insurance products are: NOT FDIC-INSURED/ NOT BANK-GUARANTEED/MAY LOSE VALUE Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. Š 2018 Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Harrisonburg, Va.

Red Front To Liquidate Stock, Close Ian Munro / DN-R

Robert Garber, who works in the meat department at Red Front Supermarket, left, speaks with customer Don Cook, of Harrisonburg through the meat department window.

By IAN MUNRO

Daily News-Record

Red Front Supermarket will be winding down its business over an undetermined amount of time according to a Feb. 20 interview with owners John Garber Sr. and David Garber.

“Tough decision? Yes,” David Garber said. “And one that we didn’t want to make, but one that we needed to make.”

The historic grocery store is owned by the Garber family of Dayton and Clover Hill, which sold part of the business to the Singh family in 2019.

The Singh family was brought on as investors and management to bring in cost-cutting measures, expand product choices and reflect

the diverse local community, according to John Garber Sr. He said it did create “some disruption.”

John Garber Sr. said “there was a lot of really negative social media and things just …” “... Spiraled down,” David Garber added.

Red Front’s closure will be the fourth such ending for a locally-owned Valley grocery store in 10 months, joining the ranks of Weyers Cave Super Save, Broadway Supermarket and Shenandoah Grocery.

“It’s difficult to be a grocery store, especially in Harrisonburg,” David Garber said of competition from bigbox operations.

The owners of the other markets expressed their frustrations with big-box competitors in previous interviews. An example included

how stores like Food Lion are able to obtain stock at cheaper rates than small businesses, allowing them to charge lower prices.

David Garber said the attraction of Red Front was its “small town, home feel,” with cleanliness, service and friendliness.

Between the four markets, Valley families had independently operated these businesses for a combined 245 years.

The Garber family’s market moved multiple times in its long history. John Solomon Garber first opened a market during 1905 in a building that still stands at the corner of Chicago Avenue and West Wolfe Street, according to an ad in the July 3, 1980 edition of the Daily News-Record.

According to the same ad, the

market moved to West Market Street, where the Harrisonburg General District Court building now stands, in 1945. The Red Front name was adopted while operating in the storefront, according to John Garber Sr. David Royce Garber, John Garber Sr.’s father and David Garber’s grandfather, ran the store beginning in 1939. He passed away in 2012.

By 1958, Red Front moved to where it now stands at 677 Chicago Ave. in the northwest neighborhood of the city.

“If we could pick the store up and move it to the other side of town, we wouldn’t be having this discussion,” John Garber Sr. said of how development and traffic has shifted away from the northwest of the city to the

southeast side of the city.

The grocery store will be open under new hours as the Garbers and fellow staff members liquidate stock. The new hours are Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the store will be closed on Sundays.

Red Front owns its property and David Garber said the family was looking for “opportunities” regarding the future of the site.

Red Front will be the second long-standing Harrisonburg business to close after Jess’ Lunch in downtown Harrisonburg announced its closure on Feb. 12.

Contact Ian Munro at 574-6278 or imunro@dnronline.com. Follow Ian on Twitter @iamIanMunro

Harrisonburg, Va.

SHENANDOAH VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

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Avoid These Estate Planning Mistakes You save and invest to meet a variety of goals during your lifetime: college for your children, long vacations, a comfortable retirement, and so on. But you probably also want to leave something behind — to your loved ones and, possibly, to the charitable organizations you support. To do so, you’ll need to develop a comprehensive estate plan, but to make that plan work, you must avoid some common mistakes.

Here are a few of these pitfalls you’ll want to avoid: • Not writing a will — If you were to die “intestate” — without a last will and testament — the state in which you live would determine how your property was distributed. And the state’s decisions may not match what you had in mind at all. Furthermore, a will is where you would name guardians for your minor children.

• Not going beyond a will — While a will is an essential component of estate planning, it’s often not enough. You may need to create other documents, such as a living trust, which, among other benefits, enables your estate to avoid probate, a time-consuming and public process that can lead to disputes among your heirs and others. And a living trust lets you place highly specific conditions on how and when you want your assets

“

Financial Focus

If circumstances change in your life, such as new children, or divorce or remarriage, you may well want to change beneficiaries. It’s easy to do — but it’s also easy to overlook.

Kathy Armentrout is so important, you need to choose someone who is reliable, competent and trustworthy. It’s certainly possible to find such an individual in your own family, but many people choose someone who is either conflicted, too busy or simply not up to the task.

