The
Special Texas A&M University-Commerce
Fall 2019
Chamber of Commerce promotes business important to growth, stable economy By Ambrasha Williams The Chamber of Commerce partners with businesses and individuals to help promote growth and a stable economy by promoting local businesses and putting on city-wide events for the citizens of Commerce. The Chamber of Commerce is a nonprofit organization located at 1114 Main St. This organization puts on many of the local main events that take place in Commerce. “We put on the Bois d’Arc Bash, the 4th of July celebration, the Bois d’Arc Christmas and a car show in the spring,” Sheryl Millar, office administrator, said. The Chamber of Commerce supports local businesses by helping with distribution of information of university events, displaying current community affairs, answering public inquires and other forms of promotional advertising. “Businesses help support local events with their sponsorships and for that they have the logos and the banners that help with their advertising,” Millar said. “We send out e-blasts for events, sales or ribbon cuttings and we also share them over on our Facebook page.” Every work day is different for the staff at the Chamber of Commerce. “I’ve been here, it’ll be 10 years in February,” Millar said. “There’s not really a routine day here, either we’re in the middle of preparing for this event, and that’s mayhem and chaos until it’s over and then we wrap it up and we start in on the next one.”
Although every day is different for the staff at the Chamber of Commerce, Millar said she hasn’t seen many changes in the actual organization over the years. “Everything is pretty much the same except that we’ve been getting a lot of new businesses in town,” Millar said. While this organization has been around for 110 years. The staff says there are still some things they would like to accomplish such as, growing the membership and volunteers. “Sometimes we have a lack of volunteers,” Millar said. “I’d also like to see a little bit more involvement from the new businesses that have opened, we want to make sure the businesses are all aware of the benefits of joining.”
Despite all of the chaos that goes into event planning and contributing to the success of a business, the staff still enjoys every moment of it.
Having a chamber of commerce is important for both the citizens and businesses in Commerce because it acts as a liaison between the businesses and government.
“It’s very flexible and you know it’s hardly the same thing two days in a row,” Millar said. “It’s a lot of variety and the fun thing is that I like planning events.”
“We’re kind of a voice in the community for the local businesses,” Millar said. “We just basically want to help the businesses grow and provide those avenues to get the word out about their business.”
Flowers for all occasions offered at April Showers By Lindsey Wiley
The local business April Showers offers flower arrangement and gift delivery to the Commerce area for any occasion Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Located at 1612 Washington St., April Showers has been in Commerce for more than 40 years according to store manager Mandy Rhodes. Texas A&M University-Commerce is said to help business at April Showers by bringing in clients from the students as well as staff, but more importantly, events held on campus. The business will be providing the flower arrangements for the stage at a Homecoming event, and this is something that they often do. Another source for business is holidays around the year. Flower arrangements and gifts have proven popular on birthdays and holidays yearround. They also offer their services for wedding arrangements, simple “Get Well” and “Thank You” arrangements, and many more occasions. Some holidays, like Mother’s Day are especially busy for the business. “Valentine’s Day is a busy time of year,” Rhodes said. Clients also look to April Showers in need of boutonnieres and corsages during the Homecoming and Prom seasons.
The store offers online ordering and sameday delivery. Local delivery is offered every business day until 2 p.m. with a $10 delivery fee. Domestic deliveries, which include Canada, cost $15 and an international delivery fee of $22 is charged when the arrangement or gift is being sent to any other country. The staff and management at April Showers are friendly and show their commitment to quality and service. “We choose only the freshest, highest quality flowers and our shop has a professional and caring staff to serve all your floral needs. Your gift will arrive beautifully presented and personalized with your message,” according to their website. For more information on what types of products they offer, their website is aprilshowersfloral.com. To contact the store for any occasion, the phone number is 903-886-3104.
