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The R Bar and Grill team: kneeling, from left: Robert Burke, Pasquale Bova, Emily Ann Remley; standing, from left: Justin Koch, Jason Kreamer, Terry Womelsdorf, Jaynan Temerantz, Ryan Bubis, Lauren Maga, Eric Terry.
File photo
There is historical dispute over who first called Britain “a nation of shopkeepers.”
It was long supposed to have been an insult hurled by Napoleon at his enemy across the English Channel, though the evidence of him actually saying it is weak at best. Others have attributed it to the 18th century economist Adam Smith.
Either way, the British later reclaimed the alleged dig as a badge of honor, a tribute to the nation’s success in commerce and industry, as embodied by the growing class of independent shopkeepers.
Looking at our own place and time, there is much to be said for the dedication of so many small local business owners whose efforts enrich the region’s economy and community. We’ve written about several of them in the past week.
• In Sunday’s edition, Mary Therese Biebel wrote about Ken Marquis, who this year is observing the 50th anniversary of his business, Marquis Art & Frame.
While the business has been located in downtown Wilkes-Barre for 45 years, Marquis said — and at its current location for 40 — it got its start a half century ago when he joined his father Harry Marquis’ “very profitable hobby” of framing artwork in the basement of the family home in Dallas.
“He made me an offer I couldn’t refuse,” Marquis said with a smile, recalling his salary was $75 a week, which met his needs when he was “21 years old, living at home, not owning an automobile.”
Today, Marquis Art & Frame is a fixture in center city.
“One of the reasons it has been so logical to work on positioning that quadrant of the downtown as the gallery district is because Ken has been the anchor there all along,” said Larry Newman, executive director of the Diamond City Partnership. “Before Wilkes University decided to relocate the Sordoni Art Gallery to Main Street and before the Wyoming Valley Art League decided to go into the Circle Centre, Ken was there, a beacon for the visual arts.”
Above the shopping area where customers can find art and art supplies, Marquis Art & Frame has a second-floor gallery that hosts regular exhibits and receptions featuring the work of local artists.
Not bad for something that started out as a hobby.
• Also in Sunday’s edition, Bill O’Boyle wrote about a major renovation project nearing completion at R Bar and Grill in Newport Township.
Owners Lauren Maga and her sister, Lindsey Temerantz, along with their father, Rick Temerantz, opened R Bar and Grill in 2011 on West Union Street in Nanticoke. Maga said the business started with eight tables and a small bar, a very small menu, and only five wing sauces.
“Needless to say, things have gotten bigger and better and we outgrew our location,” Maga said.
Three years later R Bar moved to the old Alden Manor Complex on Kirmar Avenue in Newport Township.
Maga said the R Bar and Grill has 30 full-time and part-time employees — servers, bartenders, cooks, dishwashers, banquet servers and more — as well as an extensive menu
The sisters are grateful for a loyal customer base and dedicated employees — who, in fact, worked with the family on the remodeling project.
“We really didn’t want anyone to lose out on their pay,” Maga said. “We’ve been closed for two weeks. Several of our employees have worked in the construction business, so it’s going well.”
• And in Wednesday’s edition, Margaret Roarty told us about Haunt Coffee, a new supernatural-themed cafe opened in Wilkes-Barre Township by Conyngham Township resident Jamie Gatts.
The coffee shop offers standard fare — espressos and cappuccinos — but for the adventurous coffee drinker, there are themed drinks with spooky names like ‘Poltergeist’ and ‘Lady in White.’
Gatts plans to add iced coffee drinks as well and expand the dessert menu to include gluten-free options, depending on the needs of the customers.
The opening of the shop was months in the making. While Gatts initially moved into the space last July and hoped to be open for Halloween, the process took longer than she anticipated.
“It was a journey,” she said. “Now that it’s here, it’s all worth it.”
Such endeavors may employ a few people or a few dozen. Either way, they speak to the pride and confidence of local entrepreneurs who continue to see Northeastern Pennsylvania as a good place to do business.
— Times Leader
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