If you have doubts about picking a good executor, you may want to turn to a trust company. The costs likely will be higher than if you chose a family mem• Choosing the wrong ber, but the results may be executor — An executor much better. is responsible for distributing property to your • Not naming proper beneficiaries and paying beneficiaries — Many off any debts and taxes of your assets — 401(k), your estate may owe, IRA, life insurance and so among other tasks. Be- on — require you to name cause the role of executor a beneficiary. These bendistributed. You might also consider other legal documents, including a power of attorney, which allows you to appoint a person or organization to handle your affairs if you can’t do so yourself, and a health care directive, which lets you name someone to make health care decisions on your behalf, should you become physically or mentally incapacitated.

eficiary designations are powerful, often superseding the instructions in your will. If circumstances change in your life, such as new children, or divorce or remarriage, you may well want to change beneficiaries. It’s easy to do — but it’s also easy to overlook.

• Not updating owner-

ship of assets — A change in your family situation or changes in the laws governing income and estate taxes could require you to update ownership designations of financial assets.

And here’s perhaps the biggest mistake of all: not understanding what’s in your estate plan. You need to work closely with your tax, legal and financial profes-

sionals to create a plan you fully comprehend and can communicate effectively to your loved ones.

Surprises are often pleasant in many areas of life — but estate planning is not one of them.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by Kathy Armentrout, an Edward Jones financial adviser at 560 Neff Ave., Suite 100, Harrisonburg; 540-574-1013.

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Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Harrisonburg, Va.

Tech Firm Constructs New Research Building In County

By IAN MUNRO

Daily News-Record

Power Monitors Inc. is constructing a new 12,000-squarefoot laboratory facility for its engineering and research and development departments, according to Walter Curt, president and owner.

The new building will free up space for the Mount Crawford company’s manufacturing department, Curt said, and the expansion will create dozens of jobs.

“It will increase manufacturing space by 3,000 or 4,000 square feet and increase the amount of space the engineers can use by about the same amount,” he said.

The facility is part of a twophase expansion for the electronic-testing equipment firm, according to Curt.

In the first phase, the new building will be finished and the research and development departments will move in from the old building.

The space that staff vacated will be renovated mostly into manufacturing space, but some will also be used as offices for departments such as marketing, Curt said.

He said the new building and renovations should be completed by the end of the year.

“I would say [the expansion] will allow us to go up to about 75 or 80 people over the next couple of years,” Curt said.

He said the firm employs roughly 45 people.

“Over the last 12 or 13 years, PMI has grown substantially and we’ve changed substantially in terms of the type of products we manufacture and so forth,” he said. “We needed space and it seemed like a good time — given the economy and the interest rates — it seemed like a good time to put up a building.”

Contact Ian Munro at 574-6278 or imunro@dnronline.com. Follow Ian on Twitter @iamIanMunro

Ian Munro / DN-R

Power Monitors Inc. is building a new 12,000-square-foot building for its research and development and engineering departments to free up space for manufacturing, according to Walter Curt, president of the firm.

Iconic Downtown Restaurant Jess’ Lunch Closes Doors

By IAN MUNRO

Daily News-Record

DN-R File

Jess’ Lunch on Court Square in downtown Harrisonburg has closed for good after nearly a century in operation.

One of Harrisonburg’s oldest continually operating restaurants, Jess’ Lunch, has closed its doors, according to owner Angeliki Floros.

George Galanis first opened Jess’ nearly a century ago in 1922 with an American business partner. The American and Greek food eatery, located at 22 S. Main St., is known for its “everything hotdog” with chili, onions and mustard.

According to Floros, somebody sent the LLC that owns the properties an offer in June about the restaurant and the parking lot at 54 S. Main St., which the family also owns.

“It wasn’t a real plan for us [to accept the deal], but it became a good opportunity,” Floros said. “It was a

good offer and we couldn’t turn it down.”

She declined to give more details as the deal is not finalized. The Floros family manages the property and has received similar offers in the past for its downtown properties.

“It’s not easy if you want to have time with your family, especially for a single mom in the restaurant business,” she said of juggling time between property management, the restaurant and family commitments.

In January, the whole Floros family agreed to move forward on the deal, though it is incomplete, she said.

“My heart was splitting in these last months,” she said.

“Jess’ is always going to be in people’s heart no matter what,” Floros said. “It is not about the hot dogs.

It’s not about the chili — it’s about

life, how life changes and how downtown changes.”

Over the years, the Floros family has expanded its restaurant operations, opening a second Jess’ Lunch on East Market Street and Lil’ Gus’s in Grottoes. Those sites, Floros said, will remain open.

Jess’ Lunch No. 2 on East Market is under separate management.

Floros became a U.S. citizen in 2012 while working at Jess’ after first moving to the United States from Greece in 2002. She continues to work at Lil’ Gus’s.

Floros “pours her heart and soul keeping the Jess’ hot dog and name alive,” said Thomas Marchese, manager at Lil’ Gus’s.

Contact Ian Munro at 574-6278 or imunro@dnronline.com. Follow Ian on Twitter @iamIanMunro

Harrisonburg, Va.

SHENANDOAH VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

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Floral Designer Turns Over A New Leaf

By KATHLEEN SHAW Daily News-Record

Crisp, herbal aromas of freshly trimmed flowers greet you upon entering the store.