New pizza eatery opens By Evans Dennis A new restaurant located at 1706 Lee St. Slice of Pie - owned by Sam Rabat, offers reasonable prices in a family friendly environment, “I’ve loved the pizza operation since I’ve been working in the business for quite some time, but I get my inspiration from serving the community,” Rabat said. Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Dos Laredos offers family-owned Tex-Mex restaurant service to downtown Commerce By Mayson Hausler Dos Laredos Tex-Mex Restaurant is a home-owned establishment serving a blend of Texas and Mexican cuisine located on the downtown square in Commerce. Tomas Ruiz, a manager of Dos Laredos, said Commerce was chosen as a place to start a business because “we saw the opportunity” and “we like the people.” Ruiz said he has a passion for making and serving food to others and has been doing it for 40 years. Dos Laredos opened in May 2014, making this the 5th year the restaurant has been operating in Commerce. Since then, Dos Laredos has built a reputation for serving the Commerce community. Associate professor of sociology at Texas A&M University – Commerce Dr. Nicole Farris has been a
frequent customer at Dos Laredos since she moved to Commerce in 2016. “I love the food, but I really love the people there too,” Farris said. She can “eat there a lot without getting tired of it” because she enjoys the service and cuisine. Throughout the past four years, Farris said there have been times she “would eat at Dos Laredos at least twice a week, if not more.” Farris suggested others try Dos Laredos, and said, “If someone gives me the option to meet them for lunch, I will suggest Dos Laredos.” Farris said the staff of Dos Laredos remembered her before she went as often. “They always know what I want when I get there. I feel like a VIP whenever I’m there,” Farris said. Monekah Ammouri, a senior at A&M Commerce, has been a Dos Laredos customer since her sophomore year and said, “I went there for the first time with friends for a celebration” and “it was really really good.” Ammouri said Dos Laredos’ service is quick, and she “always feel[s] like they care.” She has never had an order go wrong, or been forgotten, at Dos Laredos. Ammouri said she likes the location in the square, because Dos Laredos “has parking.” Leonela Pinargote, an assistant manager of Dos Laredos, said she “helps with everything” the restaurant does. Pinargote said she enjoys her job at Dos Laredos, because “I like to serve people, and it’s nice to interact with others.”Pinargote said she enjoys it when the restaurant gets busy, because she “feels the adrenaline rush.” Pinargote said she “likes everything” Dos Laredos serves. A goal manager Ruiz has for Dos Laredos is expansion. Dos Laredos, located at 1229 Washington St. in Commerce, is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Rootz Flower & Design a dream come true for local couple By Evans Dennis Rootz Flower & Design, at 1215 Alamo St. in Commerce and owned by Suzanne and Yogi Patel, is considered a local florist serving all of life’s events from beginning to end.
Family Video offers alternative to cable TV movie viewing By Drew Ivery In Commerce, there’s not many things to do and many business’ come and go, but one that has stayed consistent over the years with new releases each week, is Family Video. While people complain about the prices of Netflix going up, HBO NOW prices being too high and the decline of Red Box, that is where venues like Family Video comes in handy. Family Video is convenient and right around the middle of town near the A&M-
Commerce campus. Generally, college students don’t have much free time to rent consistently through the year, but times like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and summer breaks, are popular times to rent movies. “Definitely around this time of year during the holidays when it gets colder,” Rachel, an employee from Family Video said on when their busiest time of year is. “Bad weather helps us out a lot. So, holidays, people are more likely to be inside so they tend to come in here more.”
“We get new releases every Tuesday, so I’m gonna say one of the most popular ones recently is Toy Story 4,” Rachel said. “Then ‘Crawl’ just came out last week so that one was a really popular one.” Family Video, open Monday-Thursday from 3-10 p.m. and Friday-Sunday from 12-10 p.m., is located on 1407 Live Oak St. in Commerce.
Employee Diane Lewis said, “It’s important that we send beautiful flowers and creations God has made and share it with the communities.” Suzanne been making arrangements since the 1990s. However, now her dream has become a reality - owning her own shop in downtown Commerce. The shop name has a unique meaning with the motto, “We are a part of your history. We are a part of your Rootz,” which means a lot to Commerce. Rootz delivers in Commerce and surrounding cities. Their flower arrangements can also been seen around town including Mugs Coffee Shop and other places around the city. Why she wanted to open the shop, Suzanne said, “Our goal is to bring smiles to the faces of the community and give encouragement anyway we can.”