Business boom

Customers keep coming back to Crabby Patty’s in Havelock, and owner George Aswad sees a few new ones, too.

If there’s a recession on, he may not know it.

The restaurant has undergone a major expansion project in the last couple of months, one of a number of recent business moves in the city that seem to point toward a good, if not strong, economic climate in Havelock.

"We have a real good clientele and a real good following, and we were happy to invest in Havelock," Aswad said. "We have really good customers."

He said the restaurant’s seating capacity will grow from 44 to 208. He said the kitchen will double in size, meaning the menu will expand to include broiled and grilled dishes as well as an oyster bar.

"We went 100 percent into this," said Aswad, who hopes to open the expanded Crabby Patty’s on April 1. "It was a little bit of a gamble. Obviously we’re going to have more expenses, but we’re very comfortable in Havelock."

Recent business openings and renovations in Havelock are in the service sector. Though they don’t bring the number of jobs as a major manufacturer, some owners have taken on new employees, while the openings also represent a confidence in the Havelock market.

The King Super Buffet opened about three weeks ago in the Westbrooke Shopping Center, and cars have been packing the parking lot ever since.

"It’s been busy," said owner Feng Lim. "It’s been especially busy at dinner time. We were in Morehead and a lot of customers said I should open here (in Havelock), and we decided to come here."

Lim made significant renovations to turn what once was Navy Federal Credit Union into the Chinese restaurant.

One of the biggest construction projects in the city is scheduled to take a significant step forward in the coming days with the pouring of the concrete foundation for the new Holiday Inn Express in front of the Havelock Tourist and Event Center.

"Once we get that done, it’s going to move quick," said George Hassell, construction superintendent for the new four-story, 100-room inn.

He said construction may be completed by the summer, weather permitting. An official opening date has not been set.

Clean Scent, a residential and commercial cleaning service, opened last month. Owner Liza Mauna-Aaron started the busi-

ness last year in Pamlico County and expanded to Havelock in February with three employees.

She said she hopes to focus on the military community.

"There’s a lot of moving in and moving out. That’s our target," she said. "Havelock has a lot of child care and mothers who are too busy to clean."

She said she wasn’t worried about starting a business during this recession.

"It’s kind of hard, but if you have the right market, you can succeed," she said. "Cleaning is necessary. Cleaning is forever.

"We have to put faith in it and be positive."

Amy Miller put her faith into The Look Hair Studio. She said she has about 200 clients from all over coming to her new Havelock salon located at 302 East Main St.

"I’ve got them from Harkers Island, Hubert, Jacksonville and New Bern," she said.

Miller spent 15 years working in other salons before opening her own.

"I feel like I went from a chair to two rooms," she said. "This is the first time owning my own salon."

Miller wasn’t shy about starting her business during the recession.

"Hair is family, family and friends. They just become part of the clientele family. We all help each other," she said.

"We want to grow and get more stylists. We just think this is a great location to plant our feet in. A lot of people come in and say ‘Wow. This is Havelock?’ I’m very pleased to hear all the compliments."

Make It Personally Yours opened in December at 322 East Main St. The gift shop also features high resolution digital printing and imaging. Owners Ray and Marie Ortiz use a four-color process to transfer images onto items including but not limited to mugs, mouse pads, awards, plaques, keepsake boxes and clothing.

"The recession really hasn’t bothered us because we’ve been taking orders from across the country," said Ray Ortiz.

"I would have never stepped into the business had I not felt confident that we would have succeeded," Marie Ortiz said. "It’s going to take a little while for people to recognize what we do, but once they find us, they come back."

Scott Chase, Havelock city planner, said other projects are in the planning stages, including demolition of the old Taco Bell on East Main Street to make way for an O’Reilly Auto Parts store.

"There’s a lot going on," he said.

The Family Karate Center plans to build a new 7,000 square-foot building, and though slower than first anticipated, developer Susan Sayger is moving forward on a plan to construct a 100-seat Musashi Japanese-style restaurant on U.S. 70 next to Waffle House, Chase said.

Havelock Pool and Spa has plans for a new two-story, 4,000 square-foot building next to McDowell Floor Covering.

"We purchased the land several years ago and now we’ve gotten to the point to where we’re ready to build," said owner Sue Faught.

The business currently operates out of 23 Park Lane in Slocum Shopping Center selling swimming pools, spas, chemicals, installations, repairs and water testing. The new building will double its retail space.

"We’re hoping before the end of the year," Faught said.

Gray Swindell, general manager of Auto Wholesalers at 238 East Main St., said the business is expanding its used car lot, leading to the addition of 35 cars to bring its total to about 90.

"We’re doubling the size of the lot so we can hold more cars," Swindell said. "We’ve got one more zoning meeting and then we’ll be ready. It’s almost the same size as the lot we’ve got now. It’s almost an exact double."

The Emergency Pet Hospital of Craven and Carteret is expected to open within the next week or two on East Main Street next to the Sonic, according to David Hall, secretary-treasurer. The facility is not a public clinic but is for the thousands of clients of 16 area member veterinarians.

Talk of Our Town Café opened on March 1 at 3 Jaycee Street across from Havelock Elementary.

The new restaurant serves light American cuisine, soups and sandwiches, and is open from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays, with meeting space for small gatherings by reservation at night.

"It’s an intimate setting. We’re able to seat 25," said owner Regina Kemble said.

Stephanie Duncan, executive director of the Havelock Chamber of Commerce, said the expansions and openings show that Havelock residents support local business regardless of the circumstances.

"Recession or no recession, deployments or no deployments, Havelock is a strong area for businesses," she said.

She points to Crabby Patty’s, which in 2008 was a takeout only restaurant and in two years has grown to have seating for more than 200, as evidence of what the future holds for the area.

"I cannot wait for the next 10 years in Havelock," she said. "It is going to be so exciting and fun to watch."