SWLA Homegrown Businesses - www.timessw.com

B and K Music

2009-11-01T04:46:00.000-08:00

By Nancy Correro
The Times of SWLA

B and K Music, Kinder, La.

B and K Music was started by Ken Smith and Buford Smith in 1978 in their home. Their business grew out of necessity and a love of music.

Ken Smith is a third generation fiddle player. He started playing at age 10. His father, Buford Smith, is a guitarist.

“I grew-up playing in house jam sessions. There were a lot of jam sessions at my grand parent’s house. Some of my relatives that played fiddle were alive at that time and I picked it up,” Ken Smith said.

Ken Smith, World Champion Fiddler

Smith was introduced to a style of music called “Texas fiddle competition music.”

Once he learned that style of playing Smith and his father went all over Texas and through to Alabama competing in fiddle contests. He won several contests across the United States after that and won the state championship in Louisiana five times—all between the ages of twelve and eighteen.

“It was a gift, something I inherited and I pursued it. I gave up everything else in my life that most kids do—basketball, baseball, football—and practiced about four to five hours a day,” said Smith.

Over the years Smith and his father learned to repair their own instruments. There were no repair people in this area at the time.

In order to have an instrument repaired, one would have to go to Houston or New Orleans. According to Smith, there was nowhere to get supplies.

“We opened up a little company in 1978 out of our home. We were able to get a distributor to furnish and supply us in tools like strings and accessories,” said Smith.

When Smith turned twenty-one, he told his father he would like to open a retail store in Kinder and that is what they did.

Bufford Smith, Guitarist and co-owner.

“We starved to death for about ten years,” Smith said, laughing, “1981 was a real bad recession here and I opened up then, but the store became successful around 1989, 90. We dealt in musical instruments and fiddle or violin repairs,” said Smith.

B and K Music has always sold European violins. There are pictures of some of the lovely European violins on their website: www.bandkmusic.biz.

“We probably keep over 100 European violins in stock. I have connections in Europe and we have them flown in. We do necessary repairs if needed and if not we just set them up for the type of music that is played in this part of the country,” said Smith. “Plus, McNeese has a classical program; Lake Charles and Lafayette have a symphony.”

This is a folk oriented musical instrument and repairs store, and they also keep a large selection of instruments which is not very common in most music stores.

B and K Music also has amps, pa systems, DJ equipment, mixers, and processors. They do installations for churches, nightclubs, and design audio equipment for courtrooms.

“I built my reputation on being a successful contest player and I think that is what made the store unique is we combined fiddle players and violin players. If you wanted to buy a classical violin you had to go to a classical violin shop and that would have been in a major city,” Smith said. “It used to be two completely different worlds: fiddle people and violin people.”

Smith’s success is what made the store unique and it’s a hard form of music to play, but there are young people today that are playing Texas style contest music.

“It’s evolved into a really extremely hard form of music and there are some very reputable judges with state competitions and national competitions and world competitions,” Smith said.
To get a better understanding of this type of music one can think of a hoedown, breakdown, rags, as in ragtime or waltzes and hornpipes, jigs, and reels.

“Those were all the forms of music and over the years they have become more polished and more parts have been added to them and the technique of playing them has gotten more precise,” Smith said.

Ken Smith and his father still actively play. Smith is a freelancing musician with different bands. Ken Smith is full of surprises. He nonchalantly and humbly mentioned he had been nominated for a Grammy Award in 1992.

“I was nominated – I had a recording with Rounder Records in 1992 and it was nominated for a Grammy. All of those things put together combined with good service made the store a success,” Smith said.

The Grammy nomination was a collaborative effort put together by a record company out of Boston, MA. They picked out three personalities from Louisiana. When Rounder Records called, they had Cajun artist D.L. Menard who plays guitar and sings and another artist, Eddie LeJeune who is a Cajun accordion player.

“They picked those two fellows and then they called me and picked me as a fiddle player and they said they would like us to get together and cut a record.

Rounder Records saw something in the three individuals and wanted to combine the three personalities. They called the group Le Trio Cadien, which, by the way, the CD of the same name is available on Amazon.com.

“They flew us to a recording studio in Boston and we stayed there for four days. It was a very relaxed atmosphere. They let us do some of our own producing and let us utilize some of our own ideas in putting this album together. They released it in 1991 and we were nominated in 1992 for the Grammy. That led to about 15 European tours that we did from around 1992 to 1995,” Smith said.

Smith plays gigs every weekend. In fact, they played at Festival Acadian. He plays gigs with some popular Cajun bands.

When asked about music lessons, Smith said that he did that for fifteen years at the store and had some very successful students.

When the store got extremely busy and they were rewarded contracts that they were bidding on like church and club installs, it was taking a lot of my time after work and that was the time he was giving lessons.

“I may do it again when I’m older and get tired of climbing through attics,” Smith said.
Some of Smith’s touring consisted of federally granted programs here in the United States that wanted Cajun music.

“I met a lot of people on my travels and I had offers from advanced students asking me for master lessons. So that is something I can look forward to in the future,” Smith said.

B and K Music is located at 320 N. 10th Street in Kinder. Phone: 337-738-2686.

Vee’s Donuts and Bakery: Take One Bite

2009-10-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

By Chaney Ferguson
Editor, The Times of SWLA

On every purchase from Vee’s there is a sticker that says, “One Bite and We Gotcha!” What a true statement.

Vee McNabb is a natural when it comes to bakery delights. She began her donut experience many years ago at Nelson’s Donuts in Lake Charles.

“I was recently divorced and I had to get a job to support my children. I started out working counters,” said Vee.

When she took that position she had no clue the future in store for her. After many years of working her way up to management and making donuts at several different locations between Lake Charles and Sulphur, Vee finally ventured out on her own.

“When I first got started I had just donuts. Then I had some people from Texas come and ask me if I did kolaches. I told them no but I would love to learn how, but my salesman didn’t like the idea. He said those would never make it in Louisiana because that was Texas stuff.”

Vee learned how to make kolaches and many other breakfast foods that keep customers coming back for more.

Throughout the years, the business has expanded to more than just breakfast foods; they’ve ventured into making sandwiches. Vee attributes these changes to her wonderfully supportive family.

“I have four children and all of them know how to make donuts, but my boys didn’t want any part of it. They wanted to go out and get their own jobs so my daughter came in with me.”

The business has always involved Vee's family. Her daughter Catina, son-in-law, Lewis, and grandson, Jake, have been the most influential in how the business has changed.

Lewis previously worked for the Sulphur Police Department and he was primarily responsible for finding the property in which they currently reside.

Customers will also want to thank him for his decision to add sandwiches to the menu.
“When my grandson, Jake, was born, his mother went back to work so he would come here and I would put him in the infant seat. As he got older, he wanted to help so he would go out and wait on all the customers.”

Vee remembers how Jake never needed a registry to remember all the prices of everything. He recognized the customers, knew what they wanted and always knew the price.
“He stayed in the shop with us. Now he’s twenty-one and he and my daughter do most of the business.”

While Jake grew up working in the shop, he came up with many of his own ideas. Once again, the business started to branch out into new tasty treats.

“We integrated different things into the menu as my daughter and grandson came up with it. Jake is very talented and has all kind of ideas.”

Evidence of Jake's talent hangs on the wall in Vee's. An article entitled Jake's Cakes written by the American Press reveals his ability for creating cake masterpieces.

Vee says they used to make specialty cakes, but it became too much for them with all their other responsibilities.

“We’re now doing salads and sandwiches and we have a chef who makes our soups for us. We make brownies, cookies, and small individual cakes. We still do a chocolate-chocolate cake with strawberries, and Italian cream. cakes. Everything you can think of we do.”

The secret to the delicious food is Vee's homemade bread. She doesn't take any shortcuts in her baking.

“We wake up at 1 A.M. My daughter comes over and we brush our teeth, wash our face and put on clothes. By 1:20 we are at the shop. We make our doughs and then sit down and drink coffee. After that we don’t sit down until time to go home.”

While Vee goes through the process of patiently waiting for the donuts to rise and be prepared, her daughter, Catina, begins on the biscuits, croissants, and kolaches.

Vee and her family have their schedule worked out from years of practice. She used to work seven days a week, but now she allows herself Sunday and Monday off work.

“We go to bed around 7 P.M. and wake up at 1 A.M. My family is on the praise team. at Christian World and they go to practice on Tuesday nights and church on Wednesday nights so I stay home and let them sleep until 4 A.M.”

Vee's frequently gets large orders from the plants, car dealerships, or Sulphur High School. At these times the group maintains an all-hands-on-deck attitude and the little shop is buzzing at 1:20 in the morning.

The first rush hits every morning at 6 A.M. when the first wave of workers pulls in the drive-thru. Vee set up her shop with two drive-thru windows. On one side the driver pays and by the time they pull around to the other window their order is waiting for them.

Around 7 A.M. the school crowd arrives with parents and kids grabbing a homemade breakfast before their day begins.

“I've had moms tell me that their kids wouldn't eat the donut holes they buy from other places,” said Vee.

Catina says the secret her mom uses really is love because of how much time and patience Vee has while making the baked goods.

“I wouldn't want to sell anything I wouldn't eat myself,” said Vee.

One rule about working at Vee's is to never sell a donut that is in the case when there are still warm ones in the back. Customers need to get there early before they run out.

In addition to all the delicacies, Vee's also creates beautiful gift boxes for special occasions such as homecoming. They truly can do it all.

“If it wouldn’t have been for my daughter, son-in-law, and my grandson I wouldn’t be here with the business like I am now. The blessings I've received are because of all the help I have from them.”

For a sweet treat or an amazing sandwich, stop by Vee's Donuts and Bakery at 1290 E. Napolean St. in Sulphur or call 337-527-3177. Store hours are Tuesday-Saturday from
5 A.M. to 4 P.M.

Bodin Jewelers: Where Quality and Beauty Count

2009-10-05T13:46:00.000-07:00

By Chaney Ferguson
Editor, The Times of SWLA

In 1955, Keith Bodin's father opened Bodin Jewelers as a watch repair shop.

“He just slowly started putting jewelry in showcases. When I came along, I learned how to work on watches, but I didn't like it. It was too tedious,” said Keith Bodin.

Bodin admits his father didn't give him much of a choice in the business. He had to work in the store, but after spending so much time around the jewelry he began to take an interest.
“I started repairing jewelry. I started with simple stuff like cleaning things and I learned how to do buffing on the buffer.”

After growing up in the business, Bodin proved to have a real talent for working on jewelry.
“I went to a school to learn jewelry repair and along the way learned how to work with customers. I got a gemologist degree in 1987 along with my graduate gemologist degree.”

Bodin started his gemologist education in 1978. It took a while since the degree is very involved.
“You learn about diamonds, colored stones, and identification. There are quite a few different things you have to look at and learn before you can get your gemologist degree.”

The first thing a gemologist student learns about is diamonds. Bodin studied the history, where they are mined, and then how to evaluate and grade them.

“You learn identification and how to identify all the colored stones and there are hundreds. You do different tests on them that tell what type of stone it is and then you get the variety. It is separating imitations and synthetics from natural stones.”

When his father retired in 1980, Bodin and his wife, Lena, took over the business.
Bodin's degrees set his business apart from other jewelry stores.

“If you look around, there are really not that many gemologists,” said Bodin.

Lena Bodin describes the difference as being a professional jeweler versus going into sales marketing.

An example can be found in the mall stores. The employees may not know what the stone is because they can only tell you what they have been told to tell the customers.

“Through the years we have seen mistakes made, like synthetic stones being sold as natural stones, not by these local stores, but sometimes customers will come in with something.”

“People will come in from cruise ships or buy stuff overseas and they were told it was one thing and it is not what they thought they purchased. If you don't have the right expertise then you can't tell the difference between what is real and what isn't real,” said Lena Bodin.

Being a gemologist is not the only thing that sets Bodin apart from the competition. He is also a bench-jeweler.

“That means I can work on the jewelry. If you come in with something wrong, I often know what is wrong. I don't have to bring the piece to someone else to fix. We do it here in the store. I don't know of another store in town where you can take a piece in and the owner can work on the jewelry.”

Bodin has a minimum of 25 years experience in every aspect of jewelry work. This Christmas will mark their 30-year anniversary for owning the store.

Over those years, Bodin and his wife have learned what their customers want. They go to market all over the states several times a year seeking out a variety of refined pieces.

“We handpick every piece of jewelry. If we don't make it, we select it. A lot of stores, bigger stores, have buyers that buy for all them. They are watching what their competition is buying and so they kind of copy what they buy. We don't look at anyone else's inventory. We have our own taste and we pick out stuff that we think is pretty and most people like what they see when they come in here,” said Bodin.

When they go to market they look for pieces that will be beautiful for years to come.
Customers have come to rely on Bodin and the style he carries. He sees second and third generations coming in to look for important pieces.

“I had one customer with an anniversary coming up, but we were going out of town. When he asked his wife if she wanted him to go somewhere else the wife told him to wait until we got back in town. She didn't want a piece from somewhere else.”

Value and the happiness of the customer are the two most important things to Bodin Jewelers. They want the customer to be satisfied with a piece that will be beautiful for many years, not a trendy piece that will be out of style after only two years.

When men come in the store looking for a gift, the Bodins go through a series of questions to help them get a feeling about what the woman prefers.

“We ask as delicately as possible, how big are her hands? How big are her arms? Are her fingers long? What are her tastes as far as what is she wearing now? Is it thin bands? Wide bands? Does she like heavy or dainty? What kind of clothing,” said Bodin.

According to Bodin, there are a lot of pieces that will work on everybody. Bodin will also do custom work. If there is a stone that needs to be reset then they will sit down and discuss a design.

“Sometimes people ask ‘what if my wife doesn't like this.’ I say no problem. Bring her in and if I don't have it in a case we will make it or order it. We will get it so she is not stuck with whatever he bought, but 99% of the time they like what they get.”

Bodin says he wants to give his customers enough information so they can make an informed decision on what they are buying. As the holidays approach, keep Bodin Jewelers in mind for your next purchase. You won't be sorry.

Bodin Jewelers is located at 3133 Ernest St. For more information call 494-0999.

Lanier Plumbing: 24 Hour Friendly Service

2009-09-21T09:06:00.000-07:00

By Chaney Ferguson

In 1959, Lynn Lanier started Lanier Plumbing. Back then it was a company based out of his house with his wife Laverne “Blondie” Lanier working as a secretary. Today, Lynn’s son, Rick, is the owner.

“I am a second generation contractor. I started doing plumbing work when I was 10 years old, working with my father every summer,” said Rick.

