| Skateworks Downsizes
The Strubings are what you would call a skate family. For almost twenty years in the Northern California towns of Santa Cruz, Mountain View, Felton, San Jose, and Redwood City, 55-year-old Bill Strubing has been running Skateworksa five-door retail skate shop. His wife Paula handles finances, his son Jason manages, while his other son Justin promotes the business on tour as a pro. Recently, however, Skateworks shifted its strategy by closing all its retail doors except its Santa Cruz location. Downsizing usually suggests poor business, but Skateworks Manager Jason Strubing says the shrinkage is a strategy the store is using to adapt to a changing market. According to Strubing, skateboard retailing at the mom-and-pop level isnt what it used to be. Modern market demands like high online sales percentages, the rising costs of commercial property, staffing, overhead, market saturation, and the amount of inventory it takes to be a player make it more difficult to run a skate shop at a core level and all factored in to the decision to downsize.
Garden paths wind through Ventura, SB counties
Folks in search of inspiration can check out three home and garden tours taking place over the next three weekends, beginning today. Ventura It was a time of bubble lamps, chrome and bobby socks. Ventura's Midtown Mid-Century Home Tour today celebrates the 1950s with an invitation into six houses built from 1945 to 1960. Among them is the still-evolving 1953 home of Martin and Wendy Ruane. Ever since the couple moved here two years ago from Pasadena, they have been enhancing the home with touches such as a new bamboo floor, a bubble lamp, 1950s-vintage bedroom furniture and a sunburst clock. "We love the kind of living that mid-century homes offer," Wendy said. "They are pared down to their most essential elements, expression architecture and not just ornamentation." The Ruanes have tried to preserve some of the original architecture of the home, which includes post and beam construction and a tongue-and-groove interior and exterior with plenty of large windows.
Developer may sell off shopping malls
The Syracuse-based company that owns some of New York's largest malls, including shopping centers in Albany, Warren and Berkshire counties, is considering putting some of those malls and several others in Massachusetts up for sale. Robert Congel, founder of The Pyramid Companies, says the trustees of the family trusts that own a controlling interest in the company have hired Goldman, Sachs to look into the possibility of selling 16 properties – including Crossgates Mall, Berkshire Mall and Aviation Mall. The company -- the nation's largest privately held developer of malls -- also owns the Carousel Center mall in Syracuse. Pyramid plans to expand that property into Destiny USA, a retail, hotel and entertainment. The Syracuse mall won't be put up for sale.
Desert Ridge complex refocuses on families
Step into the crowd at Desert Ridge Marketplace on a Friday night these days and you're more likely to bump into a father, mother and two children than just the children.
The shopping center, at Loop 101 and Tatum Boulevard, is returning to its family-friendly roots, as adults rather than teenagers are again making up the biggest chunk of its crowds.
In November 2005, Desert Ridge instituted "Six/16," in which those under age 16 could not remain on Fridays and Saturdays after 6 p.m. without an adult. .
Dell Names Marketing Chief; Puts Store Expansion On Hold
(TWICE) _ Round Rock, Texas ' Dell says it has completed an ongoing senior management restructuring with the hiring of former Oracle executive Mark Jarvis as chief marketing officer, the company's first. Jarvis, who assumed his new role today, is responsible for reorganizing and maximizing Dell's global marketing operations. His appointment ends a months-long reorganization that began in December with the appointment of chief financial officer Donald Clarity, followed in January by founder Michael Dell's return as CEO, who succeeded Kevin Rollins. In February, Solectron CEO Michael Cannon joined the company as president of global operations and former Motorola exec Ron Garriques came on board as president of its global consumer group. The management shuffle was prompted by sharp sales, earnings and market share declines attributed in part to a revitalized HP and the Click for the lowest price on dmnobieblankipod');" onMouseOut="hideAd();" class=Hotlink>iPod-fueled growth of Apple Macs.
Rakuten reportedly considering increasing stake in TBS
Hiroshi Mikitani, president of Internet shopping mall operator Rakuten Inc., met with Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc. (TBS) president Hiroshi Inoue in mid-March and told him Rakuten was considering increasing its 19 percent stake in the broadcaster, it was learned Friday. Sources close to the companies said Mikitani was considering including TBS in Rakuten's consolidated financial settlements and reflecting the broadcaster's business performance in Rakuten's settlement of accounts. TBS would be included in Rakuten's consolidated financial statements if Rakuten's stake in TBS increased to 20 percent, and Mikitani's comments can be taken to mean that Rakuten is considering increasing its stake in the broadcaster. An agreement has reportedly been reached between the firms for Rakuten to inform TBS before it actually starts increasing its stake, but TBS officials said that it had not yet received any notification.
Con artist targeted mentally ill victims
A woman who allegedly conned at least two mentally disabled people out of money is wanted by South San Francisco and Seattle police. Ruby Rene Thomas, 48, of Fresno, allegedly conned a mentally challenged elderly man into buying her $5,000 worth of jewelry at Tanforan Shopping Center and opening a checking account to funnel $42,000 taken from a Seattle, Wash. mentally challenged woman. Thomas has a history of committing similar crimes and is allegedly part of sophisticated group of criminals, according to a statement released yesterday by the South San Francisco Police Department. Thomas, identifying herself as Ruby Molina, befriended the mentally challenged man several weeks ago at the shopping center. She persuaded the man to open two separate accounts at two jewelry stores and purchase her $5,000 worth of jewelry.
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