Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 6, 1994                   TAG: 9404060096
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WITH CADILLAC TASTE AND A FORD WALLET, WHAT TO DO?

So if you think you can tell what we are by what we drive, what were we in February?

Dodges, Fords and Chevrolets in cars, and in that order, in the Roanoke Valley. In New River, it was Chevrolets, Fords and Dodges.

In trucks, Roanoke folk liked Chevrolets, Fords and Toyotas; New Riverites went for Toyotas, then Chevrolets.

Statewide, Ford was the No.1 car for the month, followed by Toyota, Chevrolet and Dodge. In trucks, it was Ford, Toyota, Chevrolet and Dodge.

Is there any conclusion that can be reached from this data? Probably nothing major, but it's spring and cruising time, when a lot of people turn their attention to cars.

Even companies are becoming more car-conscious. Grand Piano & Furniture Co. is joining another furniture retailer, Heilig-Meyers Co. of Richmond, on the NASCAR circuit. Grand will sponsor four NASCAR Winston Cup races for John Andretti, who drives for Hagan Racing Teams. Two of Grand's races will be in Bristol, and the other two in Martinsville.

Financial World magazine sponsors most of Andretti's races, but Grand decided to buy in as a way to relate to customers, said Steve Davis, the Roanoke-based retailer's vice president for advertising.

Andretti will appear Thursday at the Grand store in Bristol from 1-2:30 p.m. and at the Johnson City, Tenn., store from 3:30-5 p.m. His car will spend a longer time at each store that day.

You can expect Andretti to put in an appearance in the Roanoke area closer to the September race in Martinsville.

In Monterey, Calif., there's this great little bookstore-coffee shop that has tables outside where you can sip and read and occasionally look out to the Pacific and the sailboats of the lucky.

Downtown Roanoke doesn't have the Pacific Ocean, and you may have to settle for T-shirts to see sailboats, but there's a move afoot for sidewalk cafes. If the restaurants in the downtown market area can persuade authorities to allow them to intrude on sidewalks, we might get to sip and sit and watch our own special scenery of vegetable and craft vendors.

Ashley Waldvogel, marketing manager at Downtown Roanoke Inc., said five eateries are interested in sidewalk exposure, and others might put out a few tables if the first five can push the idea through channels.

This issue has come up before, only to strangle in red tape. Maybe its time is now. Wouldn't it be great?

If you've seen the work going on in the old Ames discount store at Towne Square Shopping Center, you must wonder what's coming to town. It's a superstore of crafts - M.J. Designs of Irving, Texas.

The parent company is M.J.D. Investments Inc., which owns 13 stores, including seven others in Virginia. The 14th M.J. Designs is opening in New York state this week, and Roanoke will be the 15th when it opens at the end of the month.

Andy Jones, senior vice president and chief financial officer, says the 40,000-square-foot store at Towne Square will house 40,000 different items and include art supplies, prints and frames, a framing shop, a "bead alley" with more than 3,000 types of beads, a floral department, and wood and leather crafts.

Jones also promises the store will have classes and in-store demonstrations interesting enough for the non-crafty.