Rick has many memories from working all those summers with his dad, but one of the most vivid is the memory of his first paycheck.

“My first paycheck was $15 a week. I remember walking up to the teller at the Calcasieu Marine Bank at Prien and Ryan. I could barely see over the top of the counter. I signed my check and asked the teller to give me 15 ones. I wanted to have a nice roll of money,” Rick laughs.

In 1971, after graduating from LaGrange High School, Rick immediately went to work in the plumbing business.

“Mom would take the calls and set up where we went for the day. Me and dad would leave in the morning and meet our guys at a local supply house and then order material and leave from there. We went our different ways depending on what we had to do. It is totally different now.”
Four years after graduation, Rick took over the family business.

“I took over in about ‘75. My father was semi-retired and played out at the farm,” said Lanier.
Lynn Lanier passed away in 1979. After his father’s passing Rick purchased the property at 2201 Moss Street.

The business moved from operating out of his parent’s farmhouse into the city.
“It gave my mother a place to get up and go to work every day. She had the opportunity to meet and greet a lot of the customers she had spoken with on the phone, but she had never seen their face.”

Rick Lanier, Owner
Rick said it was good for his mother to work in the office and meet those she only had a phone relationship with for all those years.

“She worked here for probably 12-15 years and then retired. She traveled and had a good time afterwards.”

The company has changed so much since the early days, but Rick still starts every day by sharing coffee with his mom before heading to the office.

Rick’s father focused on the construction end of the plumbing business. Rick said they mainly worked on new homes.

Since Rick has taken over the business the focus has been on the service aspect.
“I really like the service business. There is a lot of gratification in taking care of people’s problems. When they call they are in a bind and they need help and this allows us to take care of their problems quickly and in the most cost effective way,” said Lanier.

About 17 years ago, Lanier Plumbing did a 180-degree turn to focus mainly on service. The construction market in the 80s wasn’t bringing a lot of business.

“We started pursuing the service end. We’ve bought three companies since then. The most recent purchase was Henning Plumbing and Piping. We bought them out a couple of years ago. Another one, 10-12 years ago, was Coastal Plumbing. The owner was leaving town so I picked up his assets and his customer base. That is basically what it is all about is broadening your customer base.”

Service is the mainstay for Lanier Plumbing, but they still do some construction.
“The last company I bought was doing 50% service and 50% new construction right after Hurricane Rita.

So we got back in the market on the new construction side, but it is all commercial construction. We do very little residential; what we do is mainly remodel or additions.”

Lanier said the company prides themselves on service. It is the company’s main passion.
“We are a 24-hour emergency service.

One thing we strive to do is make our customers feel more comfortable dealing with us. We don’t use an answering service in our company. When you call Lanier Plumbing, no matter what time or what day, you talk to an employee, either the office manager or the dispatcher.”

The system is set up so previous customers will more than likely speak with someone who they already have a relationship with.

“This is so they know who you are and they help you work through that emergency,” said Lanier. “We do have one man on emergency call and one man on backup just in case the phone goes crazy.”

Lanier said the company does its best to stay on top of cutting edge technology in order to make things easier for the customer.

“We have a website that you can visit where you can actually schedule an appointment online and it comes to us by email,” said Lanier.

Plumbing problems are always an inconvenience, but Lanier Plumbing offers alternatives that will hopefully alleviate some of the client’s stress.

“We have camera systems that go in and find broken sewer lines. Either outside the building or under slabs. We can locate exactly where the problem is, and either break concrete to make the repair if necessary and it’s a small repair.

We can tunnel underneath houses or commercial buildings and do the repairs so we never put you out of business,” said Lanier. The only way you will know we were there is the big pile of dirt sitting outside for a few days, jokes Lanier.

In the past year the company purchased a pipe bursting system that allows workers to change sewer lines.

“It actually allows us to install a new sewer line through the old sewer lines. We can build sewer lines from the house to the street’s city sewer without digging up your yard. Or if it is in a parking lot situation we can have an entrance hole where we dig and it cuts down on the removal of concrete and landscaped yard.”

Lanier said they can make pools up to 110 feet long without disturbing anything but the entry and exit points, which are roughly a 3 by 5 feet hole in the ground. This equipment allows them to minimize the damage to the landscaping or concrete.

The camera systems and pipe bursting sets the company apart. All employees are licensed master plumbers that are tested through the state.

Lanier has served on state and city plumbing boards for over a dozen years.
“I kept involved because the only way you can take care of your industry is to be involved in the political side of it.”

Lanier Plumbing has all the qualifications, but what sets this company apart is Rick Lanier’s love for his job.

“This is the only job I have ever had. I really enjoy it. It is challenging but you surround yourself with good people and it turns a job into fun. That is basically how I operate.”

For more information or for help with a plumbing emergency call (337) 436-3502 or visit their website at www.lanierplumbinginc.com.

Lyon’s Music Company: Music With A Personal Touch

2009-09-21T08:45:00.000-07:00

By Chaney Ferguson
Editor, The Times of SWLA

When Sam Lyons worked for Gulf State Utilities in the ‘70s, he decided to pursue his passion on the side. He started teaching guitar lessons.
“As a young boy I took piano lessons, and when I was in my late teens I started playing the guitar,” said Lyons.

Using a small portable building as a workspace, Lyon’s decided to branch out and open his own store.

In 1975, Lyons and his wife, Pat, began to sell guitars.

“We had maybe 4 to 6 guitars on the wall when we first started.”

At the time there were many guitars out there for people to purchase. Students would come for lessons with an inexpensive guitar that wouldn’t stay tuned. As a result they couldn’t learn as well.

“We wanted to put something in their hands they could actually learn on; something that would stay in tune. There are a lot of guitars that have just strings on it, but as far as trying to learn on it you will not be successful,” said Lyons.

When Lyon’s Music opened they were selling beginners guitars for around$35/$45.
“They were cheaper then, but now you can buy a guitar anywhere, even in the department stores.”

Lyons says that guitars in department stores are actually completely different than the ones found in music stores.

Sam & Pat Lyons, Owners
“The manufacturer actually makes something for them to sell, but it’s not the same quality. Then the same company will make better guitars that sell in music stores. It’s a different grade guitar altogether,” said Lyons.

After displaying about a half a dozen student guitars, the business began to expand.
The store is now the place to buy guitars, electric guitars, amplifiers, and drums.
“Pretty much everything but keyboards. We never really sold keyboards,” said Lyons.

Over the years, Lyons started carrying school band instruments.

“The band directors will do their fitting and test their students to see what they play best and then tell them what they play. Then they will let them shop for whatever they’re looking for. We sell all the instruments that the band uses. Saxophone, clarinet, flute, trumpet, and trombone. And percussion and bells,” said Lyons.

“We take time with our customers and don’t try to rush anything. We work with them. If someone is buying a horn, we take the time to tell them how to clean it and take care of it so they aren’t always bringing it in for repairs,” said Pat Lyons.

If this is a student’s first time to play a horn, Lyons says, it is important to go over the basics with them when they are purchasing the instrument. They’re shown what to do and what not to do, to keep the instrument in good condition.

In his younger years, when Lyons was first getting started with the guitar, he participated in a few bands.

“Like all young guys we would play in a few different bands over the years. Nothing famous.”

The band consisted of Lyons and one of his best friends with other members coming and going.
“We would play rock and roll and country at different local venues. We did street dances, several things for the city of Sulphur, and we would play at the roller rink on some weekends,“ said Lyons.

When Rob Robin was still a DJ, the group played for him a few times at the roller rink in Lake Charles.

“We were always changing members and changing the name of the band.”

Some of Lyons’ musical inspirations were The Beatles, Eric Clapton and Chet Atkins.
“The Beatles were one of the groups I really listened to because they were not only great singers, but they were great musicians. Chet Atkins could pretty much do anything he wanted to on a guitar.”

When Lyons married at 21, he stopped playing in the band, but he never stopped playing the guitar.

“I play guitar for myself and when my wife and her family get together, some of her brothers play as well. Of course I will play in the store when customers come in just to show them how the guitar works, especially with the electric guitars. I show them how the knobs work,” said Lyons.
Lyons’ son, Jason, grew up in the store and even though he never took to playing, he has a knack for repairs.

“My son does repairs on the guitars and band instruments. He does anything string-wise. Banjos, mandolins, and violins. He can repair just about anything.”

The whole family is involved at Lyons Music Company, and their mission is to satisfy the customer.

“We will bend over backward to satisfy and I think that is lost in many stores, but the owners aren’t up front working anymore.”

Stop by Lyons Music Company where you can have all your questions answered with a personal touch.

Located at 337 Beglis Pkwy in Sulphur. For information call, 337-625-7915 or drop by. Store Hours: Monday-Friday 10am-6pm and Saturday 10am-2pm.

Flooring & Design Center, Inc.

2009-08-22T11:57:00.000-07:00

By Chaney Ferguson
Editor, The Times of SWLA

Fifteen years ago Gisela Ryland moved all of her furniture out of her house and created a beautiful showroom full of her treasures.

“Gisela worked for a design company in New Orleans and then opened a design firm in Alexandria. When I married her son and we had the first grandbaby, she closed the design shop in Alexandria and moved here and opened one,” said Stacey St. Amant, owner of Flooring & Design Center, Inc.

“She came from Germany when she was 18 and went to school in New Orleans. When I met her in ’78 or ’79, she was doing kitchen cabinet design and she and my mother worked together,” said St. Amant.

St. Amant worked with her mother-in-law in the design business. The showroom was full of antiques, crystal, and Persian rugs.

“She was there for five years and then she started doing a lot of big commercial jobs. We did about four of the hotels here in Sulphur, the Lake Charles airport, and the federal courthouse,” said St. Amant.

The two women stayed in the small building on Beglis Parkway for five years before moving to their current location at 1401 Cypress Street, in Sulphur.

St. Amant said that with each new job the business took a natural turn in the direction of flooring.
“Slowly we began to fill the showroom. As we took on more projects, everything started to involve flooring so we noticed how the flooring aspect began to encompass the rest of all the things we were doing,” said St. Amant.

After ten years of being in the same building, St. Amant and her husband have taken over the flooring end of things.

“We have been involved in flooring for 12 years. Gisela still does the design, but her end is a separate business,” said St. Amant.

Cathy Morton joined the team a couple of months ago and is excited to work with her best friend, Stacy.

“Our husbands install together and that’s how we met. We worked together at a flooring store in Moss Bluff,” said Morton.

The two women are trying to redefine what the business is known for. Many in the Sulphur area still believe it is a high-end design business, but St. Amant and Morton want to set the record straight.

“If you are building a $2 million dollar home or if you need carpet in your camper, we can handle it,” said Morton.

“We are trying to send the message that we still do design, but that is not the forefront of what this business is all about. It hasn’t been for a long time,” said St. Amant.

The two shared people’s reactions when they walk into the store for the first time. They believe many people are surprised at the large selection of flooring they actually have.

“We have a large selection of hardwood, laminate, ceramic and natural stone,” said St. Amant.
It is clear from their enthusiasm and their background experience that they love what they do. The business may be more flooring than design, but the two women love to assist in design decisions without additional cost.

“When people come in, we try to get a feel for what they are looking for. If they are building a house they lay out their blueprints and we get a feel for what they see in each room,” said Morton.

“I have a customer, a single man, that came in and he said he wanted wood almost everywhere. So he brings his plans and he tells me where he wants the wood. We picked out countertops, carpet, slate, kitchen granite, and all the paint colors,” said St. Amant.

“He doesn’t pay a design fee. He is just paying for the floors,” said Morton.
St. Amant and Morton are more than happy to help with design preferences and they know how to work with a budget.

Builders will come to the women and give specifics on what is needed, but they also include the budget they are working with.

“We are hard to beat price-wise,” said Morton.

“We still have the $12 square foot tile, but we also have a 99 cent square foot tile. If we have to come down, we can,” said St. Amant.

One of the perks of choosing Flooring & Design Center, Inc. is that it is basically a one-stop shopping experience.

The women have enough experience to know what they are talking about and they enjoy their work.

Morton says they are the ones that go out and measure the houses, and they also get an idea of the layout and design of the house by being there.

If the house is being built and the customer is making paint sample choices and other decisions the women will create a list for them.

“We will send them home with a typed list, and they can take it to their builder or we can deal with the builders ourselves. I don’t mind doing it because I’m just happy to have that man’s business,” said St. Amant.

Starting in the fall St. Amant and Morton are signing up for online classes.

“We want to be CID certified in interior decorating. We want our customers to know that something looks good because we have had the training and not just because we think it does,” said Morton.

“We use Gisela as a resource for design questions. She is here so we ask her advice about what works and why,” said St. Amant.

With so many resources at their fingertips, the women are hard to beat when considering their experience, talent and enthusiasm.

Whether it is flooring needs or design assistance, Flooring & Design Center, Inc. is the place to visit. It doesn’t matter how big or how small the project is with St. Amant and Morton helping, all creative needs will be met.

For more information visit Flooring & Design Center, Inc. at 1401 Cypress Street in Sulphur, or call (337) 528-1077.

Chez Caffe: A Cup of Coffee and Conversation

2009-08-07T16:12:00.000-07:00

By Chaney Ferguson
The Times of SWLA

Lake Area residents may remember when Chez Caffe owners Ken Daugherty and Greg Thomas sold food and coffee in the local mall.

“In 1989, we bought a little deli in the west side of the mall and ran that for five or six years. It was kind of a hamburger and fries joint,” said Daugherty.

The two friends decided to become partners once they were out-of-work.

“When we were in need of a job this little deli in the mall became available. We thought why don’t we just buy our own business,” said Daugherty.

In 1993, while Daugherty and Thomas spent some time in Dallas they were inspired to start selling coffee.

“We wondered why Lake Charles didn’t have any coffee shops like you see around the big metropolitan areas. So we started putting together a plan for coffees,” said Daugherty.

The partners started a little coffee kiosk in the mall in September of 1993. They operated it through the Christmas season, and after proving its success they expanded into a larger area and called it A Place to Meet.

“We had lighter sandwiches and a healthier menu. It has just kind of developed and hung on all these years,” said Daugherty.

The deli closed in 1996 when the mall was beginning the expansion.

“It was just an opportune time to shut down and not go with the mall from that point,” said Daugherty.

Mall management changed and the mall wanted national companies and national names not the mom and pop type businesses.

“At the mall you are blessed with a captive audience. When we moved out of the mall customers followed us, but also it opened a lot of doors for new customers,” said Daugherty.

The transition was very easy for Daugherty and Thomas. Their sales even increased as a result of the move.

