NEWSFLASH – February 2024 – Sandwich House on Park; Rhyan’s Mess Moves Locations; A New Owner For Mastro Kitchen Studio & Best of Windsor Essex Award Voting Starts
NEW IN BIZ
Sandwich House on Park, 116 Park Street West, is a new and exciting small downtown Windsor business that opened its doors in May 2023. It is situated in the space (on the street level of the Victoria Park Place building) previously occupied by the popular Syd’s Sandwich Co. that sadly closed in early 2023. The sandwich shop is owned and operated by 23 year old Patrick Fordham, with mentorship assistance from his father, Rodger Fordham. The senior Fordham is the Executive Director and Founder of the non-profit organization, Feeding Windsor Essex (FeedingWindsorEssex.ca). As a youth, Roger cut his teeth in the food service business in his family’s restaurant in Iqaluit, the capital city of Nunavut. In addition, Roger worked for 15 years at The Penalty Box restaurant in Windsor, where his two sons also worked through their school years. Currently on the Sandwich House on Park menu are assorted deli and classic sandwiches, hot dogs, subs, homemade soups, and salads. The business is constantly evolving and Patrick intends to grow the menu selections in the future and to put in a deli counter to sell cold cut meats, cheeses and more. Takeout is available, as is delivery via Uber Eats and SkipTheDishes. To view a menu and their hours of operation, check their social media pages on Facebook and Instagram @sandwichhouseonpark
ON THE MOVE
Mackenzie Murphy has made a thoughtful and strategic decision to move her upscale women’s consignment boutique Rhyan’s Mess to a new location at 11933 Tecumseh Road East, (in between Lesperance and Banwell roads), in the Town of Tecumseh. The decision to relocate after 12 years in the Riverside area was a significant one, especially considering the established relationships and customer base. But, after many years in the industry providing exceptional consignment services for women’s clothing — along with a memorable retail atmosphere and experience — she is eager to begin this new journey. Due to rising rental costs and operating expenses, Murphy would have been forced to increase prices substantially if she had stayed at her previous location. “Everywhere we turn prices are going up,” she notes. “I’d like to be able to sustain my small business and continue to offer a great retail shop, employ locals, and continue to grow.” By choosing a new space and making the move in January 2024, Murphy aims to maintain the same great prices, services, and consignment experience for her customers: “I want to demonstrate loyalty to my customers, while keeping the costs of my products status quo. I think it is an important commitment and keeps the consumers wanting to return.” Murphy expresses gratitude to her existing customer base for their support and her success over the years, and discloses how difficult it was for her to leave the Riverside area. She has a genuine connection with the community and to the many relationships built over the years. Encouraging customers to travel a bit farther to the new location in Tecumseh indicates her confidence in the value of the business and her hope that customers will seek her out for good value and service. With a different location, Murphy is interested to see if there will be a change in inventory collected on consignment. The anticipation of sharing the new home with customers creates a sense of excitement, and Murphy and her staff invite them to be part of this transition.
CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP
In 2010, Ben Russo had just started up his own company, Russo Tile Creations, when he crossed paths with Vito Mastrorocco, then owner of Mastro Kitchen Studio. Mastrorocco hired Russo, on an hourly basis, to help him unload his trucks and he found him “eager to work, approachable and always available, regardless what I asked him to do — and that’s a great quality to have for customers.” Mastrorocco was highly instrumental in the development of Russo’s business approach and taught him a few fundamentally important aspects, starting with how to write his very first invoice. As time went on, Russo began taking on the task of kitchen and bathroom renovations, beginning with demolition of the existing room(s), co-ordinating all the trades and rebuilding the new kitchen/bathroom area, while coordinating with Mastro from design stage through final installation of the cabinetry. Thirteen years later, in April of 2023, Mastrorocco was ready to retire and Russo was the perfect fit to keep the business going. Now Russo, and his wife Amy Russo, are the new owners and are also looking forward to another happy event — the birth of their second child in early spring! With Russo’s knowledge and expertise, Mastro Kitchen Studio now offers not just cabinetry and design, but full renovations from beginning to end. You can rely on Russo right from the initial phone call, all the way to the final day of the project. Russo can now “Offer the complete package to the customer and give them the WOW factor in every project that we take on.” For more information, please visit their showroom at 2863 Howard Avenue in Windsor.
AWARD VOTING
Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island’s Best of Windsor Essex Awards have returned for a ninth year of celebrating the best of the best in the region! Nominations were submitted in January for 47 awards and narrowed down to the top five in each category. Voting launches Monday, February 12, 2024 and residents can vote for their top spots in a wide range of categories including Food and Drink, Attractions, Shopping and Outdoor Adventure. New awards featured this year include: Best Parade; Best Bar, Pub or Sports Bar; Best Diverse Eats; Best Fried Chicken Sandwich; Best Wing Spot and Best Picnic Spot. Returning favourite categories are: Best Winery Experience, Best Breakfast, Best Live Performance Venue, Best Beach, Best Boutique Shops, and Best Photo Ops for the City, County and Pelee Island. Head to the website to cast your vote and recognize the business and locations that bring out the best in Windsor Essex! Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island will announce the winners on Thursday, April 4. Good luck to all businesses and organizations!