Quality and Pricing at Budget Blinds

When it comes to entrepreneurship, Fred and Darus Juarez go the extra mile. For starters, they own a franchise broker business where they help individuals pursue their dreams of business ownership by purchasing a franchise or business opportunity. Second, they are in the process of placing healthy vending machines in the area, which would offer healthy alternatives to candy and soda in the form of organic and non-GMO snack and drink items.
And third, they are the franchise holders of Budget Blinds of Southern Oregon, which is part of the number one custom window covering company in North America. They currently serve Josephine, Jackson and Klamath Counties.
"Budget Blinds is a great franchise business model that has shown tremendous success in the industry," Darus said. "With over 1000 locations, it gives us a lot of extra buying power. And along with our home-based concept, it allows us to provide customers with absolute best pricing in the industry."
The Juarezes lived in Roseburg and Brookings for 25 years and moved to the Rogue Valley in 2012. Between them they have 7 children, with three currently attending college (OIT, SOU and RCC). Their oldest child, Ashley, works with them at Budget Blinds as office manager.
"We have two separate manufacturers that make window coverings exclusive to Budget Blinds," Fred said. "These products are designed to offer consumers the highest quality at the best prices. Since we also repair blinds, we see the areas where window coverings suffer the most wear and tear, and we work with manufacturers to improve quality so that they have blinds that operate as they should for years and years."
Budget Blinds offers a large collection of choices of blinds and shades, from cellular and pleated to solar, Roman, and woven wood. They also have a variety of shutters, shading products, valances and curtains in every size and color from 10+ different manufacturers.
"We also have a draperies division and commercial division," Darus said. "We're eager to work with local businesses, and one of our most popular commercial products are solar screens, which can be customized with your company logo or a scene."
Every month in the Sneak Preview, Budget Blinds will be offering special discounts on specific products. "If we have a product on sale that month, you'll know it's going to be the best pricing you'll get all year," Darus said. "We'll also be hosting one-day sale events on our Facebook page."
For more information on new window coverings and/or to have your blinds repaired, call 541-779-7033 or check out their Facebook page.

Great Comfort Food at Kelly's Crepes

If when you think of comfort food, crepes don't come immediately to mind, you might want to reconsider.
Kelly Sacks has created an oasis of comfort food with Kelly's Crepes, a charming outdoor creperie at the corner of A and 4th Streets in Ashland. Kelly and her team create a variety of delicious, made-to-order crepes to savor in a lovely patio setting.
A long-time Ashland resident, Kelly combines solid experience in the food and beverage industry with a passion for using her talent with food to make people feel comfortable. It started with her first job, waiting tables at age 15.
"I enjoyed serving food to people," she recalls. "They were always happy to see me arrive and I liked to do what I could to elevate their experience."
That satisfaction at making people feel good was the start of a long career that included managing restaurants, working in a deli and becoming a founding partner of a coffee business. When she left the coffee business after a few years in search of "something new," Kelly soon found herself drawn back to where her heart was.
"Before I knew it, I was outside making crepes," says Kelly, noting that for her, the "something new" didn't require journeying too far. "They say this industry is addictive," she laughs.
Whatever it is that keeps her coming back, Kelly says food has always been "a way for me to invite people in. It's like throwing a party every day."
The party at Kelly's Crepes starts at 8am every day, with luscious breakfast crepes for tastes from sweet to savory. The celebration continues into lunchtime and beyond, until 2pm. All crepes are made to order and include mouth-watering combinations such as lemon curd and strawberries, nutella and bananas, and cinnamon sugar. If your preferences lean toward savory flavors, Kelly can whip up an egg and cheese crepe for purist, or get fancy with a spinach, goat cheese and pine nut combination. Kelly's also offers gluten-free crepes.
To comple-ment your meal, Kelly's serves an assortment of beverages, including Noble coffee, teas and juices.
Adding to the experience is that Kelly's friendly staff will custom-create your order quickly, so you'll have plenty of time to enjoy your meal while you relax or people watch on the patio, surrounded by trees, flowers and friendly neighbors. For Kelly, serving up a friendly, relaxing environment is as important as providing delicious food.
Kelly's is open Tuesday through Saturday. For more info, call 541-631-1169 or go to kellyscrepes.com. —M.S.