Ken Daugherty, Cyd Daugherty, and Greg Thomas

The mall offered time for the owners to hone their skills. They learned what kinds of coffee people preferred and also perfected their chicken salad.

“We average about forty pounds of chicken salad everyday. That is kind of our forte. If it is not coffee then it is chicken salad,” said Daugherty.

Each morning Daugherty, his wife Cyd, and Thomas arrive between 5:45 and 6:00 a.m. to prepare for breakfast and lunch.

“The first thing we do is stick in a ten pound bag of chicken to start boiling and while we’re doing that we are starting to brew coffee,” said Daugherty.

The Chez Caffe opens at 7 a.m. for breakfast.

“We make our own biscuits every morning. We have biscuit sandwiches, croissants, croissant sandwiches, eggs, and bacon,” said Daugherty.

They haven’t branched out into pancakes and waffles, but Daugherty says they are still thinking about it.

“Most people that come in for breakfast are on their way to work and they come in for something quick. Grab and go,” said Daugherty.

Daugherty sees the usual customers so often that he knows their vehicles. When they pull up their food is already being made.

“Everybody likes to feel like they are important somewhere so when they come in here they know they are important, they are treated special, and they know their food is being prepared for them,” said Daugherty.

The friendly atmosphere allows customers to enjoy companionship and conversation or quiet time.

Daugherty and Thomas have been friends for thirty years. As partners they divide the duties of the business.

Thomas maintains the back kitchen area and Daugherty is usually up in the front greeting customers.

“We each have our function and we still communicate a lot and say here is what is going on here. He usually handles things on his end and I do on mine. I think that has been a large part of our success to make this business last as long as it has,” said Daugherty.

Working in the front allows Daugherty to enjoy conversations and the relationships he builds with the customers.

“What I enjoy the most is the people and the camaraderie I get from the relationships,” said Daugherty.

Business is fun for Daugherty. He describes it as a personality.

“Along with a good product people are paying for the atmosphere or buying the personality as well,” said Daugherty.

It is a challenge everyday and fortunately after 20 years it is good to have many of the challenges whipped. Daugherty says there is never a dull moment, and he can’t let himself get too comfortable and let things falter.

“I have to make sure my service is good and my food is good after all these years. Make sure it is made consistently no matter who makes it, and that is hard some times,” said Daugherty.

“It has been a ride. If I could do it again I would put recorders in here and cameras so I could see all the coffee conversations. We would have a humorous book that’s all I can say.”

For a cup of coffee and conversation stop by Chez Caffe at 127 W. College Street, Monday-Saturday from 7-3, or for more information call 337-474-2200.

Lake Charles Tackle: Where Service Is The Catch

2009-07-20T07:34:00.000-07:00

By Chaney Ferguson

In 1994, David Rabalais and Tim Woods started Lake Charles Tackle (LCT). The business venture began with two avid fishermen who had to order their bait.

“Every time we had to fish at a tournament we had to go look at the magazine, and order baits because nobody was carrying the ones we were using at the time,” said Woods.

Neither one remembers which one said the line that sparked the business, but the idea came from a desire to have a tackle shop like one at Toledo Bend.

Rabalais and Woods began their business on Common Street in a building with only 900 square feet.

“We put up a shingle, ordered some things we thought we could sell, and hired a good manager named Bill Brown,” said Woods.

Brown had a background in merchandising and he taught the two new owners how to listen to what the customer wanted before ordering products.

“We always thought we knew what the people wanted because we fished. We learned quickly that it was not always what we wanted but what the customer wanted,” said Rabalais.

Business started out slow until Rabalais and Woods started sponsoring a fishing show, hosted by Terry Shaughnessy.

“The show really helped get our name out there,” said Rabalais.

After two years in the business the men decided to expand. They moved to their current location at 310 W. McNeese Street, where they enjoy approximately 4,000 square feet.

“We are actually looking to expand again,” said Woods.

Since 1994 the business has not only increased in size but also in workers.

“We began with one employee, and now we have between eight and ten depending on the season,” said Woods.

The current general manager, Gregg Vidrine, says that LCT is not like Academy or Wal-Mart.
“We are the individual serving the individual’s needs,” said Vidrine. “There is always someone here to greet the customer at the door, and see if there is anything we can do to help.”

LCT finds unique niche items that help them separate themselves from their competition. Items such as the Yeti ice chest. LCT is made more unique with the Yeti LSU ice chest for the die-hard fans. They offer many services chain stores do not have.

“We provide a service on rod and reel repair, spool reels, sell and service Charlie motors, and we sell electronics like depth finders and GPS’s,” said Rabalais.

Recently the store started carrying marine accessories, whether it is something to fix a trailer or boat, wiring or electrical.

“We don’t do the repairs, but we sell the parts,” said Woods.

They will special order any type of equipment, bait, boating accessory, or fishing accessory.
“Special orders don’t upset us,” said Vidrine.

Rabalais says that LCT will switch gears around late August or early September when they start carrying hunting equipment.

“We deal with mainly waterfowl and deer hunting accessories,” said Rabalais.

Vidrine says that the name of the business should be changed to Lake Charles Tackle and More because the store offers products for the sportsman, not just the fisherman.

Products for those who like to go rafting, kayaking, or fly fishing are offered too.

“We order the newest and most innovative supplies for fishing or hunting,” said Rabalais.

The market for the area has completely changed since the business opened fifteen years ago. Rabalais and Woods started their business with an interest in bass fishing.

“We started with freshwater fishing, but customers came in and started asking for other things so we moved into what is called inshore saltwater,” said Rabalais.

In the last six or seven years LCT has moved into blue water (offshore) fishing.

The shift in merchandise is caused by what the customers are asking for.

“If you can think it, we can get it,” said Vidrine.

Over the past five or six years LCT has won the award for #1 Independent Dealer.

When new products become available LCT has the ability to get them quicker than the chains.

“We can react quicker than the chains,” said Vidrine. “We don’t order for next year in mind. We order for next week in mind.”

The men learn of new products from their contacts with sales representatives and product shows. They also order new items when customers come in talking about them.

“The other day a guy brought in something he ordered, and he suggested we start carrying it. So we will,” said Vidrine.

All three men believe in the importance of customer service.

“Our customers are our best salesmen,” said Vidrine. “They keep coming back because of the service we provide.”

LCT participates in community events such as the annual boat show, and they donate to various charities hosting fishing events.

“We are not just a place for men to shop. We also offer rod and reels for women, and our Costa Del Mar sunglasses are a big seller with women,” said Rabalais.

Whether you want to sign up for a tournament, learn the fishing and hunting regulations, or get a fishing or hunting license, Lake Charles Tackle is the place to go.

For more information call 337-479-2999, visit the website at www.lakecharlestackle.com or stop by 310 W. McNeese St.

Gymnastics Etc., Dedicated to the Children

2009-07-10T07:30:00.000-07:00

By Chaney Ferguson
The Times of SWLA

Chuck and Monique McLallen are a young couple with a love for gymnastics and children. The McLallen’s moved to Lake Charles in 2001 when they bought Gymnastics Etc. from Keith and Tammy Miller.
“I think it was about twenty-eight years ago they started the business,” said Monique. “We became friends with the Millers through the gymnastics meets, and when it came time to sell the business they actually contacted us to see if we wanted to buy it.” Since 2001, the McLallens opened an additional gym in Lake Charles. Now with a Sulphur and Lake Charles location they are able to enroll about a 1,000 kids in the gymnastics program.

“We have anywhere from a 2 year old to a 25 year old,” said Chuck.

The younger kids start out in tumbling and gradually work their way up to gymnastics.
“The older kids will sometimes compete internationally,” said Chuck. “They start competing around 5 or 6 years old, and continue until their body won’t let them do it anymore which is around 30 or so.”

The international competitions usually last for a six month period. Starting in November and ending around May. Competitors go all over the world, but many important competitions are held here in the States.

“This next year we are going to a big competition in Vegas, and the world championships will be in Dallas,” said Chuck.

Competitions take place locally for recreational participants and serious competitors.
“Each year we host the Gumbo Cup and the Contraband Classic,” said Chuck.

Last year the Gumbo Cup had around 600 gymnasts participating in the competition held at the Sulphur Recreation and Aquatic Center.
“The Contraband Classic is held in May. It is a local event for our kids and everyone goes home with a ribbon,” said Monique.

Safety is a priority for the McLallens. The gym follows the USA gymnastics level progression program—a junior Olympic program.

“We start out at level two with the girls and that goes all the way up to level ten. After level ten you would consider them an Olympic gymnast or an elite gymnast,” said Monique.
The boys start at level four and go up to a level ten. The gymnasts work their way up through the levels with skill and talent.

“We have two elites, the only two elites in Louisiana right now,” said Chuck.
The gym also has gymnasts competing at the collegiate level.

“Once they graduate from high school they have the option of competing for a college or going the elite route and trying to compete on the international level,” said Monique.
When asked about why the facility produces so many successful gymnasts the McLallens give credit to the parents.

“I think it is just the people. Families here seem dedicated to their children,” said Chuck.
Dedication has led to a new record for Gymnastics Etc. This year they boast 7 All-Around USA Gymnastics State Champions.

The McLallens are proud of the success of their “kids”, but the best part of the gymnastics business is the bond formed with the kids and their families.

One thing Monique was never aware of is how close knit the gymnastics family is.
“We get to know these parents on a very personal level. We spend time with their children,” said Monique.

The upper level gymnasts will spend five days a week at the gym in training. Since Chuck is not only the owner, but also a coach he spends a lot of time with the kids.

“We had one parent tell us Chuck spends more time with their child than they do,” said Monique.
The McLallens understand the dynamics of a busy family. Between the two gyms, Monique working as a pharmacist, and their two lovely daughters, they make their family business family friendly.

“Our sessions are an hour long and we encourage parents to stay and watch what their child is doing,” said Monique.

The Sulphur gym has a sizable waiting room with chairs for parents to sit and watch their children practice. Since the Lake Charles facility was planned by the McLallens, it offers another option for parents.

“We have a workout area for parents, so they can exercise while their child is practicing,” said Chuck.

Chuck and Monique offer an additional service to parents: birthdays with no clean-up. On the weekends the gym hosts birthday parties.

“We offer an hour of gymnastics with our coaches, and then an hour or so for the party,” said Monique. “All parents have to do is bring the cake.”

Birthday parties are a good way for parents and children to see if gymnastics is a good fit for their family.

Whether it is for sport, recreation, or a memorable birthday, Gymnastics Etc. provides families with a fun, safe environment because they care.

For more questions or information, you can visit the Sulphur facility at 3615 Maplewood Dr or call 625-3547. The Lake Charles gym is located at 605 Petro Point Dr or call 494-3547. Their website is www.gym-etc.com.

Jimmy’s Hair We Are: A Lively Barber Shop

2009-06-23T11:04:00.000-07:00

By Chaney Ferguson

Many people in the lake area who go to Jimmy's Hair We Are may not know they are getting their hair cut by an award-winning stylist.

Jimmy Fontenot has won thirty-five trophies in different competitions around the country in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. Just to name a few.

“Every show would send me literature, and I would work and I would practice for that show,” says Fontenot.

Fontenot began working as a barber when he was 18 in Beaumont, TX. In 1968, he worked at Rodrigue’s on Kirkman Street. The owner saw talent in Fontenot and decided to groom him for competition.

“I didn’t know what he was talking about,” says Fontenot. “Rodrigue was traveling throughout the United States judging so he knew what it took to win.”

According to Fontenot, he and Rodrigue picked out male models and Fontenot would work with them every day.

“We would color their hair black, put them in tuxes, and make them look perfect,” said Fontenot. “You would compete against forty guys in the competitions.”

Participants in the hair competitions would begin cutting hair at the same time. When the time was up five judges would make a decision based on how the haircuts looked, if there was any loose hair around, and the overall perfection of the style.

“I competed for four years before I became a judge,” said Fontenot. “Judging wasn’t as much fun, but it was the next step.”

In 1972, after gaining experience from working at Rodrigue’s, Fontenot decided to open his own barber shop on Prien Lake Road. He was there for twenty years before moving to his current location near McNeese.

“Everybody likes to have their own business, run their own shop,” shares Fontenot. “I’m an aggressive person. I like to be up front and make things happen.”

Fontenot feels like the competitions prepared him for his future in running his own business.
“It helped me get a lot of publicity with customers coming in. There was exposure,” says Fontenot. “TV 7 would come to the shop every time I won and it helped me out with business.”
When Fontenot first got started in the business he attended shows, read magazines, and did his homework on the new hairstyles.

“As you get older it comes natural; you work on older people and you don’t need to go to shows,” says Fontenot. “The people that come in now have their standard way of getting a haircut.”
Years ago, women represented 60% of Fontenot’s client base. He had to keep up with all the latest styles, but now with the older men he says it is much easier.

“You don’t need much talent to cut them old men’s hair, just a lot of patience,” teases Fontenot.
Ten years ago Fontenot stopped going to the hair shows. He says he doesn’t miss having to keep up with the latest styles.From

(L to R: Delton Bertrand, Jimmy Fontenot, Fred Benoit, and the woman is Jeanette Webster)

“I’ve been cutting hair for forty-six years. Once you get to this point it is time to slow it down,” says Fontenot.

Fontenot is a huge McNeese fan. He used to be president of the Cowboy Club, and still maintains a relationship with the Club, helping them raise money. Plaques cover the shop’s walls as evidence of his love and support.

“I attend all the men and women’s basketball games, as well as the football games,” said Fontenot.

He moved to his current location hoping to gain business from the university.
“When we moved we had a lot of people start coming over from McNeese. That’s why we got that pretty lady back there because the young guys come in and get their hair cut by her,” said Fontenot.

Jimmy’s Hair We Are currently employs four workers with 157 years of combined haircutting experience. Three men, including Fontenot, and one woman provide Jimmy’s with a friendly atmosphere where men can gather and shoot the bull.

“Each one had their own shop and they got tired of running it themselves,” says Fontenot. “The men are all getting to the age when they want to slow down and retire so they sell and work with someone else.”

Fontenot and his colleagues create a warm inviting environment for their customers. The morning begins with Fontenot arriving at eight a.m. He does the bookwork and makes coffee.
“Customers come in early and drink coffee with us and talk,” said Fontenot. “Don’t come in feeling sorry for yourself because we will pick with you.”

Jimmy’s has a jovial mood because of the characters who work there. They like to talk about what’s going on the world and make jokes.

“We’ve been fortunate. Since I’ve been in Lake Charles the business has been very steady. We haven’t been affected by competition especially since we’ve been older. We have more business than we know what to do with,” said Fontenot. “Customers just walk-in, nobody calls and we like it that way.”

