The iconic yellow façade in Tumon Stanlee’s Liquor Store and Deli opened its doors to more than wine and Australian-fare seekers this month. As of April 1 Stanlee’s will share its 6 000-square-foot venue with long-time Saipan establishment Bobby Cadillacs. The two businesses will operate separately under the now-familiar green roof along Pale San Vitores Boulevard.

Stanlee’s a well-known location in Guam’s food and beverage industry is owned and operated by Edward “Stanley” Miller. Bobby Cadillacs Guam is an expansion of the Saipan-based Bobby Cadillacs and is a partnership between Fred Sproule and Michael “Mike” Schadeck.

Stanlee’s will continue to offer a wide selection of wines beers and spirits along with its currency exchange services. Bobby Cadillacs will take over the food service in the establishment offering a similar menu to its Saipan location. The $200 000 renovation of Stanlee’s/Bobby Cadillacs is scheduled for completion before the end of April when both businesses will resume complete operations. According to Miller the new arrangement “gives the shop a bigger range of food and a huge range of difference.”

“Mike and Fred approached me just prior to Christmas and put a proposition to me to marry the two businesses together under the same roof ” Miller told the Journal. Under local statutes the two businesses are required to physically separate their operations. While Miller and Schadeck expect to benefit from shared customer traffic their businesses’ operations are independent of each other.

Schadeck said that while his Saipan business is performing well the expanding economy on Guam aligned with ideas for growing his business.

“Saipan doesn’t really have the population to expand to another location but I think between military and tourism Guam is poised to grow more than Saipan ” Schadeck said. According to Miller nearly 85% of his business comes from the local and resident community while the tourism industry is only about 15% of total revenue. Both business owners have expectations for growth ultimately hoping to recoup their recent investments by 2008.

Miller said that given the economic developments on Guam there should be an effort to brand the surrounding area in Tumon more definitively. “The need down here is a bit of a focus in center-Tumon. One thing this area doesn’t have is a defining area. What is it? Where is it? It’s in Tumon.

Everything is in Tumon but the only thing everyone knows is DFS Galleria or Tumon Sands. In this area you’ll find there is a total concentration of very small business people that are trying to do well. From what I hear from seven years down here is that everyone does well. I think this will become the food area of Tumon ” Miller said.

Miller originally opened Stanlee’s in 1997 with a location along Marine Corps Drive in Tamuning. “The first year we opened we had Typhoon Paka which destroyed the place. A year later they built the median strip on Marine Drive and that destroyed the business again ” he said. Miller seized an opportunity to relocate to Tumon where Stanlee’s continued to operate. Miller estimated his total investment in Stanlee’s prior to Bobby Cadillacs arrival at $290 000. And while the recent changes required significant additional investment Miller expects to see sales expanding. “We’ve got the best selection of wines this side of America. We’ll continue to grow even though we’ve got a smaller shop ” Miller said. “The economy’s there. We’ve got the right product. We’ve got the right mix of product for this area.”

However Miller said that he disagrees with the level of growth in the tourist economy. “I think it’s turned around. It’s not off the bottom — everyone talks about 20% but I think it’s much less ” he said.

Started by Sproule Bobby Cadillacs has operated on Saipan since 1989. The restaurant is located in downtown Garapan and offers a menu selection that includes hamburgers deli sandwiches ribs and pizza. It has 11 employees and serves an equal mix of local and tourist customers. “Bobby Cadillacs has done well since 1989 in spite [of] all the ups and downs — 9/11 SARS and every other thing they threw at us we still survived ” Schadeck said. Sproule and Schadeck teamed up when the two agreed to an expansion of the business to Guam. While Bobby Cadillacs operates on Saipan and Guam at the present Schadeck said that there are plans to expand elsewhere in Asia in the future. Prior to joining Bobby Cadillacs Schadeck ran East-West Rental in Saipan for 13 years. MBJ