Despite economy, Galt businesses opening and growing

An all-too-common sight these days are signs proclaiming "going out of business," "closed" or "space for lease." Not in Galt.

While a lagging economy seems to be effecting almost every industry, Galt is home to a new pre-school, an auto repair shop, Rite Aid, TSC Tractor Supply and businesses such as Blue Ribbon Tack, which is expanding its services.

Each has been cautious about their business maneuvering in such a fragile financial climate, but the decision to open or expand has made sense.

"A lot of families are going to Elk Grove from Galt because Galt really doesn't have this," said Tammy Baroni, the center director for Kidz Come First Child Development Center.

The center accepts children from six weeks up to 12 years old, and carries licensing for infant care, pre-school children and school age children. It has taken about three years to plan Kidz Come First, go through the permit and inspection process and get the Raley's shopping center location, at 10374 Twin Cities Road, built.

Baroni and the school's lead teacher, Heidi Howard, saw that other child care and pre-school programs were lacking in what they offered their clients, so the decision to open wasn't hard.

"We found other programs weren't developmentally appropriate," Baroni said.

Brian Torrez, of Brian's Automotive Services, fixes the ignition system on a Chevy Truck on Tuesday morning at his shop in Galt. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)

Baroni's father, Steven Stigelmayer, who co-owns the business with wife Yvonne, was also the designer and contractor of the business. Stigelmayer made sure Kidz Come First had plenty of classrooms, a full-service kitchen and even ample playgrounds to benefit the children they care for.

In a slower economy, is that enough?

"We've been open for about two weeks. There's not a lot of kids right now," Baroni said. They have about 10 families using their service, and in January, they are preparing for a total of 30 families to sign up. Baroni and staff have the space and are licensed for 100 children.

"We're excited," Baroni said.

In a newer shopping center a block away, Rite Aid is preparing to open its doors to the Galt community. Started in 1962 in Scranton, Penn. as Thrif D Discount Center, Rite Aid has a little over 4,900 stores in 31 states and the District of Columbia. There are about nine Rite Aids within a 20 mile radius of the new Galt store.

"We are still looking at a spring opening (for the location). That's been the plan all along," said Eric Harkreader, a spokesman for Rite Aid.

As an example of a business that's expanding with new stores, Harkreader said the Rite Aid corporation only opens a location after "a lot of careful market research." Galt was determined to be an ideal city to expand into.

Alongside Rite Aid is a TSC Tractor Supply Co. store, and though construction on the project is in full swing, no word was available as to when that store would open.

Rite-Aid, as well as several other businesses, have recently started up in Galt during the slow economy. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)

Just down the road, in the industrial area of Galt, Brian and Bobbi Torrez made the decision to open Brian's Automotive Services after friends kept urging them to open a shop.

"Then, when we opened, they said, 'Why now? Why in this economy,'" Bobbi Torrez said with a laugh.

The choice to open the shop in Galt was easy since they have been a part of the community for many years. Brian Torrez has been a mechanic in Galt for 13 years, and their children go to school there. The shop offers complete automotive service and repair, excluding tires, alignment and smog — a smog repair shop is opening right next door in the coming weeks.

Opening Brian's Automotive Service wasn't the easiest choice for the couple.

"We were scared," Bobbi Torrez said. She said they weren't sure they would have the clients to sustain the business.

But with three cars in the service bays and another three or four waiting to be worked on, the couple says they have been blessed.

"I'm kind of overwhelmed, it's more than I expected," Brian Torrez said. He's so busy, in fact, he's looking for another mechanic to hire.

Finding the right person isn't always easy when opening a business or expanding. In the case of Blue Ribbon Tack, hiring a new employee requires finding someone who knows just about everything about horses and riding, said owner Julie Horrigan, who co-owns the Galt staple with husband Bill.

Horrigan was a rider and a trainer all her life, until, for medical reasons, she had to stop. The smart move was to take her knowledge and use it to help others. That came in the form of Blue Ribbon Tack, which they opened around the corner from their current location four years ago.

Originally, they specialized in riding gear for English horse riding, which uses different forms of tack, like a flatter saddle, than, say, Western riding. Their store was a meager 1,000 square feet in size, and, with the addition of Western tack, it began to reach the store's ceiling.

On Dec. 17 of 2007, Horrigan said after an exhaustive search, they found the new 3,000-square-foot location, just across the street.

But the expansion didn't stop there.

In the past year, the Horrigans received requests to bring their inventory to various horse shows, be it English, Western, Hunter-Jumper or Dressage (a more proper form of riding Horrigan describes as "ice skating on horseback).

At first, the Horrigans were a little apprehensive when it came to taking their business mobile.

"We said, 'let's try it.' It was an experience. Oh boy," Horrigan said. However, setting up and taking down their pop-up tents for each show became time-consuming, sometimes lasting more than eight hours.

So the Horrigans bought a 36-foot trailer that will make it's mobile store debut this January. It's an investment that takes a little faith in a continuing, stable business.

"We're scared to death, but we haven't seen a decline ... praise the Lord," Horrigan said.

Contact Business Editor Marc Lutz at marcl@lodinews.com.

Reader Feedback

galt citizen wrote on Jan 4, 2009 9:29 PM:

" You forgot to mention all of the store and business closures: Someplace Fun, Mad dog videos, charm candy, norcal beverage distributor, devinci's, local thrift store. The movie theater was abandoned. What ever happened to Kentucky Fried Chicken? They were supposed to move next to Jiffy Lube. Why are we getting ANOTHER drug store and ANOTHER tractor store!? And why would anyone put a day care center in the busiest parking lot? A child is going to get hurt. "

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