If you are looking for a good haircut, jokes, and interesting conversation check out Jimmy’s Hair We Are at 112 W. McNeese St. For more information call Jimmy’s at (337) 477-7932.

Cotten’s Famous Hamburgers: Fresh Ingredients Everyday

2009-06-08T04:27:00.001-07:00

By Chaney Ferguson
The Times of SWLA

Kenny Cotten always wanted to own his own business—even when he managed the Paramount Theater in downtown Lake Charles. When the theater closed, Cotten moved on to work at the Colonial Inn, unaware of the hamburger legacy that awaited him.

In the late seventies, the Colonial Inn was very well known for its hamburgers and onion rings.

“A lot of people are too young to remember it,” said Cotten. “It was on Broad St.”

Cotten worked there for two years before he struck out on his own to start Cotten’s Hamburgers. According to Cotten, his business maintains the Colonial Inn tradition with its specific, limited menu and quality product.

Cotten’s Hamburgers was originally on Ryan Street across from McNeese University where the Smoothie King is located now. Many people remember the commercial starring Cotten’s daughter—“If Poppa is king of the grill I think that makes me the princess.”

After eighteen months, Cotten relocated to 2001 Oak Park Blvd because he believed Oak Park was a good area to open a restaurant. The theater and the medical complex provided a steady influx of customers.

“Originally I was trying to get the landlord of the nearby shopping center to try and add on and rent me a spot,” said Cotten. “They weren’t interested, and this place was a going restaurant so when they closed, I bought it.”

According to Cotten the location proved to bring as many customers as he’d anticipated. People still come over from the hospital, and the hospital offices benefit from the convenience of Cotten’s take-out and drive-thru.

“We also see a lot of blue collar workers if they happen to be working around the area,” said Cotten.

While Kenny Cotton still enjoys owning his own business, there are ups and downs. “You are your own boss and that is a good thing, but there are a lot of things people don’t realize,” said Cotten. For one, ‘the hours are difficult.’

Cotton’s Hamburgers was originally open seven days a week, twelve hours a day. Even though they have cut back over the years, Cotten says that he still works too many hours.

“We close at 3:30 in the afternoon, but I was here until ten o’clock last night trying to fix a couple of things that had broken,” said Cotten. “When you own a business you’re always trying to get caught up and ready for the next day.”

Cotten emphasizes that the restaurant business is a tough business. A typical day for Kenny Cotten begins at 7:45 in the morning when he arrives to prepare for customers.

“I have to slice one hundred pounds of onions and one to two cases of tomatoes,” he said.
Cotten’s also cuts and grinds their own meat, and peels their own shrimp.

“Just about everything we do here is fresh,” said Cotten. “We don’t just open a bag and cook it. It all takes time to prepare so I do that six days a week.”

“We cry every day for our customers,” said Cotten, leaning over the machine to slice onions. “You never get used to it, you just endure the burn.”

For anyone who wants to own his own business, Cotten recommends being prepared to work and being dedicated because the buck stops with you.

“When that person calls in sick and you’ve already worked ten or twelve hours and you have another shift to go, are you going to just say you can’t go in and let the service or the food suffer because of it?” asks Cotten. “Or are you going to go fill the position? It is going to happen and happen often.”

Cotten points out, “A lot of people either love it or hate it. Or once they do it, they never want to do it again.”

Of course, Kenny Cotten is quick to add, “If I had it to do all over again I would still want to have my own business, but whether I would have chosen this one or not is debatable.”

The effects of Hurricane Rita linger on in area businesses. Cotten shares that it has been difficult to keep good help since the storm struck in 2005.

“I don’t know why that is,” said Cotten. “Almost everybody in business says the same thing. Every restaurant says they need help—but it’s not just restaurants.”

Cotten doubts many people left the lake area permanently, and with the new people who moved in from New Orleans it remains a mystery that continues to plague local businesses.

“Sure people could go and get better jobs somewhere else,” he says. He continues to try to make sense of the problem because every restaurant has the same problem. “There’s more work than workers.”

When Cotten’s Hamburgers remained open at night they employed fifteen to twenty workers. Presently they have nine or ten including members of his family.

“My wife works here, and my son works on Saturdays because he’s in school,” said Cotten. “My oldest daughter worked here a long time until she graduated from McNeese.”

According to Cotten, as the economy slows, things will change, but as it slows, the less help businesses will need.

Over the years the menu has changed very little. The current offerings take up all Cotten’s time.
“I think we could probably increase business with more menu items but until the employee situation changes I have more than I can keep up with now. And we stay busy.”

According to Cotten, his customers keep asking him when he’s going to build in South Lake Charles. Even though he owns property in that area, everything depends on the help.

“I can’t open another location until I know I have the people to work it,” said Cotten. “The help is the key.”

When the mood for a hamburger and onion rings causes a rumble in the stomach, pop over to Cotten’s Famous Hamburgers. Walk through the door, wave at old friends, place your order with a smiling, joking employee, and listen to the beautiful voice of Florence as she clears the tables.

Lunch time doesn’t get much better than this.

For additional information, call Cotten’s Famous Hamburgers at (337) 477-9759, or stop by 2001 Oak Park Blvd. Restaurant hours are 10:30-3:30 Monday through Friday and 10:00 to 3:00 on Saturday.

Trahan’s Hardware: Come Here First

2009-05-28T09:24:00.000-07:00

By Chaney Ferguson
The Times of SWLA

Trahan’s Hardware has been a family owned business since Carolyn Trahan’s parents opened it in 1966. Since then the whole family has been involved. In 1994 Mr. Trahan passed away leaving his wife, Ethel to operate the store. It was at that time the family stepped in and played a more active role.

“It was just me and him until 1994, and when he passed away I couldn’t do it by myself.” said Ethel Arabie, Carolyn Trahan’s mother. “Right now all the employees are family.”

Hammers and Other History

Trahan’s has had a history of friends and family members working together to maintain the business. Carolyn Trahan worked in the store when she was growing up.
“We were raised in this store,” said Trahan, speaking of herself and her siblings. “We worked here summers and after school, but I didn’t enjoy it because I was a kid.”

Trahan’s father had a love for hardware. He grew up going to his uncle’s hardware store and fell in love with the business. He even took his future wife there when she came in for a visit.
“Every time I came to town with my boyfriend we had to go to the hardware store and I remember thinking why can’t we just go to Sears,” said Arabie, laughing at the memory.

Arabie went on to explain how her future husband looked at all the hammers in the hardware store. She wanted to shop at Sears so he could look at the hardware and she could spend her time looking at something else.

“I thought a hammer is a hammer and he would say a hammer is not a hammer,” said Arabie. “So years later I’m in the hardware business and I’m selling those hammers and not every hammer is alike. This has been a learning experience for me.”
The Trahan’s have had many experiences, including a fire in 1977 that destroyed the original building leaving nothing for them to save.

“Customers came and helped after the fire,” said Trahan. “A couple of days later, once my dad got his bearings back customers came out and helped and within days we had a temporary building built.”

“When you lose everything you have to start all over again,” said Arabie. “We had established credit with some of these wholesalers, and they extended us the courtesy to charge. We went to one company and they said take whatever you want. You have one year to pay us.”

Within a month the family was able to begin selling again, and they remained in the temporary building for over a year before finishing their current building.
Hurricane Experiences

Hurricane season is approaching and Trahan’s Hardware is already stocking extra candles, lanterns, batteries, tarps, and other essential hurricane items. Hurricanes Rita and Ike have provided Trahan’s with a lot of experience to know exactly what their customers need after disaster strikes.

“Rita was unbelievable,” said Trahan. “I snuck back into town the morning after to make sure we still had houses and a building. While we were here someone spotted our vehicle.”
According to Trahan, once someone noticed her vehicle she was back in business. Everyone was looking for supplies to begin clean-up.

“She had to have the children man the door,” said Arabie.

All the electricity was out. Trahan had to personally walk each customer around the store while they gathered what they needed.

“With a flashlight I can take you anywhere in the store and get you whatever you need,” said Trahan. “Anybody that works here can, but we couldn’t allow customers to come in here without lights. We had kids at the door and if we had five people in here working, there could only be five people in the store.”

Trahan and other workers operated the store for two weeks with no electricity. Each customer was guided around the store with a flashlight until they had all they needed to begin their repairs.

Competition

Trahan’s Hardware has been around for a number of years, and despite the competition from larger chain stores they haven’t suffered thanks to their personal customer service.

“When you go to the big stores you have to find someone to help you,” said Trahan. “If you walk in the door here everyone speaks to you, and asks if you need help.”

According to Arabie the larger stores will sometimes send customers to Trahan’s or call and see if they have something a particular customer needs.

“We sell the parts to all the stuff they sell,” said Cary Thomas, one of the workers at Trahan’s.
Trahan adds that they also do special orders for customers who need a specific part. Trahan’s offers many services besides special orders.

“We will try to fix whatever you bring in,” said Trahan.

Trahan’s Hardware is full of supplies with plans of adding additional merchandise.

“We have people come in here saying, you’re my last hope because I’ve looked everywhere else,” said Thomas. “I always tell people, instead of going everywhere start here.”
Before driving all over town check out Trahan’s Hardware for all of your hurricane supplies and hardware needs.

For additional information call Trahan’s Hardware at (337) 477-5627, or stop by 5507 Common Street. Store hours are Monday-Friday 7:30-5:30, and Saturday 8:00-2:00.

CUTLINE: From L to R are Carolyn Trahan, Cary Thomas, Patsy Nelson.

Book Exchange: Selling Books with a Personal Touch

2009-05-13T05:18:00.000-07:00

by Chaney Ferguson
The Times of SWLA

The personality of any business is a direct result of the owner. The Book Exchange is definitely a place overflowing with LSU spirit, sociable customers, and many literary treasures. The owner, John Byles, is a friendly, talkative man who loves his mysteries, and will gladly introduce customers to thrilling reads.

The History
The Book Exchange has been in business for 37 years. It’s a family business that was started by Elizabeth Byles in 1972 with 5,000 books. In 1989 Elizabeth was diagnosed with breast cancer, and John was in Arizona.

“I left Arizona and came home because we didn’t know what was going on,” said Byles. “I went and worked the pipeline for a little bit, and got tired of that so I bought the store from Momma because the doctor said she needed to quit stressing.”
Before moving into the present location on Kirkman Street, the Book Exchange was located on the corner of Sycamore for 24 years. When the building began to fall apart Byles packed up all the books and moved.

“When we moved into this building I filled it up halfway with books,” said Byles. “We counted 65,000 books. Now it’s stacked and packed, and I’m guessing 120,000 books.”

Customers and Their Books
Everyday customers bring in previously read books. Byles goes through the books and decides, based on the author’s popularity, how many should be kept.

“I keep 3-5 of the popular authors and 1-2 copies of the less popular,” said Byles.
According to Byles, his regulars know exactly what they are looking for. Many customers come looking for specific titles or authors. They bring lists to aid them in their search.

“They keep lists of what they’ve read, what they’re looking for, and different authors,” said Byles. “Very few browsers come in. Most customers are on a mission.”

Byles keeps everything in alphabetical order except the difficult non-fiction section that can’t seem to stay organized. He shelves all the books himself so customers can feel free to ask for assistance.

“If they don’t know where it’s at, I tell them fifth section on the right,” said Byles. “Now that I’m here all the time I know where everything is.”

According to Byles, a woman came in the other day and asked for recipe books. Based on his many years of experience he asked a follow-up question that only an avid reader would know to ask.

“Are you asking about the mystery books or cookbooks?” asked Byles.
Byles knew exactly what the customer wanted. There is a mystery series that has a recipe at the end of each chapter—another satisfied customer.

Sometimes Byles will recommend certain authors and books to his customers. After a while he learns the customer’s names and what kinds of books each one enjoys.

“I have customers come in and say they’ve read everything,” said Byles. “I think okay, they like military books. Have they read any Stephen Hunter books in the Earl Swagger series?”

More Than a Reader
When Byles isn’t lost in a mystery series he enjoys spending time on the golf course.
“My regular customers have known me for so long. They know if it’s a beautiful day I might be on the golf course,” said Byles.

Before he worked in the store full-time he used to only come in on Tuesdays because that was the day the golf course was closed.

“Now, I close at 12:30 on Wednesdays and Saturdays so I can be on the golf course,” said Byles.
Growing up in Lake Charles, Byles had many teachers that said he was least likely to have anything to do with a book. After graduating high school in 1979 he spent time at LSU and also lived in Aspen, Denver, and Tucson.

“I was a ski bum for a couple of years,” said Byles.

Perhaps his sense of adventure is what draws him to mystery series by James Lee Burke, John Sandford, and Lee Child. He is currently reading the Lee Child series with protagonist Jack Reacher.

“Jack’s cool. He’s a loner, and only travels with a toothbrush,” said Byles. “He’s not tied down.”

Trade and Credit
Byles keeps a card index with customer’s names on the cards and also the information for how much credit they have. He estimates knowing about 80-85% of his customer index by first name.

“When people bring in their books they get half the publisher’s price in credit,” said Byles. “It’s monetarily two for one. I add up the publisher’s price, divide it in half, and that’s your credit. Then you buy books on your credit and the full price comes off your credit, and then I charge one dollar per book on the trades.”

Occasional browsers who don’t want to part with their books for trade credit pay half of the publisher’s price. Many customers will go to Wal-Mart and buy what they want and then bring them in for credit.

“My customers are my suppliers,” said Byles.

According to Byles the spike in gas prices last year helped his sales. The economic crisis has also not stopped people from their love of reading.

“I feel like I’m probably doing better because people are being tight with their money,” said Byles.

Summer Must Haves for All Ages
During the summer many young customers will come in with their required reading list from school. Each year, Byles notices a change in what the students come in and ask for.

“They don’t read Death Be Not Proud anymore, but they still read Lord of the Flies,” said Byles.
A .50 cents table is set up in the store with Harlequin romance novels. Byles calls them poolside reading because readers don’t have to think. They can just enjoy.

“When summer is coming all the mommas come in and they have their kids with them in bathing suits. They come in and grab them a few books before heading to the pool,” said Byles.

Taking into account the potential limitations of some of his customers, Byles does his best to make things as easy as possible for customers to find what they are looking for. He collected many popular series books and bundled them together with a rubber band.

“Sometimes the older customers can’t stand for a long time or bend down and look around,” said Byles, “so I keep these bundles here so they can just grab a series they are interested in and not have to worry about hunting down each one.”

The summer is almost here, and the books are waiting. Pop in with a summer book list, or grab a poolside read, or an engrossing series. For suggestions, don’t hesitate to ask John.

