Lovechild, Señor Villa restaurants planned
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Sunday, May 22, 2016
STEVE CAHALAN For the La Crosse Tribune
Two new La Crosse restaurants — Lovechild and Senor Villa — are in the works, in the former Hooters restaurant at 300 S. Third St. downtown, and in the former Jade Cafe at 325 West Ave. N. Jay Sparks and Joan Ferris, who both spent two decades with the D’Amico & Partners family of restaurants in the Twin Cities and in Naples, Fla., have applied to the city for a conditional-use permit for their Lovechild casual fine dining restaurant and bar. It’s planned in the former Hooters, which closed in 2014. Lovechild will be “an eclectic mix and very personal melding of all the things we really love,” Ferris told me last week. Sparks served for nearly 20 years (until 2014) as executive chef for D’Amico’s full-service restaurant division and was one of the most influential chefs on the Twin Cities restaurant scene, according to a letter accompanying the application. Ferris joined D’Amico in 1991 as general manager of the acclaimed French Mediterranean restaurant Azur in Minneapolis, then went on to hold various corporate management positions with D’Amico, the letter said. “We’re opening in early fall if all goes well,” Ferris told me. She and Sparks will move to La Crosse in June. “Minneapolis just opened a ton of new places and they don’t really need anymore,” Ferris said. “La Crosse, on the other hand, is blowing up right now, and it couldn’t be a better time or place to open a restaurant. And there’s room for many more.” Ferris, a La Crosse native, said she and Sparks love the city and visit often. Her father, Roger Ferris, had a shoe repair shop on Main Street for many years. A native of Mexico plans to open Señor Villa restaurant around Aug. 1 in the former Jade Cafe at 325 West Ave. N., which closed in 2013. Mario Villasenor, a native of Mexico, and his Roma Restaurant LLC have asked the La Crosse Common Council for permission to apply for a beer and liquor license for Señor Villa. He describes it as a full-service family Mexican restaurant. The decor will be elegant and subdued, in order to avoid creating a “party” atmosphere typical of many Mexican restaurants, his lawyer said in a letter accompanying the application. The restaurant is expected to seat about 110 customers and open with nine to 10 employees. “La Crosse is a very good place,” Villasenor told me last week. “I think I can do a great job there.“ He and his family plan to move this summer to La Crosse from Eau Claire, where Villasenor had nine years of experience as a partner and manager at Cancun Mexican Grill on Clairemont Avenue. He’s no longer a partner at Cancun. Todd and Jennifer Wiedenhaft have expanded their Lost Island Wine business at 570 Theater Road in Onalaska to include a Skeleton Crew Brew microbrewery. The latter’s grand opening will be from noon to 9 p.m. Saturday, with live music by Irene Keenan Jr. from 5 to 8 p.m. See CAHALAN, H2
ERIK DAILY, LA CROSSE TRIBUNE
Erik Pueschner and his wife, Randi, bought Smith’s Cycling and Fitness on April 15 and renamed it Smith’s Bike Shop. Erik has worked there 17 years and had been managing the store before the sale.
FULL CYCLE
Fulfilling a dream, longtime employee, wife buy, rename bike shop
STEVE CAHALAN
For the La Crosse Tribune
Twenty years after he began working there, Erik Pueschner and his wife, Randi, have bought and renamed a downtown La Crosse bicyle shop. They bought Smith’s Cycling and Fitness at 125 N. Seventh St. from Carl and Lisa Johnson on April 15 and renamed it Smith’s Bike Shop. The store has been phasing out fitness equipment over the past year, but can still order it upon request, Erik said. “We’ll have more focus on bikes,” Randi said. And the store will increase its inventory of women’s bicycling apparel and accessories, she said, as those items are an “up and coming part of the bicycle market.” The bike shop will continue to sell several brands of bicycles, with Trek as its main brand. Randi said the store also will continue to be known for its service. “We’re huge with service,” she said. “We have one of the best (bicycle) service departments around.” The Pueschners have about 10 employees, including four full-time mechanics and a few part-time mechanics. Their store services and repairs all brands of bicycles. “We’re also looking to increase our community involvement” in such things as trail maintenance, group rides by bicyclists, and events held by outdoor organizations, Randi said. Erik, 42, began working at the La Crosse bike shop in 1996 as a mechanic and has been store manager since 1998. The Marshfield, Wis., native got his start in the industry around 1992, when he began working at a bike shop in that community. He
ERIK DAILY, LA CROSSE TRIBUNE
Technician Tostin DeYoe works on a bike at Smith’s Bike Shop.
SMITH’S BIKE SHOP WHAT: A store that sells, services and repairs bicycles. WHERE: 125 N. Seventh St. in downtown La Crosse. WHO: The business is owned by Erik and Randi Pueschner, who bought it April 15 from Carl and Lisa Johnson. Erik has been working
at the bike shop since 1996 and has managed it since 1998. HOURS: 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday and Friday; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and closed Sunday. CONTACT: Call the store at 608784-1175 or visit www.smithsbikes. com or the store’s Facebook page.
moved to La Crosse in 1995 and today Western Technical College. received an associate degree in “I started working on my bikes marketing in 1998 from what is in my garage when I was a kid,”
“We’re huge with service. We have one of the best (bicycle) service departments around.” Randi Pueschner, co-owner
Erik said. “I was working on them with my dad’s tools when I was in middle school.” As a youth, he began entering BMX bicycle races. He moved on to racing mountain bicycles (which he still does) when he was in his 20s. See CYCLE, H2
4 times it’s OK to dip into your retirement fund early MORGAN QUINN Tribune News Service
Taking an early withdrawal from your 401(k) is not only costly in the short term, it can also jeopardize your long-term retirement goals. If you withdraw retirement accounts before the penalty-free 401(k) withdrawal age of 59.5, you’ll be forfeiting the benefits of tax-deferred earnings and compounding interest, which diminishes the savings power of 401(k) accounts. These plans are specifically designed for long-term investing, making the years work in the contributor’s favor. Because of the severe financial penalties, withdrawing money early from retirement accounts should only be done in an extreme
emergency, ideally after any emergency funds and investments have been depleted. If you are in a financial pinch and considering taking money out of your 401(k) or any other retirement savings account, here are four times it’s OK to dip into your retirement fund early. Certain qualifying situations allow for a penalty-free hardship withdrawal, but employers are not required to provide these kinds of 401(k) withdrawal rules. Some people have to take the hit of the penalty for withdrawing early from retirement savings just to stay financially afloat. Emily LaRusch, founder of Back Office Betties, which offers full-time virtual receptionists, has experienced this firsthand. “In 2010, I was days away from having
Because of the severe financial penalties, withdrawing money early from retirement accounts should only be done in an extreme emergency
or other type of early distribution — even if there are penalties. If you find yourself in one of the following scenarios, withdrawing money early from your retirement savings might be financially prudent.
my second baby when I was laid off,” LaRusch said. “I made the decision to close my 401(k) and accept the penalties in order to support my family while I stayed at home for the first year with my son.” In extreme situations like LaRusch’s, after carefully thinking it through and running the numbers with a 401(k) withdrawal calculator, you might find it’s still in your best interest to make a 401(k) withdrawal
You can take penalty-free distributions from qualified plans due to a total or permanent disability. Minor or partial disabilities don’t qualify. According to the IRS, you are considered disabled if: You can provide proof that you cannot do any substantial gainful activity because of your physical or mental condition.
YOU BECOME TOTALLY AND PERMANENTLY DISABLED
See FUND, H2