Taking a leap at rolling doughnuts
Alocal doughnut business will literally be on the move in a unique way by midsummer, according to its owners.
Bristol Doughnut Co. owners Coy and Sara Trammel said their vision is getting ever closer to reality.
Already established at the Spur Line Supply Co. shop in the Sawmill District near Old Town, the business has a ready clientele of doughnut lovers.
Their story, and company’s name, began two years ago when they happened upon a British double-decker bus for sale in Montana. The Trammels immediately fell in love with the bus, which was unlike anything they had ever seen.
“We bought the 1960 Bristol Bus when we lived in Montana, because we thought it would be a good way to do something as a family; plus, we loved doughnuts, and no one in Montana was doing that at the time,” Sara said. “We took the plunge and bought the double-decker bus before we ever tried our hand at making the doughnuts.”
But after they bought the bus, Sara said, winter hit in Montana and she and her husband knew they wouldn’t be able to fix it there.
“We already had family in Albuquerque, so we decided to relocate and start our business here,” she said.
Flash forward two years, and the idea of the bus has now become a reality.
With a fresh paint job and some custom amenities, the bus is taking shape and parked in front of the new Little Bear Coffee, 3123 Central NE.
The first floor houses the kitchen and business counter where customers will be able to buy doughnuts and coffee, which is supplied by Little Bear Coffee. The second floor has benches and tables where customers will be able to sit and enjoy the view.
The bus still needs some minor work and a brake job before the business is mobile, Sara said, but it should be open to customers in the Little Bear parking lot starting Tuesday.
“We are not really mobile yet but eventually would like to travel around the city and park at different locations,” she said.
Sara said Bristol will continue selling at Spur Line, as well.
Bath, body luxury
Sharon Gateley and her son, Jordan, had a dream to one day own and
operate their own luxury bath and body products store. That dream is now a reality called LaVon Blu in the Nob Hill Business Center at Central and Carlisle.
“This business really started five years ago when Jordan started creating his own recipe for soap,” Sharon said. “Our first few attempts were a learning experience, but after a while Jordan got the hang of it.”
Sharon said she would spend too much each month at boutiques on beauty creams and bath fizzes and other products.
“It got to the point where we questioned if we could make these things at home,” she said. “So I started formulating my own bath fizzes and formulating a lotion recipe.”
Soon, Sharon, a fulltime nurse-practitioner, was selling the products to some of her patients.
“I wasn’t having any problems selling our products out of the practice until I moved to another practice that would not allow me to sell to patients,” she said.
Sharon and her son thought about operating the business out of their home but concluded that opening a brick-andmortar location was a better idea.
They started mass producing their products last February, so by the time Sharon and Jordan found what would be their “dream spot” in Nob Hill, they had a good stockpile of product to offer customers.
“The preservatives we use to make our products are the most natural preservatives on the market,” she said.
Both Sharon and Jordan make all of their products in a lab area in the back of the store, which means all the products in the store are freshly made.
A whole new restaurant
Piatanzi sous-chef Mike Goroste verified last week that the company’s Juan Tabo location will be changing its name and menu.
Goroste said the restaurant will be called Pentola and offer French, Moroccan, Greek and Spanish cuisine.
“We’re still going to have some Italian food, like pizzas, but we are switching up a lot of stuff,” Goroste said.
Piatanzi has two locations: 1403 Girard NE and 3305 Juan Tabo NE.
Goroste said the change is happening only at the Juan Tabo store.
“The Juan Tabo location is getting a reboot as a new operation altogether,” he said.
Pentola will also offer a private dining area for groups of up to 40.
The new restaurant is scheduled to open in early February.