For more information call (337) 433-5803, or visit Book Exchange, at 2405 Kirkman St. in Lake Charles. The store hours are Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri.-9:30-5:00 and Wed, Sat. - 9:30-12:30.

Marceaux’s Clothing Company

2009-04-29T15:31:00.000-07:00

By Chaney Ferguson
The Times of SWLA

Marceaux’s Clothing Company provides a warm atmosphere,
friendly service, and affordable clothing. The comfortable
layout of the store invites customers to browse through all
the unique and stylish clothes and accessories. A box of toys
in the shoe corner offers children a chance to play while
their parents shop.

The Beginning

The clothing business has always been a part of John
Marceaux’s life. He worked for his father for two years before
going into business for himself.

“My father was in the clothing business his whole life,” said
Marceaux. “I think it was a natural step following in his
footsteps.”

In the late seventies Marceaux opened a children’s clothing
store called Briar Patch. Later he, his father, and his
brother started Marceaux Clothing.

“When they decided to get out my wife, Janet, and I bought
it,” said Marceaux. “Shortly after that I sold Briar Patch and
concentrated on the Marceaux clothing store.”

Marceaux also owns Uniform Outfitters in Crowley where they
sell school uniforms to Acadia Parish. Marceaux’s also sells
uniforms along with women’s clothing, men’s suits, jewelry,
purses, and shoes.

Over the past twenty or so years Marceaux has added many
different lines to the store. Most recently, the store has
taken on more shoe lines such as Volatile and YellowBox.
“During the last two years Crocs have been popular. We sold a
ton of Crocs,” Marceaux said, laughing at the memory.
A Change in Retail

When you drive through small towns now there are barely any
clothing stores left. Everything has changed in the past ten
to fifteen years due to vertical retail. Vertical retail
stores are those that design, produce, and sell their own
product.

“When you used to drive through Jennings you could probably
find ten clothing stores. Now you’re down to about four,” said
Marceaux. “It’s changed tremendously.”

With vertical retail popping up Marceaux’s had to take a
different tact. They moved their customer age base up,
shifting their primary customers from young high school
females to missy customers.

“Women still care about fashion,” said Marceaux, “Women from
thirty and older are a greatly underserved market in small
towns. They get overlooked. So that’s the market we are trying
to set-up.”

Choosing the Right Styles

Marceaux’s carries a variety of men and women’s clothing,
accessories, shoes, and LSU products. John and Janet Marceaux
are always paying attention to changes in fashion so they know
what to look for when they go four times a year to market in
Dallas.

“My wife does a lot of catalogue browsing to see what everyone
is wearing and see what is new,” Marceaux said. “We always
notice what people are wearing. There have been times when my
wife and I have asked someone who made what they are wearing.
We can see if that’s something that would work for us.”

According to Marceaux, the market is like a mall with a lot of
mini-stores. There are certain lines they visit consistently
because they have done well for them in the past. A Canadian
line called Tribal is one they always go back to. Marceaux
describes the line as good quality, consistent fit, and
attractively priced.

“You walk the market and see what everyone is offering and
make plans for where you want to go,” Marceaux said.

Face to the Community

Marceaux’s windows face the busy North Lake Arthur Avenue.
Window displays are a major way to invite customers to come in
and browse. The displays are changed about every other week.
“I think it is very important. It’s your face to your
customers driving by,” Marceaux said.

According to Marceaux, once they displayed a dress with a wide
belt in their window. A lady walked in to the store and said
she wanted the dress and the belt.

“So, yeah, it sells merchandise,” he said.

The windows are not the only thing John Marceaux freshens up
and rearranges. Occasionally he and his wife will shift things
around in the store to change the layout.
“Janet came in two weeks ago and reconfigured the layout of
the floor. She’ll do that on occasion so everything doesn’t
get too stale,” Marceaux said.

Customer Service

“There was a lady in here who needed some pants for her son,”
said Marceaux, “The pants have a difficult inseam and we’re
going to see if we can get them for her.”
Marceaux’s business philosophy is all about the customers. He
and his staff have good people skills and always attend to the
customer’s needs above anything else. He is not the type of
owner who stays at home; he’s not one who remains in the back
office working at a desk. John Marceaux is out on the floor,
working the register, and even replacing light bulbs, while he
visits with the browsers. If a customer has a need Marceaux
and the staff will do their best to meet that need.

“I think if you listen and treat your customers as best you
can, you are going to be successful,” Marceaux said.

For more information call 337-824-7579, or visit
Marceaux’s Clothing Company, at 918 North Lake Arthur Avenue
in Jennings. The store hours are Mon.-Fri. from 9-5 and Sat.
9-4:45.

Cajun Charlie’s Seafood Restaurant and Gift Shop

2009-04-14T12:42:00.000-07:00

by Chaney Ferguson
The Times of SWLA

Clint and Linda Charlie, owners of Cajun Charlie’s have a rich
background in catering and restaurant management. Their
experience began in the 60s in New Orleans. Linda was involved
in catering and Clint worked at R&O’s restaurant when it was
still in the French Quarter. Since their beginning they’ve
managed a place in Eunice, owned a Po-boy shop, started a
catering hall for weddings, and owned a restaurant in Little
Rock, Arkansas.

“Every place we ever took on was closed or bankrupt and we
made a success out of them,” said Clint Charlie, looking back
on all their experiences. In 1988, they came home. “We took
this place over after it had been closed. We leased it for a
year and then bought it.”

Recipes from Momma
Cajun Charlie’s offers everything from Po-boys and salads, to
seafood gumbo, and steaks, for those family members who aren’t
seafood fans.

“Most people come in for the seafood gumbo. When we’re really
busy we may fix 150 gallons a week. Texas people love gumbo,”
said Clint Charlie. Since the restaurant is conveniently
located off I-10 the Charlies’ feed many hungry Texans and
other famished travelers.

Anyone who has ever eaten good Cajun food knows it’s hard to
turn down. So instead of eliminating food you love from your
diet Cajun Charlie’s now offers a tastier solution with their
heart healthy meals. A few years ago customers began to ask
for certain dishes to be grilled instead of fried, and those
requests have led to a yummy compromise.

This accommodation proves how much the Charlies’ value their
customer’s needs and health concerns. “We tailor our menu to
what customers want.”

Clint Charlie isn’t the only one who mans the kitchen when
things get busy. His son learned how to cook certain dishes
from his father and is now the manager. When Linda Charlie
isn’t in the office with the book work she can be found in the
kitchen whipping up family recipes like her momma’s homemade
cornbread dressing, broccoli and rice, and carrot soufflé.

Once your belly is full and you’re thinking about the next
meal, be sure to ask about the 5lb. box of their famous boudin
to take home with you. You can enjoy it all week.

Additions and Souvenirs
Boudin isn’t the only thing you can take home with you. Ten
years after opening the restaurant, Linda Charlie added a gift
shop.

Many local souvenirs from LSU coffee mugs and Louisiana themed
trinkets to cute stuffed animals testify to the Charlie’s
Louisiana pride. They carry a vast array of t-shirts,
postcards, and even Cajun Charlie’s brand seasonings, as well
as popular Cajun cookbooks. This is a great place to look for
those Cajun souvenirs you want to send to your out-of-state
friends and family members.

If you want a place to relax try the sport’s lounge they added
six months ago. It used to be the banquet room, but now many
can find solace and friendly conversation while enjoying a
game of pool, good food, and drinks.

It’s more than just a bar. The lounge offers a cozy atmosphere
for those who want to just listen to the jukebox or rest in
the overstuffed couch and chairs in front of the TV. Since the
restaurant is right next door to the Hampton Inn, the lounge
is a prime spot for hotel guests. “People come in to the
lounge and mull over the economy and just sit and talk,” said
Mr. Charlie.

Host an Event
Cajun Charlie’s is a convenient place to have business
meetings, family reunions, parties, and other fun activities.

Since the family has catering experience they know exactly
what your event needs. Your guests can take advantage of the
plentiful buffet, order from the menu or have a special
planned menu just for your event. The Mardi Gras room can seat
up to 50 people, so start planning.

Location and contact information
Cajun Charlie’s Seafood Restaurant and Gift Shop
202 Henning Drive
Sulphur, LA 70663
(337) 527-9044
Open Mon.-Sat. 10a.m.-10p.m.
Open Sun. 10a.m.-9p.m.
Sport’s Lounge
Open Tues.-Sat. 5p.m.-12a.m.

A Star Is Born

2009-04-02T15:21:00.000-07:00

Boredom pays off. David Eakin, co-owner of SignStar,
attributes being a bored kid growing up in Cameron Parish as
the stimulus for his creativity. He says when he was young he
delayed outside all the time—built and created things. Good
experience for a young Co-Owner/President of a digital sign
business.

Because the digital and sign industry is rapidly growing and
continues to flourish, Eakin and his partner Jobe Johnson,
after much research, felt the time was right to expand their
design firm into something more—and SignStar was born.
SignStar is a digital printing sign company located at 3118

Ryan Street in Lake Charles. The talented staff can do all
types of signs: construction, banners, tradeshow and exhibit
graphics, posters, and much more. If customers can’t quite
grasp what they want or need to best advertise their business,
the creative SignStar crew will be happy to brainstorm with
them until the idea is fully hatched. Business owners,
marketing agencies and individuals utilize all methods of
advertising to communicate their business, various events,
political agendas, and SignStar offers a myriad of products
and services.

“Traditional media such as TV ads can get quite
expensive for small businesses; this is a less expensive
medium. People always need signs,” Eakin points out. Within
three months he was proved right. SignStar actually tripled
their expectations.

While it’s true, all businesses need signs and advertising,
much of the credit goes to the good-natured team who pull the
projects together: Burn Rourk is a multi-talented graphic
designer, Jason Gillen is the Production Manager, and Adam
Burleigh is Production Coordinator. These men work together
like a well-oiled machine. Eakin’s business philosophies plays
a huge part in the creative process too. “Get up early, work
hard, and hopefully go home before six.” Eakin laughs and
elaborates: “You get out of it what you put into it. I believe
in serving our customer, offering them good quality products
at a reasonable price. My philosophy is work hard, be
respectful to our clients and people in the industry, be
humble, and do a good job.”

David Eaken’s clean-cut appearance reflects the nice-guy
image, and ensures trust from whomever he talks to. He looks
like a good, generous family man who takes pride in his work.

He admits to watching and learning from local people in the
industry and forming relationships with them. One man in the
industry that Eakin looked up to while in school was Peter O’

Carroll of the O’Carroll Group. Today O’Carroll is president
of the American Advertising Federation—Lake Charles chapter.
Eaken and Johnson have long range plans for SignStar. “We hope
to franchise some day. Maybe open another SignStar in another
location altogether. We’ll see how it goes. That’s something
we haven’t really discussed.” They may not have discussed it,

but the idea is dancing around in the back of Eaken’s mind.
A graduate of McNeese University with a degree in graphic
design, Eakin claims his favorite thing to do within the
business is Sales and Design. On second thought, he says, “I
enjoy all aspects of it.” He gets around as if he’s on speed
dial—this is a man with a lot of positive energy—and when
asked what a typical day is like, he responds, “Cranking out
projects as quickly as possible.”

An interesting project they do for customers is vehicle wrap.
They design the wrap to fit a particular car using a template
and they have software to cut it into panels. “We design,
print, and install it on the vehicle. . . sort of like
wallpaper. We have to get real creative with it.” Eakin says
it can be removed with heat guns and it doesn’t damage the
paint on the car. “It’s a niche market that will get more
popular in the future,” he says.

When asked the personality of the perfect customer, Eaken
doesn’t hesitate to provide an answer. ”Someone who
understands that what we do takes time, effort, and
creativity. The perfect customer will give us the time we need
to do our job and do it well.” He pauses to think before he
continues. “You know, there’s not a button you push for
creativity.”

Eakin is raising his children to be creative too. He tries his
best to get thirteen year old Megan and two and a half year
old Lilah away from the television and participating in
projects that will challenge their young minds. Eakins’ wife,
Sherrie, is a registered nurse who works in Labor and Delivery
at Memorial Hospital. “I used to have a lot of hobbies before
marriage and business,” he says. “Now my kids, my family are
my full-time hobby.”

After one visit with David Eakin and the SignStar team,
customers come away totally assured that they know their
business well, and will do the best possible job for each
customer. Push a button for creativity? If ever there was
one, it’s called SignStar.

Area Anglers are Hooked on Sunrise Catfish Farm

2009-03-05T20:38:00.000-08:00

By Lisa Yates
Editor, The Times

The catfish is out of the bag! Sunrise Catfish Farm has been a favorite of local fisherman for years. Local anglers just stand at the shore and hook into line-busters at this favorite fishing sight.

The business evolved – from all things – a dairy farm!

Brian Schmidt, who owns the business with his father and brother, explained the transformation.

“In 1995, we established the first pond,” he said. “By 1996, we had two eight-acre ponds and raised fish commercially.”

At the same time, the family operated a dairy business – a business established in 1982, he said.

Schmidt, 45, said the family allowed people to bring their fishing poles and catch fish while waiting for their cows to be milked. Word spread and a new business was born.

“In 2002, we sold our dairy cows and began the public fishing business full-time,” he said, adding the family is no longer in the commercial fishing business.

How it works

For free-of-charge, the public has a chance to fish verdant ponds with names such as the Horse-Shoe Pond, the Well Pond, the Behind-the-House Pond and the L-Shaped Pond. The L-Shaped Pond, located behind the barn, is also called the Fish Market Pond.

“We only sell what people catch,” Schmidt said. “They can take the fish live, or we'll clean it – cut off the head, gut it and skin it – or, we can fillet it.”

The fish are sold by the pound. Clean it yourself and pay $1.50 per pound. Cleaned fish cost $2 per pound. Filleted fish cost $2.25 per pound.

“We only have one rule – No catch and release,” Schmidt said.

No fishing license is needed. The fish were bought and fed by the business owners, so the state doesn't require it. As a business owner, Schmidt pays taxes.

“A lot of people think this is a church-owned business, but it's not,” he said. “It's a family-owned and operated business. A Mennonite family owns the business.”

Sunrise Catfish Farm, located at 155 Milton Schmidt Road in DeRidder, can be a challenge to find. It's eight miles south of downtown DeRidder, located off of U.S. Highway 171. There's a blue highway sign at the intersection of 171 and Mennonite Road. Once on Mennonite Road, just follow the signs.

No experience necessary

Even the most casual angler – or the outright beginner – stands a chance of coming home with an ice chest full of catfish.

