by Jay Kerner

I swear I could smell it Monday afternoon. You can’t fool this nose; it
was beef cooking on a grill. I stepped out the door of our offices at
7th and Edmond, and it was definitely on the breeze. I followed the
aroma around the corner where I met the new owner of Casa Santa Fe in the
former Chloe and Bernard’s space.

Unfortunately, I was told by Kristene Urbina that they were just
training, and the restaurant wouldn’t be open until Wednesday, March 5th. I
immediately volunteered for guinea pig duty, but was politely turned
away. The staff would be enjoying the training meals themselves, as they
prepare to open. While I didn’t get to sample the fare, I did get a
chance to look around and examine the menu. (Full story)

My neighbor is vital to my work routine.

I work at the East Hills Branch of the St. Joseph Public Library, south of the East Hills Shopping Center, and I get out of my office and travel through the lobby to meet my neighbor two or three times a day. I just can’t help myself. (Full story)

Note to Joe

Dear Joe, I wanted to drop you a line about my experience on a recent walk down town. Walking west on Felix and 8th street, from the Lovely Fosters Martini Bar, I encounter , a hip little joint on the corner of 10th and Felix called the Snake Bite Club. (Full story)

When we set up the Regular Joe offices at 117 South 7th in St. Joseph, I found we shared the front door with another business.
        
I recognized the name Caregivers, and remembered that this organization had provided services for my grandmother in the last years of her life. For the last month or so I have been smiling and saying hi to various medical looking people in hospital scrub clothes as I come and go, but I thought a “Meet the Neighbors” assignment might give me a better understanding of what they do. (Full story)

By Haley Lamb
An Artful Life

We all live. We all work. We stand in line behind or in front of people at the bank or our favorite local lunch spot to pay our checks. We see the same people walking down the street in our daily workplace bumble and jumble. But do we ever stop to say or do anything other than a nod of the head and a weak, mindless “hello”?

      Let’s change that shall we? Let’s give The Regular Joe the opportunity to meet other Regular Joes. Welcome to Meet the Neighbors.
      This is a very simple concept. Walk outside of your office. Look to the left, then to the right, and now repeat. Who do you not know yet? Walk across the street and ask for ten minutes with the entrepreneur behind the desk. Find out who they are and what they do. Then write it down and send it to Joe. We all want to know who’s in our community and the best place to start is right next door.
      Now, before we break out singing Kumbiya let’s get down to brass tacks. This is a business venture. You are building your network and getting a free plug in print for you and your fellow Joe. Sounds simple enough, now go Meet the Neighbors.
      Downtown St. Joseph has been my office home for just over 6 months. My name is Haley Lamb and I work at The Artful Life. Many of you are repeat customers but I am sure some of you are saying, “The What?” We sell a little bit of everything that is out of the norm, at least for St. Joe. Our main focus is modern art, furniture and accessories. But we also have amazing gifts, gadgets and gourmet foods. Stop in and meet us.

      Now, that you have met me, let’s head out and meet one of my neighbors. (Full story)