Business Profile: Nifty Thrifty Restyle and Decor
Thanks to some help from her parents, a Maricopa resident is seeing her dream come true.
After suffering in an abusive relationship for twelve years, Christina Zolyniak finally got out three years ago, and moved her family to Maricopa to start over. Soon after, her parents relocated here as well.
Zolyniak had a dream to be able to help out others who were in a similar situation to hers. “There wasn’t a lot of assistance there when I went through that,” she explains. To that end, Christina’s parents provided the financial backing and Nifty Thrifty Restyle and Decor became reality.
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Business Profile: Copa’s Thrift Zone
Despite the slow economy, a new business recently opened its doors in Maricopa. One that hopes to fill the void left by several other recently closed stores.
Copa’s Thrift Zone is now open in the Maricopa Business Barn. Thrift Zone owners Sean and Elizabeth Gallagher hope to inherit the market left behind by Classic Clothes-Outs, Duderbug’s Upscale Resale, and Maricopa’s two former dollar stores, Dollar Deals and Just a Buck.
The Gallaghers have been residents of the Maricopa community of Glennwilde for about a year. Sean works full-time and Elizabeth was formerly employed by Classic Clothes-Outs, the former occupants of the space where Thrift Zone is today.
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Business Profile: Puppy Love Mobile Pet Grooming
Is your pet looking “a little rough around the edges”? Too busy to take your dog or cat to the groomers, or can’t bear to part with them for that long? Well, local residents Rick and Melissa Rovner have a solution for you!
Puppy Love Mobile Pet Grooming comes to you. Within their self-contained mobile groom shop, Puppy Love can bathe, brush, and trim your dog or cat right at your own home.
Melissa’s love for animals gave the Rovners the idea for the business. They first looked into opening a grooming shop, but the high local retail rents changed their minds. “We wanted to start debt-free,” said Melissa.
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Business Profile: Straight to the Plate Catering
Whether you’re hosting a banquet, wedding reception, or a birthday party for one of your kids, Maricopa now has a full-service caterer, Straight to the Plate.
Straight to the Plate owner Sue Carlisle is a familiar face around town. Sue, and her husband Brett, moved to Maricopa four years ago and started an Entrees Made Easy franchise.
Unfortunately, the Entrees concept (coming into the store and preparing ingredients for meals to be cooked at home later) never really took off in many locations, Maricopa being one of them. Fortunately, the Carlisles were finding success offering catering services as a side venture, so that seemed the obvious direction to go.
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Business Profile: Desert Star Gymnastics
Maricopa kids now have a new place to have fun and stay fit at the same time. Desert Star Gymnastics opened September 6th, 2008 in the Stage Stop Marketplace.
Desert Star owner Amy Bratlie has been doing gymnastics since age 3, and has been coaching since she was 15. She has coached and competed at the national level. Prior to coming to Maricopa, Bratlie helped open several other gyms around the country, including one in Chandler which she managed for 11 years.
Upon her arrival, Bratlie started out offering classes at a local dance school, Desert Sun Performing Arts. Soon after, she began offering classes under the Desert Star name, borrowing space from Desert Sun and its neighbors, Little U Preschool and Oasis Life Church.
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Business Profile: Tacos N’ More
Although Maricopa has several choices for Mexican Food, the most unique would likely be Tacos N’ More. While most of Maricopa’s restaurant choices are located in the newer retail centers to the north, Tacos N’ More has its own building that lies in the southern end of town.
Another difference is in the food. Different regions of Mexico have different styles of cooking. The majority of Mexican recipes served in Arizona restaurants come from the Sonora and Sinaloa areas.
Joe and Mercy Vasquez, the owners of Tacos N’ More, come from El Paso, Texas. El Paso is across the border from the Mexican state of Chihuahua. The Vasquez family wanted to bring something different to Maricopa, so they enlisted Mercy’s mother to help create their menu using the Chihuahua-style of cooking and seasoning.
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Business Profile: Dollar Deals
Looking for hidden bargains? Then check out Dollar Deals at the Stage Stop Marketplace.
Dollar Deals owner Tim Arnold moved to Maricopa two and a half years ago at the height of the housing boom. At the time he worked in IT for the Department of Corrections in downtown Phoenix, but soon tired of the commute.
Arnold decided to open his own business, but couldn’t decide what business he wanted. After considering several ideas, including a coffee shop, Arnold and his wife discussed things and decided to open a dollar store. Dollar Deals opened its doors in March of 2007.
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Business Profile: Tutor Time
Working parents in Maricopa have a new option for daycare and preschool for their kids. Tutor Time held an open house at their massive new facility on John Wayne Parkway on Saturday, August 9th, and the doors officially opened last Tuesday.
Tutor Time accepts children from 6 months to 12 years old for their “LifeSmart” curriculum. The principles of the Tutor Time LifeSmart curriculum follow the guidelines for developmentally appropriate practice set forth by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). “It covers all those academic areas that children need, and social as well!” says Connie Johnson, Director of Maricopa’s Tutor Time center.
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Maricopa “lovin’ it” at new McDonald’s
Hungry for a Big Mac, or Quarter-Pounder? You no longer have far to travel.
Maricopa’s new McDonald’s opened Friday morning and was an instant hit! “We opened up at 5:00 and we never quit. It’s been wall-to-wall people.” stated co-owner Michelle Slayton. “People just wanting to come check out the store and see the playground. We’ve been really blessed with the turn-out we’ve gotten.”
The restaurant is 4500 square-feet and features an upscale dining room that holds over 100 people, plus a large indoor “treehouse playland”, along with bi-lingual interactive games. “When we came down and looked we realized there weren’t any indoor playgrounds in the city and we wanted to build it for the kids.” said Slayton.
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Business Profile: Classic Clothes Outs
Ladies, if you’re looking for designer label clothing at bargain basement prices, pay Classic Clothes Outs a visit. Maricopa’s newest fashion boutique is now open in the Maricopa Business Barn.
Classic owner Christy Hashisaki moved to Maricopa five years ago and began working for a local communications company. Previously she had started and operated several different businesses of her own, although none were retail nor apparel related.
Despite Maricopa’s rapid growth, Hashisaki had noticed a continued lack of places to shop for ladies’ clothing. When Nancy Marrs, owner of The Bargain Corner, decided to move on to something different, Christy saw an opportunity and purchased Marrs’ remaining stock and furnishings
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