“We try to make sure everybody gets to take home as many fish as they want,” Schmidt said.

He said someone is always available to give novices extra help. Beginning fishermen may want to come on a weekday.

“We can give extra special care during the week,” Schmidt said. “On Saturday, we're too swamped. We'll have two people cleaning fish, one person filleting, one person filling ice chests, one person running the cash register and two people here (at the store).”

On Saturdays, the store sells brisket sandwiches and hamburgers, in addition to its regular menu items – cold drinks, candy, chips and seven flavors of homemade ice cream.

Visitors can bring their own fishing poles, or rent them at the store for $3 per day. Hooks, weights, floats, bait, ice and ice chests are also available at the store. Nets on loan (for free) are also available – first come, first serve.

Schmidt recommends using 20- to 25-lbs. test line on poles brought from home, as that is what he keeps on the rental poles.

“We also don't recommend laying your fishing pole down,” he said. “We've had to fish out a lot of fishing poles from the bottom of the ponds.”

Schmidt doesn't recommend loading a stringer.

“It gets tangled,” he said. “When the water is hot, the fish die and turn to mush.”

Instead, Schmidt recommended placing live fish on ice inside the ice chest. He said this works better than placing pond water in the ice chest. More oxygen is available longer from the ice than from the warm pond water, he said.

One ice chest is all that is needed. If guests choose to have their fish cleaned, their ice chests will also be cleaned during the process.

Clean restrooms facilities are available on the property. Also, there's a large dining room, which is available for birthday parties and family reunions.

“If you fish, there's no charge – it comes with the fishing,” Schmidt said. Otherwise, there is a $50 charge.

Year-round fishing

Sunrise Catfish Farm is open from sunrise to sunset, Monday through Saturday, year-round.

“Our motto is: I catch my fish at sunrise,” Schmidt said.

He said there are 60,000 lbs. of catfish to catch; and, the ponds are stocked year-round.

Schmidt said the fish are well-fed and large, ranging from about 1.5-lbs. to about 15-lbs. in size.

During the summer months, fish are fed floating catfish food. In warm weather, fish move quickly to the surface to feed. They are fed sinking food in the winter, since they move slower in colder weather.

“The floating food would drift to shore in the winter before the fish could get to it,” Schmidt said.

Recently, a 16.8-lbs fish was caught, with an 18.75-lbs. one being the largest.

“People from about an 80-mile radius come to fish here,” Schmidt said. “We get people coming from nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and school children on field trips.”

What's the reason for the success of Sunrise Catfish Farm?

“One thing, we have the only business in the area like this,” Schmidt said.

He added, other fishing businesses are in the area, but have fewer amenities.

“Another thing is, people can actually catch fish here,” he said.

Schmidt said on the previous Saturday – a rainy day – they cleaned 13,000-lbs. of fish.

“Our busiest was on Good Friday weekend,” he said. “We cleaned 45,000 lbs of fish. Last Good Friday, we cleaned 109,000 lbs.”

For more information, call (337) 462-6990, or visit Sunrise Catfish Farm at 155 Milton Schmidt Road in DeRidder. Hours are from sunrise to sunset, Mon. - Sat.

Alterations & More: Stitching Together a Successful Business

2009-02-19T06:25:00.000-08:00

By Lisa Yates
Editor, The Times of SWLA

Helen Santos is stitching together a successful business – both literally and metaphorically.

Santos, 59, is the founder of Alterations & More, a home-based sewing business, located at 1438 W. McNeese Street in Lake Charles. The business offers a variety of alteration services – everything from simple pant hems to custom tailoring and dress making.

Her handiwork can be seen throughout Southwest Louisiana on pageant runways, during Carnival season on Mardi Gras royalty, and on brides dressed in full regalia.

She started her professional career not as a dressmaker, but as a college instructor in the Republic of the Philippines – her native country.

“I started working in a school teaching a myriad of subjects from English to management,” Santos said. “I even taught graduate school.”

Her education includes a Ph.D. in business administration. In addition, she completed coursework and began working on a doctoral thesis towards an Ed.D. in education administration.

Taking care of business

Her practical business experience included working 23 years as a civilian employee for a U.S. Military base at the Philippines.

“The U.S. facility was was the biggest employer, second to the Philippine government,” she said. “It was also the best employer.”

She worked on the base until 1990, the year the U.S. military began closing all of the military bases in her country.

When the bases closed, Santos worked as human resource director at a college close to the bases.

“The pay was not good,” she said, adding she wanted to come to the United States for the opportunity to create a better life for herself.

Santos found she was eligible for special immigration status as a U.S. Military employee.

“As long as they have more than 15 years of continued service, civilian employees were eligible for special immigration,” she said.

Coming to Lake Charles

Santos said it took five years to process the necessary paperwork. There was a final caveat.

“The U.S. Department of Justice required that I move to a state where someone could vouch for me during a period of unemployment,” she said. “My sister, Violy Briscoe, was living here in Lake Charles. She had been living here for 25 years when I came here.”

Even though Santos was very well-educated and had many years of work experience, she had difficulty finding employment.

“I couldn't find a job,” she said. “I was told I was over-qualified.”

Her sister suggested working as a seamstress until she could find work within her field.

“My sister was a seamstress,” Santos said. “She had worked in an office, but she made more money as a seamstress.”

She followed her sisters advice and began sewing at home.

While working as a seamstress, however, Santos continued looking for other employment.

“A school – Williams Career College – hired me part-time to write the curriculum for a business education department,” she said. “It was an allied health school, but they wanted to add business administration courses. My title was Business Education Director.”

In addition, Santos learned that a local dress shop was looking for a seamstress. She got the job. She worked both jobs and continued to send out resumes.

A large corporation expressed an interest in her qualifications, but she didn't get the job.

“They never even sent a letter to notify me of the status of my resume,” she said.

Never giving up

Santos got more bad news.

“Both the school and the dress shop where I was working within the same week,” she said. “I panicked. I had bought a house on Lake Street. I kept thinking – How can I pay for my house?”

The businesswoman considered opening an alterations shop in her home, but parking was an issue.

“The city was repairing the road, so I could not accept alterations,” she said. “There was no parking, I had to park a block away from my home.”

Santos didn't give up.

Instead, she leased space in a building on W. McNeese Street, which is directly across the street from the shop's current location.

Santos made it a success.

“I started with one customer and it became an overnight success,” she said.

Santos said her customers referred their friends and her business began to grow, where more space was needed.

“This house came up for sale and I purchased it,” she said.

That was before Hurricane Rita. The property suffered a great deal of damage requiring a new roof, walls and flooring.

“I felt like getting on the first plane back home,” she confessed. “When you are old and by yourself there's nobody to help you.”

Santos didn't give up. She hired a contractor with some insurance money she received and worked to re-open the business.

“Then there was Gustav and Ike,” she said. “It's difficult, but I can't just run away. I have the house on Lake Street, the house here and my business. These are all my responsibilities.”

Beginning as a hobby

Santos learned to sew at age 10, in her home economics class in the Philippines.

“In fifth grade, that's when everything started,” she said. “I had a very good teacher at the time.”

Her teacher taught the class to make aprons, towels, skirts, dresses and more.

“Out of necessity and poverty in the Philippines, my parents couldn't afford to buy us clothes,” Santos said. “I started making my own clothes, dresses for my sister, Violy, and my mom. Then I began to branch out and make dresses for my classmates and teachers – all for free.”

Even throughout her career as a college instructor, Santos was making clothes for friends.

“I made clothes for gifts for my friends and wedding gowns for my friends, who were getting married,” she said. “Some of them would ask me to make a certain dress. They would purchase the pattern and fabric for me to make the dress. That's how I was able to develop the skill.”

Santos is able to look at a picture of a dress and create her own patterns. She continues to do this for very special customers.

“I have some very special customers, who are very nice to me,” she said. “If they can't find dresses for special occasions, I will make dresses for them.”

For more information, call 562-9130, or visit Alterations & More at 1438 W. McNeese Street, Lake Charles. Fittings are by appointment only. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mon. - Fri.

The Business of Love: Wendi's Flower Cart

2009-02-04T19:23:00.000-08:00

By Lisa Yates
Editor, The Times of SWLA

Love means big business for several types of businesses this time of year – especially floral boutiques like Wendi's Flower Cart.

“This is the busiest season for us,” said Ray Bustillo, who owns the business with his wife, Wendi.

Wendi's Flower Cart, located at 3617 Common Street in Lake Charles, has been serving the area for more than 25 years. The friendly staff is dedicated to both creating the perfect arrangement and making sure it gets delivered on time.

“Try to order as soon as possible,” Bustillo suggested. “Normally, we run 10 trucks on Valentine's Day, but this year, it falls on a Saturday.”

He expects Friday will be another heavy delivery day this year.

“We deliver on Saturdays, but a lot of guys prefer to have their flowers delivered to where their wives, or girlfriends, work,” Bustillo said.

You can stretch the celebration into a nice, romantic weekend that way, he said.

What does it all mean?

“For Valentine's Day, the No. 1 selling flower is the red rose,” Bustillo said.

He said roses are available in many colors with meaning associated with each. For example, here are some of the traditional meanings:

Red – Love, of course

Coral – Desire

White – Innocence

Lavender – Love at first sight

Yellow – Friendship

Still, many have their favorite flowers and it's all a matter of preference.

Bustillo said his customers prefer fresh-cut flowers, with roses being the favorite.

“We're a full-service florist,” he said. “We do everything. We sell a lot of mixed arrangements, live plants, candy bouquets, silk flower arrangements and Teddy bears.”

The season brings heavier traffic than the others because one day is at the heart of it. People start calling about Valentine's Day ideas in January. Bustillo said business picks up steadily and doesn't ease until the holiday winds down.

But that's okay with him – he, Wendi, and their floral designers love every minute of it.

“This is very much a people business,” Bustillo said. “And, you don't see people sending flowers to someone they're mad at, or hate. It's very pleasing to be in this kind of business.”

Not for women only

If you think floral arrangements are just for the women, you're wrong, Bustillo said.

“This might surprise some people, but 20 to 25 percent of our Valentine's Day business is girls sending to guys,” he said.

Sure, some guys might act embarrassed, but they “really do like it,” he said.

Children are another good group to shower with flowers or other fun gifts, according to the florists.

It's not uncommon for them to deliver candy bouquets and Teddy bear arrangements to local schools.

Valentine's Day isn't just for sweethearts, it's for young and old. The florists suggest sending something to your parents to make the day fun for them, too.

“It's for all the loved ones in our life,” Bustillo said.

Wendi's Flower Cart is really in the business of love all year.

“Mothers Day is our second busiest holiday,” Bustillo said. “Secretary's Week is third. Christmas is fourth. Prom season starts in March, followed by spring and summer weddings.”

This is a year round business, and while birthdays and anniversaries and holidays appear on calendars well in advance, illnesses, deaths and other occasions call for flowers on the spur of the moment.

“Death is the hard part of what we do,” Bustillo said. “But, it's a privilege to help someone and talk to them when they come in to order flowers or a casket cover. The hardest part is when children pass away. It's very sad. My wife and I have three kids and three grand kids.”

He said they have helped families through marriages, deaths, births and every occasion in between.

“We get to welcome babies being born and be there as young people plan their weddings,” Bustillo said. “One of our floral designers, Linda, specializes in weddings.”

There's always an occasion for flowers, he said.

“Our business deals with human emotion,” Bustillo said. “Flowers convey human emotion really well.”

Customer satisfaction

Hand-crafting the arrangements and giving each one a special sparkle – down to the color and size the customer wants – is what keeps business blossoming, according to Bustillo.

“Nobody can succeed 100 percent of the time, but we succeed 99.99 percent of the time,” he said. “We always strive to give people what they want. After all, they are the ones who pay our bills.

“We appreciate our customers and we know they can go other places. It sounds cliché, but we treat people the way we want to be treated. We believe in that.”

For more information, call 474- 5236, or (800) 882-0992; or visit, at 3617 Common Street in Lake Charles; or online, at www.wendisflowercart.com.

The Smell of Sweet Success: Delicious Donuts & Bakery

2009-01-20T21:34:00.000-08:00

By Lisa Yates
Times Editor

Bakeries that want to succeed in today's supermarket culture must do more than assure their products are fresh.

Their ideas must be fresh, too.

When Paula Stevens and her brother, Lucas Verret, founded Delicious Donuts & Bakery 15 years ago, they included freshly-baked king cakes among their repertoire of mouth-watering treats.

“The most popular fillings are pecan praline, and pralines-n-cream,” Stevens said. “Half of all of the king cakes we sell are these.” Along with fruit flavors – like bananas foster, blueberry, lemon, raspberry, strawberry, cherry, and pineapple – the bakery also offers Bavarian, chocolate, cream cheese and the traditional, cinnamon. There's also Zulu and a combination of fruit and cream cheese fillings on the menu.

Each year, Stevens and her “krewe” gets together to create a new filling just in time for Mardi Gras. “One year it was bananas foster, another year we added peaches and cream,” she said. “We even had a peanut butter and jelly filling one year. Stevens and the bunch would not divulge this year's new flavor, but added it will be out at the end of January.

“We're still sampling prototypes – it's a tough job, but someone has to do it,” she joked. Delicious Donuts & Bakery sent The Times staff a Bavarian-filled king cake fresh out of the oven. Everyone agreed it was the best king cake in they had ever eaten. But readers don't have to take their word for it. They can do a “Google search” and see what travel writers around the world have to say about these king cakes.

“When travel writers come to Louisiana, they travel throughout the state – New Orleans, Lafayette, all over – to see and do different things,” Stevens said. “When they come here, the tourist bureau takes them to the Mardi Gras museum and asks us to come give a king cake demonstration.”

She explained that a king cake demonstration involves bringing “naked king cakes” - those without icing and decorations – and letting visitors add the rest. “We also tell them about the history of the king cake,” Stevens said. “We tell them it's a tradition for the person who finds the baby to host the next party. Most of thim don't know about this and they love it.”

When the writers get finished decorating, she arranges to have the cakes shipped to their homes. They sample the demo cake eagerly anticipating who will get the piece with the baby. “It really makes an impression on them,” Stevens said. “Sometimes they'll send a copy of an article and we'll see that a third of it is dedicated to us.”

She said it's a lot of fun and something she enjoys sharing with others. “It's very gratifying to start from scratch and end up with a product that puts a smile on someone's face and a taste they can remember,” Stevens said.

Many of her travel writers end up as loyal customers, ordering king cakes and sharing this Southwest Louisiana tradition with family and friends. In fact, anyone can order king cakes. Cakes are shipped year-round through the Delicious Donuts & Bakery Web site at www.deliciouskingcakes.com.