Delicately sweet, the wafting smell evokes the warm feeling of a spring day for each customer at Sparrow’s Flowers.

Owner Amanda Tutwiler stumbled upon her fascination with flower arrangements while working a random job at a grocery store flower counter. As an art graduate, the beauty of flowers had always captured her eye aesthetically, but she found that combining colors and shapes of bouquets came naturally to her.

“It was Valentine’s Day, and they just threw a bunch of flowers at me and told me to make something to see what I could do, and apparently I already knew how to do it,” Tutwiler said.

Taking her newfound abilities, Tutwiler dreamed up Sparrow’s Flowers, a place for plant lovers and flower fans alike. Prefacing the establishment of her retail location, Tutwiler first started out creating floral arrangements from a space in Spitzer Art Center.

She eventually took a step toward making her dreams a reality by offering services at a storefront on East Market Street, which opened in June 2017. After two years, Tutwiler decided to pick up the shop and move in early December due to the landowner putting the space back on the market and road construction’s impact on business.

New to the corner of Main and Elizabeth streets, Sparrow’s Flowers has found a home in its shop that offers floral designs, household plants and botanical-themed home goods. Tonight from 5 to 8 p.m., the store is celebrating an open house to extend a welcome to its neighbors and showcase the new displays and products on site.

Inside the store, bookshelves lined with both whimsical and ornate nature-inspired knick-knacks fill a room otherwise spilling over with all varieties of flowers — living, painted and dried. Behind the counter, former Spitzer artists continue to practice their craft in a shared studio space.

Since dedicating her livelihood to flowers under the name Sparrow’s, Tutwiler has developed a signature style of organically composing arrangements that complement the creative spirit she pursued as a painter and supporting fellow local artists and creators.

From May to mid-October, the shop uses local flowers from Mary Jo’s Flowers and Thistle Haven. Sparrow’s also works along-

Daniel Lin / DN-R

Sparrow’s Flowers floral designer and marketing director Amanda Seymour works on a bouquet in the new floral design shop in downtown Harrisonburg. side fellow downtown businesses, such as Heritage Cafe and Bakery, to provide them flowers for their cakes. In the near future, Tutwiler plans to offer seasonal classes on skills such as constructing wreaths and crowns from flowers at Heritage.

Kathy Whitten has been a customer at Sparrow’s Flowers for years and said the shop is a treasure trove of beauty and magic that adds to the artistic landscape of downtown thanks to Tutwiler’s creative vision.

“There’s just something wild and free about Sparrow’s. It’s a perfect name,” Whitten said. “They want to be sure that it feels like you, even though they have their style.

I love that. It’s very personal. It feels like you matter as a customer.”

Kari Carpenter is the founder of The Plant House, an e-commerce houseplant retail site, where Carpenter began selling botanicals grown from her home last summer.

Once Tutwiler moved into the new space on Main Street, she decided to take advantage of the street-facing window’s gracious trickle of sunlight and reached out to Carpenter to vendor and maintain plants in the shop.

Carpenter still runs most of her business in-home but said she enjoys meeting clients in person and working alongside Tutwiler, who eagerly shares her world of flowers with others.

“Her first love is the flowers,” Carpenter said. “Amanda is genuine, and she is in it for her passion of arranging and for working with flowers and also reaching people and making connections with people. I think that she is sincere and just friendly and very, very easy to work with.”

In addition to orders of intricately and abstractly curated flowers, Carpenter said Tutwiler’s perspective and perception of natural beauty translates into an inviting space where those without a green thumb can still find hidden gems perfect for gift-giving.

“She has an artful way of seeing things and a natural way of seeing things when she puts arrangements together. They’re just stunning,” Carpenter said. “She has a really neat eye for the other things that she carries in her shop, the gift items and the books that she has. You can find an unusual variety of things that I’ve not seen anywhere else in.”

At the grand opening celebration this evening, snacks and drinks will accompany visitors as Carpenter brings in an additional collection of plants in the shop and door prizes are offered. Sparrow’s is giving away a $25 gift certificate, and The Plant House will draw the winner of a Mexican flowering fern, a rare find for even seasoned green thumbs.

Complementing the curated offerings of dried and vibrant plants will also be art from Torie Topor, who crafts painted carvings from repurposed skateboards. Residents in the back studio space, Denise Kanter Allen and Elise Lintelman, will also have their paintings on display.

“It’s just maybe showing people like a beauty in a different kind of sense,” Tutwiler said. “I really like making them, I like being with the flowers, I like being able to make something that’s already grown and pretty by itself.”

Contact Kathleen Shaw at 574-6274 or kshaw@dnronline.com. Follow Kathleen on Twitter @shawkareport

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Wednesday, February 26, 2020

SHENANDOAH VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Harrisonburg, Va.