Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal A group of employees sorts tires at the new 30,000-square-foot Les Schwab store in North Carson City on Tuesday afternoon in preparation for their opening today.
When you own a business in Carson City, your triumphs and failures are right in the eye of a growing, yet still small-town, consumer population.
Everybody knows everybody else here, one business expert said. Just in the dawn of 2006, residents have seen several changes on and off the main drags.
"Businesses opening and closing is a part of a natural cycle. It happens in every community," said business consultant Larry Osborne. "In a smaller community like Carson City, personal relationships get formed. You don't always see that in a much larger city. It's a personal issue to those customers when a business does close."
Or when one is there, but not open. Pizza Hut is in the last stage of permitting before opening, seven months after the manager had expected.
A locally owned franchise deli closed after seven years in business.
After months of construction, a tire center on North Carson Street will open today. It's headed by a 30-year-old Carson City man who worked his way up in the company from part-time janitorial.
A couple continues to rebuild its business after a freak wind storm shuttered them for more than a month.
Silver State Fitness owners Craig and Cindy McEwan are nearing the end of a professional whirlwind. They are scheduled to reopen their 1945 Idaho St. fitness center in early March.
On Jan. 7, a wind storm severely damaged the building, which is located off Fairview Drive. Since the gym closed, many of its members have purchased $20 monthly passes at Eagle Fitness. Craig McEwan said workers replaced the building's south wall this week and lifted the east roof. He hasn't nailed down an exact date for opening.
The city's second Les Schwab Tire Center, 3219 N. Carson St., will open today. Manager Buck Potts said the two-level, 30,000-square-foot building cost $3.2 million.
"We had 6,000 tires that all arrived today, so we've been stocking since 6 a.m.," he said Tuesday afternoon.
Potts, 30, started working part time for Les Schwab in Takoma, Wash., 14 years ago and today oversees 25 employees.
The tire center has a large warehouse, an alignment center, a work bay for large trucks and a showroom for tires and wheels. It is open 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
Sally Root, former co-owner of the Schlotzsky's Deli franchise, said she and her husband, Stephen, closed the 1410 E. William St. restaurant because "it's not been profitable."
The Roots opened the deli in January 1999 and closed it Feb. 10. Root said she is still looking for a job to enjoy while raising her two children. All the Schlotzsky's in Reno are closed. The closest location is in Las Vegas, according to the corporate Web site.
Local pizza fans may be able to purchase a Cheesy Bites Pizza from Pizza Hut by this weekend.
The company didn't secure the proper city permits, causing a delay in construction. The franchise also attempted to operate out of the Super Bowl Pizza Hut 53-foot trailer in the restaurant's parking lot back in June. That was promptly shuttered by the city.
"We've had a difficult string of events that continues to plague the project, but we're down to our final steps in the process and as soon as everything is complete we'll open it," said Don Benbrooks, Pizza Hut area manager.
• Contact reporter Becky Bosshart at bbosshart@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.
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