During Mardi Gras season, king cakes are ready to go, baked fresh each day at the store on 2283 Country Club Road, in Lake Charles. Customers can also call ahead to reserve a king cake with their favorite filling.

Delicious Donuts & Bakery has more than just the hottest king cakes in town, the shop specializes in donuts, kalotchies, cookies, cakes, and party trays – including miniatures – bite-sized appetizer versions of the full-sized pastries.
“We get orders from L'auberge du lac for the miniatures,” Stevens said. “They order them for their V.I.P. Guests.”
Stevens and Verret not only own the shop, they work alongside their small kitchen staff making pastries and waiting on customers. “I'm an arts and crafts person – I like to make things,” Stevens said. “Like art, you start from scratch and create a finished product – only ours you can eat! “It's very gratifying to put a smile on someone's face and create a taste they can remember.” Through a viewing window, customers can watch as dough is rolled out, hand-cut, and shaped for baking.

Stevens said there's an art to hand-cutting pastry, which is a key factor to making products look and taste good. “After all, if it doesn't look good, nobody is going to eat it,” she said.

“We make it fresh on site; and, we're here every day to maintain quality control. We don't even try to compete with supermarket products. Ours are made fresh - they don't have that privilege.”

For more information, call (337) 479-2986, or visit Delicious Donuts & Bakery, at 2283 Country Club Road, in Lake Charles. The store is open from 5 a.m. To 6 p.m., seven days a week.

The Perfect Fit: Uniquely Fashionable

2009-01-09T05:38:00.000-08:00

By Lisa Yates

The Times Editor

Barbara DuBose owns and runs the The Perfect Fit, a highly
successful ladies' boutique for new designer clothing and
special orders. Haute couture devotees are unlikely to visit
any other designer boutique with such an informal and relaxed
atmosphere – anywhere.

“The way it works is, someone calls saying she needs certain
types of clothes, or a dress for a particular event,” she
said. “Then, we'll sit down together and look at sketches or
pictures of different designs.

“I have books with sketches and fabric samples in different
colors to look at - we work from there. For example, if a
customer finds a dress she likes, but she wants a different
collar. We can do that, because it is custom made and fitted
to her. We also get a lot of designer samples in the store and
do trunk shows.”

Arguably Southwest Louisiana's best-kept secret, the volume of
regular customers speaks for itself - customers who come for
something special, or to browse at leisure through selections
of casual wear labels, such as Forty Grand, Ingenuity, DaRue,
and JSS Knitwear of New York, to name but a few. Handbags by
ALGO of Switzerland and La Neige are in stock, or can be
special-ordered.

The Perfect Fit has a large selection of evening wear
available, too, including full-length dresses, cocktail
dresses, jackets, tops, skirts and trousers. Labels include
ALGO of Switzerland, Vionie of Germany, Christian Weber of
Italy, Lourdes Chavez of California and David Hayes of
California.

“It's not too late to order for Mardi Gras,” DuBose said. “I
can have it ready in time. I do a lot of Mardi Gras orders,
especially for kings, queens, princesses and their parents.”
Her Mardi Gras gowns start at $850, but each design is unique
in color, fabric and fit, put together by highly-skilled
dressmakers whose wizardry makes the magic real!

“Nobody in town will have that same dress.” DuBoise said.
The magic begins with the fit, she said. “You can take a
$3,000 dress, but if it doesn't fit your body, it won't make
you look good,” DuBose said. “On the other hand, you can take
a $300 dress - fitted perfectly to the body - and it will look
great.”

Hence, the name of her business – The Perfect Fit.
The Perfect Fit also offers a selection of summer clothes and
swimwear suitable for winter cruises in warmer climates.

“I do a lot of cruise and resort wear, too,” DuBoise said. “In
fact, I have some in the back I am working on, now, for a
customer.”

Making designer labels more accessible to customers
Customers do not have to travel to Houston or New Orleans to
shop for fashion.

“I've noticed all throughout the years, people will say they
have to go out of town to shop, but they don't,” she said.
In fact, there are those in Houston modeling their businesses
after The Perfect Fit.

“Vendors tell me that we were one of the first in the nation
to establish a storefront like this,” DuBose said. “An agent
said there's now one in Houston and one in Florida.”
In this couture atelier, everything is finely crafted,
tailored and coordinated for the client – even those clients
with more modest budgets.

“Some people say, 'I can't afford you,'” DuBose said. “It
hurts me to hear people say that. I love people and want then
to be comfortable here.” She said, designers send in samples making designer labels
more accessible to customers in Southwest Louisiana.

“Our Ingenuity line is geared more towards the career girl,”
DuBose said. “The most expensive piece is $225.”
Another misconception she wanted to clear up was a mistake
appearing in the telephone directory. “We are NOT a resale shop,” DuBose said. “We are listed that
way in the phone book, but it's a mistake. I've been trying to
get that mistake cleared up for years.”

She said the store sells new merchandise only. An unusual
selection of jewelry is always available and changing with the
seasons, including Starfire jewelry by Charlie Wharton. Currently, the store is featuring a trunk show by David Hayes
of California.

From February onwards a large selection of wedding outfits is
available - suitable for the Mother-of-the-Bride, or guests.
References on where to get hats, shoes and bags to match are
provided.

“I have a fashion agent from Seattle,” DuBose said, revealing
her source. It's best to begin preparing in advance during the wedding
season, she said.

“We ask for at least three months,” DuBose said. “Of course,
we can get it done more quickly in some cases.” Before a dress is ordered and sent to the designer, the
client's measurements are taken.

“When the dress arrives, 95 percent of the time it arrives
fitting perfectly to the customer,” DuBose said. “If during
the fitting it requires adjustments, our seamstress, Edith
Lee, provides expert alterations.”

Jamie Scimemi is also a part of the team at The Perfect Fit.
“Jamie does the bookkeeping; and, she helps with everything,
including weddings,” DuBose said.

The shop owner also works with numerous models. “One of our models is modeling in Germany for Vionie, now,” DuBose said. “She is one of our 15 house models.”

These models participate in a style show each year to benefit
the Arts and Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana.
At this year's show, DuBose modeled one of her original
designs – it's breathtaking!

A seamstress

She started in business as a seamstress. “I've always had a thing about clothes,” DuBose said.
She began sewing as a young girl on her mother's sewing
machine in Roberts Cove, La.

“My mother did all of the sewing for the family – I was one of
10 children,” DuBose said. “She didn't want us to touch her
sewing machine, but when she went out I would sew.”
She said she got caught every time!

Like her mother, she sewed for her own family – her husband,
Stephen DuBoise, and their five children. "I never worked (outside of the home) until my children were
grown,” Du Bose said.

In 1983, she went to work part-time for Mr. And Mrs. Maurice
Kleinman, who owned The Fashion.

“Mrs. Kleinman started me out in the dressing room,
introducing me to customers,” DuBose said. “I got to see how
she treated the customers. She kept me under her wing and I
began doing some designing on my own, at home. The major thing
I learned was customer service – that's the bottom line. You
have to bend over backwards for your customers. The customer
is always right.”

When the Kleinmans retired, Robert and Debbie Nolan bought The
Fashion. DuBose said she continued in their employment until
the store closed. Afterwards, she worked for Bill Lawton, who owned a retail
store called Mary William.

“I worked for him until he retired,” DuBose said. “I then
worked for his granddaughter, Marcie Duhon Harper, managing
her store - Mary Margaret - for seven years.” Throughout the years, customers encouraged DuBose to open her
own store.

“My customers kept encouraging me,” she said. “When I turned
65, I opened the store. On January 24, 2006, I had my first
trunk show – it was phenomenal. It's been a success story.”

For more information, call 433-5855, online at
www.perfectfitlc.com, or visit The Perfect Fit, 312 Pujo St.,
Lake Charles. Store hours are by appointment; or, 10 a.m. - 4
p.m., Mon. - Fri.

A Family Tradition: Meaux's Western Wear & Shoe Service

2008-12-11T04:25:00.000-08:00

By Lisa Yates
Editor, The Times

For the Meaux Family, running a successful business is all about service so memorable that customers come back for generations.

The family owns Meaux's Western Wear & Shoe Service, located at 3911 Common Street, in Lake Charles.

How it all began

“Jimmy's dad, Edward Meaux, started it in Iowa, in 1957, as a shoe repair shop,” Carol Meaux said. “We took it over in 1978. Back then it was on Kirkman Street and Prien.”

She said her father-in-law died suddenly of a heart attack, leaving the business to her husband.

“We had just opened a dental lab six months before,” Meaux said.

She said she and her husband closed the dental lab to run the family business.

“In 1991, we opened another location in Sulphur, but we kept the shoe repair business in Lake Charles,” she said. “We closed that store in 1993, and moved back here. It just got too hard driving back and forth for the shoe repair.”

During road construction, the store moved temporarily from its Common Street location to Ryan Street.

“When they widened Common Street, from McNeese to I-210, we moved the store to Ryan Street for three years,” Meaux said. “If we wouldn't have done that, we couldn't have survived.”

She said some area businesses had to close their doors as a result of the lengthy construction project.

“Construction went on for six years,” Meaux said. “I counted.”

The store today

Today, Jim and Carol run the store on Common Street, along with their daughter Jana Meaux – a third-generation owner.

The service that makes Meaux's stand out from other western wear stores is the attention to detail and making sure customers don't just buy a hat or pair of boots right off the shelf, without being fitted correctly.

“I like to shape a hat to a person's face and style,” Meaux said. “It's like a haircut – it has to match you.”

The store specializes in better western clothing and boots. Boot brands include Ariat, Twisted X, Cowtown, and Roper.

“Cowtown boots are Texas-made,” Meaux said.

She added, steel-toed work boots and work clothes can also be found at Meaux’s.

The store also carries top brands in men’s, women’s and children’s apparel, such as Roper shirts; Ariat shirts; Cinch jeans and shirts; Cruel Girl jeans and shirts; and, Scully leather jackets. Western accessories include Tony Lama hats, Montana Silversmith jewelry, and a wide-ranging selection of belts.

Just as when it began, Meaux’s shop is well-equipped for all kinds of saddle, shoe and leather goods repair. And, everyone there has real-world experience with horses and equine activities.

“Five years ago, we put in monogramming,” Meaux said. “We can monogram leather; and, we do silk-screening here. We’ve had to diversify some through the years to get us through the summers.”

She said during the hot summer months, jeans and boots don’t sell as well. With casual dressing as the norm these days, leather jackets and sports coats have become seasonal.

“Men used to wear sports coats out to dinner,” Meaux said, noting dressing for dinner isn’t typical anymore. “People's needs have changed over 30 years. The sizes of people have changed, too. People have gotten larger and bigger.”

To illustrate, she said that 30 years ago, “medium” was the average men’s shirt size – today, it’s an “extra-large.”

“In men’s boots, 8 ½ was the average size,” Meaux said. “Now, 10, or 10 ½ is the average.

Fashionable western wear

While western wear is timeless and classic, styles within this genre change with fashion. For example, the 1980 Urban Cowboy look is out. A more contemporary western style has emerged.

“There’s a lot more bling, today,” Meaux said. “It used to be that western wear was six months behind the fashion industry, but now it’s neck and neck.”

What’s in?

For men, it’s the square-toed boot, according to Meaux. Just like fashion shoes, squared-toe is in, she said.

The tall-crowned cowboy hat is out, she said. The stylish cowboy hat, today, has a lower crown with a wider brim.

In jeans, Meaux said pick a pair with a bit of flare. The super-straight, skinny jean is out these days, she said.

Fashionable accessories include fun pony-printed flat wallets and rhinestone-studded everything!

“Lake Charles has kept a lot of its western flair,” Meaux said. “Cattle and the oil industry have always been prominent here.”

The economy hasn't hurt business

While most of Meaux’s customers are working-class people, refinery workers, farmers, construction workers and truck drivers, the recent economic downturn hasn’t hurt business.

“Business has been up every month this year,” Carol Meaux said. “Jimmy’s dad said when the economy is bad, business goes up. People fix their shoes, rather than buy new ones. Also, when the oil industry is up, people here make money; and, they have more money to spend on things like new boots. It’s a blue collar thing.”

Following Hurricane Rita, she noticed a similar trend in business.

“After the storm, Jimmy and Jana came back to check on the property,” Meaux said.

She said the family allowed tree cutters and electrical workers to park their trucks on the property as they worked for weeks to restore power to the community.

“It was a win-win situation,” Meaux said, noting the workers’ presence provided a measure of security. “They also bought merchandise.”

Even though the store had closed for two weeks and re-opened without electricity, it didn’t lose money.

“For two weeks we were closed, but in the following two weeks we made up for it with business from the tree cutters, who bought boots,” Meaux said. “We were very blessed.”

Giving back to the community

The family also believes in giving back to the community. Throughout the years, Carol estimated the family has given thousands of dollars worth of merchandise to high school rodeo competitions.

“I look at it as an investment in children,” she said. “This is our community. If we can give away a belt buckle, or give away a pair of chaps, it’s our responsibility to do that.”

Meaux said that participating in rodeos and in 4-H Club programs helps to build character in children and helps to foster good, healthy competition.

“Most people don’t remember it, but McNeese State University came about as a result of rodeo,” she said.

It’s true.

The Southwest Louisiana Cattlemen’s Association worked with the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury and the federal government to establish Lake Charles Junior College, because the organization wanted an exhibit area for livestock shows and rodeos. The college became John McNeese Junior college in 1940. Later, in 1950, it parted from the LSU system, becoming McNeese State College. Finally, in 1970, the school gained university status.

Continuing the family tradition

The Meaux family plans to continue its tradition of supporting local rodeo competitions and 4-H clubs, but has no plans to expand the business right now.

Carol and Jim said their grandchildren – Jaden, 16, Saydee, 9, and Edward, 7 – will have to decide if they want to take over the store one day. If they do, the children will become the fourth-generation to carry on this family tradition.

Nine-year-old Saydee said she wants to work with animals and ride horses, like her aunt Jana. Seven-year-old Edward says he’s interested in running the store one day.

“I want to,” he said.

For more information, call (337) 477- 7901, or visit Meaux's Western Wear & Shoe Service, at 3911 Common Street, in Lake Charles.

The Perfect Gift

2008-11-22T09:54:00.000-08:00

By Lisa Yates
Editor, The Times

Get a head start on the season's hottest gift trends at The Perfect Gift – a Cottage Shop boutique.

“The biggest thing this year is anything with initials,” said Carol Henry, the owner. “Monogrammed wine stoppers, flat wallets, wine glasses, garden flags, and note pads – anything with bright, colorful initials is big right now.

