Business

Tale of two stores; one opening, one closing

In striking contrast this week, one well-known local store was opening while another was closing. First, the Goodwill good news; then the Sports Authority not-so-good news story. Roof down and inventory destroyed, but not out, Goodwill Industries Thrift Shop re-opened for business at 550 W Washington Ave. on Friday, March 4 to crowds and kudos. Traffic was non-stop throughout the weekend spilling over to this…


Good news, bad news for Stone Brewing

Kind of a good news, bad news month for Stone Brewing, the company that recently changed it’s name, dropping the “Co.” Good news first? Time for Oakquinox on March 20. “For the seventh year, Stone Brewing will be celebrating the ‘delicious extravagance’ that happens when beer meets wood,” officials said. “As if one needed an excuse to spend a day at the World Bistro &…


Jose Balderas, ice cream maker, liked it hot

Summertime was when Jose Balderas and his 675 N. Broadway ice cream factory gave Willy Wonka a run for the money. “Mango, strawberry, rompopo, which is like egg nog, over 20 flavors; popsicles, ice cream bars, it’s alright to eat as much as you want,” Balderas said a few years ago. “You only live once in this world so enjoy it. What else can you…


Valentine’s Eve: Stone, glass and love

Whoever said love can shatter like glass hasn’t visited Escondido’s Stone & Glass where love and glass mix quite nicely, thank you. Glass art meets form and function in a industrial section of town, Simpson Way, where James Stone plies his craft for commissions large and small, the cause of ocean conservation, and home decor while also holding workshops, events and studio tours. “I’m the…


Gas under $2/gallon at seven local stations

For Escondido drivers, the price definitely was looking right this week. That’s the price of gasoline, one gallon regular at 36 stations around Escondido as the Hidden Valley featured the lowest gas prices in Southern California. Seven stations, in all, had prices below $2 per gallon as of early Monday. Another dozen chimed in at under $2.10 per gallon. Enjoy the lowest gas prices in…


Of mice, free Chick-fil-A and Stone Brewing

What’s in a brewery name? This just in from the Escondido company that used to be known as Stone Brewing Co.: We’ve changed. Not the fabulous beers, fear not, but a wee bit change of name. Once quite particular about what they were called, then-CEO Greg Koch was known to correct wayward correspondents who referred to the entity as Stone Brewery or Stone Brewing Company…


Waiting for $1.99 a gallon gas and Ladeau

 Waiting for Godot had nothing Saturday on waiting for Ladeau — and his APEX Fuels gas tanker. With a special promotional price of $1.99 and 9/10 cents per gallon of regular unleaded — $2.09.9 and $2.19.9 for higher grades — a line of vehicles snaked around the station and the block. Nobody moved. Pumps were dry with a third gas tanker of the day on…


Three Escondido projects awarded $7.5 million in state water grants

Escondido farmers, habitat and conservation lovers and San Diego Zoo Safari Park visitors got some good news this week as the San Diego County Water Authority announced that $7.5 million in state water grants were awarded locally. “The city of Escondido received a $2 million grant for recycled water,” San Diego County Farm Bureau executive director Eric Larson said at the group’s E Valley Parkway…


Active vs. passive portfolio management

 Proponents of active portfolio management believe that a skilled investment manager can generate returns that outperform a benchmark index. Advocates of passive investing argue that the best way to capture overall market returns is to use low-cost index-based investments. All investing involves risk, including the potential loss of capital, and there can be no guarantee that any investing strategy will be successful. A portfolio invested…


’Tis the season to shop, shop, shop

From The Escondido Promenade to Westfield North County regional mall, from Grand Avenue to Welk Village, holiday shopping is in the Great Grapevine air. The National Retail Federation expects U.S. Holiday shopping to increase by 3.7 percent this season. Top-selling items so far this season included Lego Star Wars, the Barbie Dream House, Samsung 4K television sets and Apple Inc’s iPad Mini. Star Wars toys…