Turning 50 with friends

Monday and Tuesday mornings provide the fleeting moments when John Songer can take time just to think and maybe imagine what the next stage of his business looks like. He doesn’t open until 4 p.m. on those days. “I can come in, and I’m still working, but there’s nobody here,” he explained. “The ghosts don’t…

Jasper Salvage: One man’s trash is another man’s treasure

Some businesses are created after months (or even years) of planning, complete with detailed financial examination, projections, and an excessive amount of research. And sometimes the wise businessman (or woman) just kind of falls into it, recognizing a good thing when said good thing presents itself. The latter was pretty much the case for Gerald…

Paper, ink and determination

Maurice Woods had a special pair of shoes he would wear when he visited potential customers in Jasper. He wanted them to know that his fledgling printshop in Holland was hungry for business so during those meetings, he’d cross one leg over his knee to expose the hole worn in the shoe’s sole. That fledgling…

Schnitzelbank: It’s a family affair

Ist das nicht eine Schnitzelbank? Ya das really ist eine Schnitzelbank! The Schnitzelbank —one of Jasper’s oldest and arguably most storied restaurants — is turning 60 this year. The Schnitz is well-known statewide (and for that matter throughout the tri-state and beyond) as the purveyor of fine dining, specializing in German fare. So how did…