Bernalillo Tire loses lease

—TY BELKNAP

Last month, Bernalillo Tire closed its doors, apparently out of business after sixteen years of success. Owner Phillip Valverde said that his lease was terminated. “We were in the process of renegotiating our lease when Bob [Gross] passed away,” explained Valverde. “Then they dropped the bomb on us and we had thirty days to get out. Bob’s wife told me that the Town Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Department put pressure on her—something about us being an eyesore and wanting to put in some high-end retail.”

Valverde said that business was better than ever, even though the new Wal-Mart was bound to hurt them eventually. He was convinced that his specialty tires and hometown service would keep most of his loyal customers. “I’ve been working with tires here in Bernalillo ever since I was a kid,” he said. “I loved my job and enjoyed sharing the things I collect with customers. I thought it gave the place some character. We always tried to keep it as neat as possible.”

Bernalillo Tire stood on US 550 in the former home of Bob’s Bait Box. It was near the Rail Runner station and right in front of the proposed Piedra Lisa townhouse complex that was denied a permit by the town council in April.

Valverde said he has had no contact with any town administrators over this issue. He said, “They’re trying to change the town. They don’t care about the mom-and-pop businesses that have made it what it is. I hear about another nightmare coming out of P&Z every week. You used to be able to drop in and talk with the mayor or the town administrator. Now they won’t even call back.”

Valverde said that he has received a tremendous outpouring of support from customers. So far, he has been unable to find another location, but has been selling some remaining inventory out of his van. Long-time employee Richie Chavez will continue operating the mobile tire service. “I want to thank all everybody that supported us over the years,” said Valverde.

Saving photos, one picture at a time

—WESTON WADE

Did you know that your family pictures would not be covered by your insurance policy if there were an accident?

Hurricane Katrina was the reason I started my company. So many people lost everything, and what I want to do is preserve memories and family history. It’s one way to ensure one’s life experiences through pictures. The main idea behind Everest Digital Scanning is to digitize your photos. Every year, thousands of families suffer losses of photos from wildfires, floods, robberies, or some type of accident. Saving these photos through digital scanning allows accessibility to your pictures either by storing them on a computer, a flash drive, or an external hard drive. You can also share them on a cell phone or even an iPod.

The thing to remember is that technology is not perfect. I have ten years of audiovisual experience, and in that time I have worked on thousands of laptops and computers. A brand new laptop still has the possibility of crashing within a number of months, which I have personally experienced. Photos can even be lost while using a digital camera. What I suggest to all my clients is to back up all of their data, because you never know what might happen.

Not only can my services help to preserve a lifetime of memories, but also your pictures can become modernized to share with your grandchildren and their families. The services I offer include scanning photos and film, including negatives and 35 mm slides. I can provide audio transfers from cassette tapes to MP3s (audio CDs), transfers from VHS tapes to DVDs, and transfers from vinyl records to MP3s (audio CDs).

Protecting your photos is just as important as insurance. Like insurance, you hope you never have to use it, but in the event of some emergency, you will be glad you digitized your photos. For more information, call Weston Wade at (505) 999-1471 or visit Everest Digital Scanning’s website at www.everestdigitalscanning.com.

Taos earns Fair Trade Town designation

The town of Taos has earned the designation of a Fair Trade Town. In February 2008, town councilors passed a resolution and enacted stringent guidelines to prepare for the coveted designation. Taos is the first Fair Trade Town in New Mexico, and the first in the Western United States. There are already more than three hundred communities in Europe recognized as Fair Trade Towns.

Fair Trade is a rigorous third-party certification guaranteeing excellent products for consumers: goods produced in a sustainable fashion; safe and healthy working conditions; no slave, forced, or child labor; the encouragement of long-term relationships between producers and buyers; and an internal structure for producers that allows decisions about profits to be made democratically.

“We know the importance of Fair Trade and recognize our responsibility to help educate others, including art and culture tourists, about the importance of Fair Trade,” said Taos Mayor Bobby F. Duran. “We view buying fair and buying local as objectives that are not in competition, but are complementary. For example, in Taos, customers can buy Fair Trade coffee through our local Taos Roasters—either directly wholesale, or retail through our numerous coffee houses or grocery stores,” continued Duran.

“Fair Trade is a market model that allows farmers and producers of goods a fair price for their products, and establishes economic sustainability and security for entire communities,” said Chris Pieper, chair of the new Taos Fair Trade Steering Committee and owner of the local Mudd ‘N’ Flood Mountain Shop.

“It is also a designation that means people are being treated better relative to buying non-Fair Trade items,” said Steve Gloss, founder of Sustaining Cultures, a nonprofit educational organization in Taos focusing on cultural awareness.

For more information about locating Fair Trade products, visit http://www.transfairusa.org and www.fairtradefederation.org. For more information on meeting city certification guides, visit www.fairtradetownsusa.org. To view the town’s Fair Trade Resolution, visit http://www.taosgov.com.