She said these personalized gifts for women, men and children not only make great holiday presents, but are great for birthdays, anniversaries or any occasion.

If you like shopping, you will love The Perfect Gift, located at 2712 Hodges Street, in Lake Charles. The store is filled with beautiful displays of gifts and home décor – trinkets, treasures and inviting fragrances – the solution to Secret Santa gift-giving.

“I try to find fun things – unique things – where you can find gifts for all occasions and something fun for yourself, too,” Henry said.

Best-selling items include circle flap handbags, she said. She added, they come in a variety of stylish colors and make great gifts for the serious “fashionista” on your Christmas list.

What's new?

New items include designer-inspired, long-sleeved cotton tees and knit tops.

“I've just started getting into clothing,” Henry said as she opened a box containing a new collection arriving at the store. “These are fun tops – with LSU and Fleur Di Lis designs.”

Upscale OKA b's footwear is also a new item at The Perfect Gift.

Reflexology-inspired, these fashionable shoes feature an ergonomic footbed enhanced with massage beads to pamper feet with every step. But unlike a lot of therapeutic-type shoes, OKA b's are cute and come in a variety of colors and styles - sandals, mules and clogs.

Not only are the shoes fashionable, they have made headlines for being eco-friendly. Customers can send their old pairs to the company's corporate headquarters, where they will be ground and mixed with virgin material to create a new product. Tre' chic!

For the kids, The Perfect Gift has one of the hottest Christmas toys this season – the Elf on the Shelf.

“He's one of Santa's little helpers and he makes trips to the North Pole every night,” Henry said.

She explained “Elf on the Shelf” is a book set with an antique-style Elf, formed to sit on a shelf. The book explains what the Elf does.

“He has a job,” said Henry. “This Elf is assigned to watch over your family and report back to Santa each night about who has been naughty or nice that day. By morning he's back but he's usually in a different place in the house. If you see him move, he loses his magic.”

It's a new family tradition created by a very creative mother, as a way of keeping her kids behavior in check on the holidays.

“Kids love playing the daily hide-and-seek game with the elf,” Henry said. “Parents love it too, because they have no trouble getting their kids to bed. They want to go to bed, so they can wake up the next day to see where the elf is next.”

A little something extra

As with any gift, presentation counts.

A beautifully wrapped present heightens the fun and anticipation. That's why The Perfect Gift offers complimentary gift wrapping with purchases.

“We all lead such hectic lives these days,” Henry said. “We have some customers who will call us and tell us what kind of gift they are looking for hand how much they want to spend. We'll have it wrapped and ready to go when they get here.”

It's like having a personal shopper. The store owner just calls it good customer service.

“It's just so hard to find good customer service nowadays,” she said.

As a boutique owner for many years, Henry said it's a key reason for the success of her business.

“I enjoy helping people; and, enjoy the merchandise,” she said. “You have to love what you do to be successful – and, I do. I thoroughly enjoy it.”

The Perfect Gift has been a part of The Cottage Shops of Lake Charles for 10 years, according to Henry. She purchased the store in February, 2000, after her husband retired.

“I had owned a boutique years before,” she said. “When my husband retired, this just fell into my lap.”

It was a good fit for Henry, who loves talking to people and getting to know them. When her out-of-state customers pass through town, they stop in for a visit.

“They say, 'We just had to stop in and see you,'” Henry said. “That makes you feel so good!”

A civic-minded shopkeeper

As a natural “people-person,” Henry is very active in the community. This includes serving on the board of directors for the local Better Business Bureau, and serving on the Executive Board of the Women’s Commission of Southwest Louisiana.

“I believe it’s important to give back to the community,” she said.

She said that’s a quality she shares with the other business owners of The Cottage Shop district.

“We’re all locally-owned, women-owned businesses,” Henry said. “We support our local schools, our churches and sports activities. We give back to the community.”

That’s something to think about this holiday season, she said.

“People need to realize how important it is to shop their locally-owned businesses,” Henry said.

She said there are many benefits to shopping local, including helping the local economy. In fact, local money helps to promote entrepreneurship and create local jobs.

Through paying local taxes, shoppers also help fund neighborhood, community and city projects.

“The tourist bureau sends out-of-town visitors to The Cottage Shops, because we have a variety of different shops here and we offers customers quick and easy parking,” Henry said.

She added that over time, local merchants develop more personal relationships with their customers.

“We connect with our customers and form relationships,” she said. “We know them and we care about them. We find that people like to do business with friends.”

Think outside the box

By thinking outside the big box stores, you’ll find affordable one-of-a-kind gifts, all while making friends with small businesses in your community, keeping money in the local economy and creating a more unique town.

Instead of spending cash on the same cheaply-manufactured gizmo everyone else is getting at chain megastores – shop local.

“If you only have a few dollars to spend, stop and think how and where you will spend those dollars,” Henry said.

Shake up your shopping habit this season. Find the most thoughtful and unique holiday gifts at The Perfect Gift.

For more information, call (337) 439-7693, or visit The Perfect Gift at 2712 Hodges St. in Lake Charles. Store hours are 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Mon. – Fri., and 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., on Saturdays.

Seafood Palace: C' est Bon Cajun Cuisine

2008-11-07T10:54:00.000-08:00

By Lisa Yates
Editor, The Times of SWLA

If you're going for white linen table cloths and a sommelier, don't bother. The décor at Seafood Palace is uber-casual, with tables decked out in red vinyl, and on the walls – mounted fish on fishing nets, Louisiana-themed posters and neon beer signs. But the Cajun food is phenomenal!

Located at 2218 Enterprise Boulevard in Lake Charles, Seafood Palace features authentic Louisiana specialties such as boiled crabs and crawfish, po-boys, and a wide selection of menu items -- all available for take out.

Famous for gumbo

Over the years, Seafood Palace has become the city's favorite spot to enjoy Cajun cuisine, especially gumbo. There are two varieties of gumbo to choose from -- chicken and sausage, or shrimp and crab.

“We're known for our gumbo,” said David Papania, who owns the restaurant along with business partner, John Larocca.

Papania pointed to the autographed Little Chenier movie poster hanging behind the cash register. He said the star of the movie signed it when dining at the restaurant.

“The star of Little Chenier, Fred Koehler, ate here and loved our gumbo,” Papania said. “He's coming back, again, this Thanksgiving.”

What makes the gumbo so good?

Seafood Palace uses only great-tasting, fresh food and premium-quality, fresh ingredients for its gumbo, according to Papania. He added, having a great cook to put it all together is another essential ingredient.

“Stella LaVerge is our gumbo cook,” Papania said. “She's been cooking gumbo for a long time – more than 30 years.”

Opened more than 30 years ago, the highly successful Seafood Palace serves thousands of meals a year, and has been written up in publications throughout the world.

“Back then, it was called Crab Palace,” Papania said. “Alice Gaspard owned it, originally. My business partner and I bought it seven years ago, in 2001.”

They changed the name to “Seafood Palace” and tweaked the menu adding more items, even “gator wings.” Gator wings look like buffalo wings, but are made from Louisiana Alligator meat and they are delicious!

“Fresh-broiled crabs and crawfish are best-sellers, along with the gumbo,” Papania said. He stressed the restaurant uses only fresh, local seafood.

“We get our crabs daily from Hackberry; and, we buy our crawfish from local crawfish farmers,” he said.

The menu

For those who love seafood, there's plenty of choices on the menu, including a variety of tasty dinners.

Served with a salad, French fries and Texas toast, dinner entrees include: fried popcorn shrimp, shrimp, catfish, oysters and combos.

There's also a large selection of a la carte choices, such as crawfish, and crab, patties; stuffed crab, and shrimp; frog legs; crawfish tails; and, a seafood platter. For those who don't want seafood, there's chicken.

“In addition to our fried food, we also have grilled dinners for those who are watching their waistlines,” Papania said.

He said there's also a large number of appetizers to start off the meal. Boudin balls, stuffed pistolettes, fried catfish filet, fried okra, stuffed shrimp, frog legs, shrimp and crab jalapeños are just a few to mention.

There's a kid's menu for those age 12, and younger.

It's a family-friendly place, to be sure. However, adult beverages are available for those who enjoy an occasional cocktail.

Business is good

Papania said business is good, even in this tough economy.

“Our business has been steady,” he said. “We have a lot of regular customers and a lot of repeat business.”

He said the restaurant does a brisk business at lunchtime as people are drawn from nearby hospitals and law offices downtown.

“I guess you can say we have the best, worse location there is,” Papania said. “We're a little off the beaten path, but we've been here so long that people know where to find us.”

He said the location is far enough from the hubbub in some areas so as to avoid wasting time in traffic, but still close enough to allow diners to get in and out in a reasonable amount of time.

The service

Although patrons come for the food, the service is always polite and efficient, even during busier times. The wait staff is very attentive, making sure their guests are enjoying their meals and helping out as needed.

That's what keeps folks coming back, according to Papania.

“That's why we have been successful,” he said. “We have good food, excellent service and a casual, friendly atmosphere.”

Papania can always be found greeting people warmly and talking with patrons to make sure their visit is as pleasant as possible.

“People like seeing an owner present,” he said. “That way, we can make sure that things are done correctly; and, we can take care of any problems that might occur.”

He said that the restaurant business is a people-oriented business.

“I like to be around people,” he said. “I've been in this business all of my life. My family had an Italian restaurant, so it just something I know how to do – and, I like it.”

Hard-working mom finds opening business pays off

2008-10-15T21:24:00.000-07:00

By Lisa Yates
Editor

Wedad Abrusley opened Oasis Foods, Inc. because small businesses needed a distributor willing to handle small orders.

In 1978, her husband, Eddie, was working as a salesman for a food service distributing business in Beaumont, Texas. The company was bought by a major company and soon implemented a new policy -- it quit filling orders of less than $700.

“Many of my husband's customers were small mom and pop businesses,” Abrusley said.
“These were people in Abbeville and Port Arthur...Good customers, but small businesses.”

Her husband suggested they start a company to fill the void. It was a good opportunity and it would help these small businesses, he told her.

Abrusley, 60, wasn't excited about the idea. Instead, she wanted to purchase an import store franchise from a company in Houston. Besides, the timing wasn't right.

“At that time, I was expecting our third child,” she said. “I was six months pregnant. I did not want to lose the insurance.”

However, she took a chance.

“We borrowed $25,000 on our home – we took out a second mortgage,” Abrusley said.

Without a personal vehicle, the couple purchased a truck for pick-ups and deliveries.

“I took orders over the phone with three kids screaming at me in the background,” Abrusley said.

In addition to taking orders by phone, she divided onions and potatoes in her garage. Then, she helped load the produce onto the truck for her husband to deliver. She did this while caring for her three small children at home, while her husband delivered orders throughout Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana.

“I was a wife, a mom, an employee – I did the invoices, mailed out statements while I took care of the kids,” Abrusley said. “I cooked and I cleaned; and, I worried about him on the road. There were no cell phones back then. My blood pressure – it raised from worrying so much.”

The big break

Her first big break came when a chain of convenience stores became customers.

More money became available, but rather than purchase personal luxuries, Abrusley put money back into the business. The company hired employees and purchased new equipment – freezers, storage facilities and delivery trucks.

Growing up without luxuries in Syria helped Abrusley to prioritize and to invest wisely in her business. She said it also helped her appreciate the opportunities and luxuries many take for granted in this country.

“We had no electricity,” she said. “We had no refrigerator.”

At age 33, Abrusley's father became disabled and had to retire. Her mother supported the family, which included seven daughters and two sons.

“My mom is my hero,” Abrusley said. “She would sew one dress for seven children to wear. She taught us a lot. I am 100 percent like my mom. She had no refrigerator, but she always had a smile. She worked hard and built a house for us in Damascus – the capital city.”

Even though Abrusley didn't speak English – only Arabic, and some French -- she wanted to go to college in the United States of America. She wanted a better life.

“In America, I know I could do it,” she said. “I know I could cut grass, wash cars – there is freedom here.”

She followed her dreams and came to this country. A family from her church – Judy and Frank Mousa, of Houston, welcomed her into their home. She helped care for their baby, while attending college.

“I never will forget those people,” Abrusley said. “They made me a part of their family. When I got married, they even paid for my wedding.”

The leap from college student to business owner took many years, but she did it.

With her husband and children, Abrusley built a successful company, which has been in business for 25 years.

Challenges

Along the way, Abrusley said she faced many challenges – including customers who let her know that they did not want to do business with a woman.

However, one of the biggest setbacks occurred when she lost her largest customer – a chain of convenience stores she had done business with for 16 years. The chain hired new management, who went with another distributor.

Abrusley remembered thinking “God, help us.”

“We had 26 employees, then,” she said.

Like the Boy Scouts, her motto has been: “Be prepared.” Being prepared helped her weather many storms.

“You have to be very patient, smart, and you have to prepare,” Abrusley said. “When one window closes, you have to open another one. Always in business -- if you lose a customer, you need to have another.”

For example, she took action when Harrah’s Casino came to town. She filled out vendor applications and got some business from that company.

By providing excellent customer service, she has managed to work with other area casinos, including L’Auberge du Lac, Delta Downs, and Isle of Capri.

“I would say that about 80 percent of our business is with casinos,” Abrusley said. “But, we have no guarantees – no contracts. We just have a history of giving the best quality service.”

Other challenges

The 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., had chilling effects on many Arab-Americans, including the Abrusley family.

“One of our best customers came into our lobby and starting yelling (obscenities) at us,” she said.

Besides being disturbed by this outburst, Abrusley -- a life-long Christian – said she was surprised that people here did not know Syria's significance in the history of Christianity.

“He did not know history, or geography,” she said. “The persons responsible for these attacks were not from my country.”

Even after 25 years in business – paying taxes and giving back to the community, some still eye her with suspicion, she said.

Despite this and other challenges, Abrusley continues working as she has done her entire life. Her husband, who is recovering from major surgery, spends less time at the office.

Following in their footsteps

Following in their parents' entrepreneurial footsteps, the couple's children – grown now -- are developing their own businesses.

Their daughters, Sami and Omaia, are opening Regalia at 411 W. College Street in Lake Charles – formerly Spain's Gift Shop. Shadi, their son, founded Southwest Marketing and Distribution – a wholesale distributor of premium liquor, spirits, wine, kitchen equipment and smallwares.

“I am very proud of them,” Abrusley said. “They work very hard – seven days a week.” Just like their parents.

For more information, call (337) 439-5262, (337) 439-4405, or visit 2222 Kirkman Street in Lake Charles, or online at www.oasisfoodsinc.com.