Let the Crew at I Can See Clearly Make Life Easy for You

You know you need it. Your neighbors know you need it. But how do you get it done—that dreaded cleaning of parts of your house or business that you can't even figure out how to reach?
Fret no more; the answer is clear with I Can See Clearly, a full-service professional cleaning company at 1467 Siskiyou Blvd. in Ashland.
I Can See Clearly is your one-stop hometown source for cleaning and maintenance of your home or business, with services "from roof to patio," say owners Roger Dann, Dane Nagel and Thom Martin.
The three were working their way through college and helping other students put themselves through school when they started the business in 1981.
Since then, their mission has been "providing jobs for students and aspiring business people to work, learn, grow, and achieve their dreams," says Roger.
Their hard-working, conscientious team of five full-time staff does it all, from removing moss from roofs, trimming branches and gutter cleaning to minor gutter repairs, awning and blind cleaning and repairs, dryer vent cleaning, Rotobrush air duct cleaning and sanitizing. Need your deck or driveway pressure washed or your windows sparkling? They do that too, and all work is guaranteed.
"We offer a satisfaction guarantee, and even a rain guarantee," says Dane Nagel. "No job is too big or too small."
Estimates on jobs are free, and any services that can't be covered by the I Can See Clearly team are sourced to reputable local companies, with full project management by the I Can See Clearly staff.
The crew at I Can See Clearly takes a lot of pride in their work, and finds taking care of the chores that most of us hate to tackle enjoyable and satisfying.
"We enjoy the interactions with new and established clients—the outdoor work, the challenges and activity it offers," Dane said.
The owners pride themselves on running a workplace that allows them and their staff to enjoy a balanced life.
"The work allows for time off to enjoy recreation and to pursue happiness in the beautiful Rogue Valley," Thom said.
That recreation includes skills that go way beyond cleaning and repairing. The I Can See Clearly cleaning team doubles as Cuban salsa Rueda de Casino dancers. They offered lessons in the dance from salsa pro Mike Eskelson at the Evergreen Ballroom on June 20.
On the business side, customers of I Can See Clearly can expect a quick response, same or next day service, and friendly professionals who perform an expert job guaranteed to make home and business owners smile.
"We have built this business on teamwork and each member of our team has a valuable role to play," Thom said.
Oh, and be sure to watch for I Can See Clearly in the July 4 parade! For more info, the phone number is 541-488-5046. Web page: icanseeclearly.com. —M.S.

Great Food and Entertainment at Granite Taphouse

No matter what your dining pleasure, The Granite Tap House (on the Plaza, 3rd floor, 23 N. Main) has something you are going to enjoy. Is a freshly prepared, farm-to-fork dinner with a lovely local wine and a great view to your liking? Perhaps a cold craft beer with a hand-crafted pizza? Or a late-night bite with a cocktail or two and some lively music?
Owners Marco Traversa and Ryan Bottano are childhood friends from Northern California who share many things in common, including a Northern Italian heritage and a love of good food and good times. They've incorporated all of these in The Granite Taphouse.
Ryan moved to Ashland more than 15 years ago to be near his mother, Shirley, who owned a local B&B. Marco came to visit and fell in love with the town, charmed by the art and theater. The friends decided Ashland was the perfect place to turn their love of good food and drink into a business.
Although the Taphouse is Ryan's first foray into the restaurant business, it is Marco's eighth restaurant. Food is just part of Marco's DNA—he learned to cook as a 6-year-old in his Italian grandmother's kitchen and hasn't stopped since.
The concept for the Taphouse, he says, "Came from the ideal of always cooking with the best, freshest ingredients, the way my grandmother, Faustina Traversa, used things from her garden to make dishes organically and from scratch."
Over the years, Marco developed recipes that his friends craved. A number of those recipes are now on the Taphouse menu and gave rise to its slogan, "Craveable food and craft brews."
Among the Taphouse's most craved menu items are handcrafted pizzas made from a 150-year-old sourdough starter that Marco brought from a bakery in Naples, Italy.
The Taphouse serves local, organic, grass-fed beef burgers on brioche buns baked in-house. They use locally sourced organic vegetables for all menu items, and chef Elijah Kempf has created farm-to-fork entrée specials that rotate seasonally based on what is fresh and available.
True to its name, the Taphouse offers eighteen beers and 8 wines on tap. Head bartender Tonie Stewart oversees an extensive craft cocktail menu. On Thursday through Sunday nights at 10:30 pm, an after-dinner service offers a lighter menu while Entertainment Director and DJ Gerad Stebbins (G Rad) serves up a mix of live and recorded music, dancing and karaoke.
Whatever your dining pleasure, Ryan and Marco are certain you'll find something sure to please at The Granite Taphouse.
"Our customers can expect a fresh, from scratch, well prepared, well served meal in a relaxed, comfortable environment," says Ryan. "We're Italian, so we treat everyone like family!"
For more info, call 541-708-5055, or see them at granitetaphouse.com. You can also follow them on Facebook. The restaurant is open 7 days a week, including Sunday brunch.
—M.S.