Tower Avenue gains synergy

A new eatery opens Wednesday in the Androy Hotel, 1213 Tower Ave. The Superior Family Restaurant offers a wide range of breakfast and lunch items. Owner Nick Dalipi said it is patterned after his Hayward Family Restaurant.

“We are known for our skillets, our famous omelets,” he said. “We have a homemade dumpling soup we make.”

Whether you’re looking for burgers or a breakfast burrito, Superior Family Restaurant delivers.

“We have wraps, lots of wraps; melts, lots of melts” as well as salads, pasta and more, Dalipi said.

The space, formerly Papa Don’s, has been completely renovated, from carpet and paint to booths.

“Brand new everything, 100 percent brand new,” Dalipi said.

For a taste of the menu, check the Hayward Family Restaurant website, haywardfamilyrestaurant.com. Dalipi said the restaurant is open from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

The restaurant is in good company. A number of new businesses have opened downtown since January. These freshman businesses are settling in for the school season, and changes are in the air.

Auto additions

In the two months since it opened, Rivord Repair Center, 1327 Ogden Ave., has tripled its workforce. Owner Ricky Rivord has been joined by technicians Shaun Monaghan and Trevor Wilson. The new faces mean new services for customers.

With the addition of Monaghan, the full-service auto shop now installs everything from remote starters and heated seats to radios, speakers and trailer hitches.

“I heard there was an opening at the shop and I jumped at the chance,” said Monaghan, who brings 13 years of installation experience to the business. He’s known Rivord for a while and was sold on the store’s “customers come first” attitude.

Wilson, the former service manager for Larson, now Northland Chevrolet, worked with Rivord for years.

“I used to be his boss,” Wilson said. “Now he’s mine.”

With 16 years of experience, Wilson’s forte is General Motors vehicles. But, he said, “We’ll tackle anything.”

Rivord’s name carries weight in the community, both from his two decades of work in the automotive industry and his racing exploits, Wilson said. Customers are drawn to the store also because of its focus on honesty and treating customers fairly.

“It’s dealership quality at a reasonable price,” Wilson said.

Customer business has continued to ramp up since the shop opened in late June, driving the need for employees.

“We want to thank the customers we have no for believing in us,” said Rivord’s wife, Kara.

Rivord Repair provides full automotive repair for all makes and models as well as tires, alignments and accessory installation. The business is also a Certified Auto Repair center. As a member of the Certified Auto Repair network, work done by the shop is covered with a limited warranty and entitles customers to 24-hour roadside assistance. For information, contact Rivord Repair at 715-718-2727 or stop by the shop.

Sweet dreams

Sweeden Sweets served its first scoop of homemade ice cream in May. It has been a hit, owners said.

“Everybody loves the ice cream,” said Jarrod Sweeden. While lactose intolerant, Sweeden is the shop’s “ice cream guy.” He’s created flavors ranging from black licorice to Superman, s’mores and pumpkin spice, which rotate weekly. Sweeden’s favorite is vanilla, the first flavor he mastered. It’s blended with honey for added sweetness and depth.

The candy store celebrated its grand opening Aug. 23, months after its official Jan. 24 opening.

“We couldn’t have asked for a better turnout,” Sweeden said. The shop specializes in homemade treats like fudge, hand-dipped chocolates, ice cream and cotton candy. The store at 601 Tower Ave. brings a taste of old-fashioned fun to downtown, offering jellybeans, saltwater taffy and other throwback goodies. The community has embraced the shop.

“It’s grown faster than we thought it would,” Sweeden said, and they’ve hired new employees.

The biggest change of all is on the way. Sweeden and his wife, chocolatier Amanda, are expecting their first child. Sweeden said he can’t wait to raise a child in the sweet environment.

“I love coming to work,” he said. More information on Sweeden Sweets is available on its Facebook page.

One more excuse

A Dozen Excuses Donuts and More is getting a worldwide following. Owner Melissa Hyatt said she recently had customers come in who saw TV news items about the shop in Malaysia. The business, which opened in July at 1112 Tower Ave., specializes in fresh donuts, both the cake and raised varieties. It also offers lunch specialties like Cliff’s Lindberg’s Coney dogs, homemade soups and sandwiches served on fresh bread.

Baker Joe Dougherty’s donuts have elicited marriage proposals, Hyatt said. The shop offers specialty donuts each day, from the caramel pecan roll on the weekends to Wednesday’s almond fried cinnamon and Friday’s strawberry cream cake donuts. A Dozen Excuses donuts are available at a number of outlet stores, including South Superior Spur, the ICO in South Superior and Hammond Avenue Spur. Donuts are available for delivery daily, as numerous dentist know.

Lindberg’s Coneys are collecting a following, as well. With football season starting, the shop is offering Packer Backer Snacker Game Time Boxes featuring six- or 12-packs of Lindberg’s Coneys. Packer shirts are coming in this week, as well as a few Vikings shirts. Homemade soup is on the lunch menu from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., every day a different flavor. Or swing by for Taco Tuesday.

One of the newest developments for the shop, which had an avid social media following prior to opening, is a new website, www.adozenexcuses.com . Customers can check for the soup of the day, special donut of the day or just learn more about A Dozen Excuses.

The arrow marks the spot

Blue Arrow Boutique is the youngest of the new businesses. The women’s boutique opened its doors the end of last month, but it already has drawn the attention of one local official. Superior Mayor Bruce Hagen stopped by the shop during the Tower Avenue reopening celebration. What he saw had him retracing his steps a few days later.

“I went back and bought my wife a few outfits,” Hagen said. Not only were the items fashionable, he said, they were reasonably priced.

The shop at 1404 Tower Ave. carries chic, stylish women’s clothing in limited quantities. Generally, only six of each item are ordered, and when they’re gone, that’s it. If customers see a piece they like on the Blue Arrow Boutique Facebook page, their best bet is to go down and get it soon.

The boutique owners have noticed a synergy downtown, especially among the Tower Avenue freshman.

“People will come in with donut boxes,” said Aimee Glonek, and leave on their way to the candy shop. Many customers are choosing to park and walk down the newly reconstructed street to shop.

“It’s been a fun atmosphere for a new business to be in,” Glonek said.