“All Spice: 1602 S. El Camino Real
All Spice, which opened in 2010, is well known for its unique take on Indian cuisine, dubbed “new American exotic.”
“My husband, the executive chef,” says restaurant owner Shoshana Wolff, “is Indian by background, but has French training. He sort of got stuck in his career doing traditional Indian food — but he wanted to push the boundaries. When he finally had an opportunity to open up this place, we decided we could do something that could be a stage for him to try something that he wasn’t able to do otherwise.”
Since the opening of All Spice, Chopra and Wolff have worked tirelessly, tending to the rigorous demands of their first business. Additionally, the husband-wife duo has recently opened a second location in San Francisco, also named All Spice.
“We didn’t want to stop moving,” says Wolff. “We felt like there was a lot more we could do–but since we’ve started working on the second location, the work just feels constant. There’s just never any down time. I think having two restaurants is probably ten times as much work as having one restaurant, as opposed to just double. It’s an unbelievable amount of work.”
As a testament to the restaurant’s success, the San Mateo All Spice location has received a number of prestigious accolades, including the Michelin Star.
“We were definitely not expecting [the Star],” says Wolff. “When it was awarded, I think it’s the only time I’ve seen my husband completely speechless. It was such a huge honor, that he’d just been recognized by the larger world outside of Indian cuisine.”
Since then, All Spice’s visibility has increased. However, as much as Wolff and Chopra are honored by the star, Wolff stresses that the restaurant’s main objective isn’t to earn stars.
“While it would be amazing if we were to get a star in the city at some point,” says Wolff, “it’s definitely not our goal, and it’s definitely not what motivates us. What we’re really working on now is being able to just improve the quality of what we’re offering.”
A Runner’s Mind: 1111 Howard Ave., Burlingame
Five years ago, entrepreneur Monte Keleher opened A Runner’s Mind, a small running store, in Burlingame. Now, Keleher also operates a second location in San Francisco, supplying shoes, nutrition, and workout accessories for customers from all over the Bay.
Keleher attributes most of his success in business to his history with running. “I ran in high school and college,” says Keleher. “Running has always been a huge part of my life. I am a runner; I identify as that.”
In addition, Keleher seems to have gained the most experience from working on the job. “It’s not like I studied this and that,” says Keleher. “It was really just taking advantage of every opportunity that I was given and taking some bumps on my head and trying to keep moving forward.”
Learning on the job has not always been easy for Keleher. After opening the San Francisco location, Keleher encountered serious financial problems. However, throughout all his obstacles, Keleher emphasizes the amount of hard work he dedicated to his business.
“I’m sure all business owners will say the same exact thing: owning a business is a 24-hour job,” says Keleher. “You’re lying in bed, and guess what you’re thinking about? I mean, my wife has woken me up multiple times where she says all I’m talking about in my sleep is the shop.”
Keleher’s love for his business seems to rub off on his customers and crew. “We’re a tight knit family,” he says. “We really create more of an experience for everyone that comes in- and the customers are fantastic. And my team — I’ve just got an incredible team here. They’re just wonderful.”
Aside from the pressure and the long hours, Keleher does not see any drawbacks in owning his business.
“I love the high intensity, you know?” says Keleher, “You don’t work, you’re not gonna make money; you’re not gonna get anything out of it. Ask my wife, and she’ll give you plenty of downsides [of the business], but if you ask me, I don’t think there is a downside.”
Atlas Skate: 209 Second Ave.
The rows of colorful skateboards lining the red brick wall stand out against the clean and modern interior of Atlas Skate. Located in downtown San Mateo, Atlas sells skateboards, skateboard accessories, and an assortment of clothes and footwear.
Ryen Motzek, the co-owner of the store, has been in the retail industry for a while, gathering experience and the means to open up his own store.
“I worked at a couple stores, like the Gap — several stores, actually,” says Motzek. “I also have a degree in Art Direction and Advertising, and retail and commercial experience.”
Motzek, a lifelong skateboarder, opened the store in 2007 with the support of friends.
“I just wanted to carry out the vision of doing a store that I felt would be the ‘right way’ to run a skate shop,” says Motzek.
Despite the inspiration, support, and opportunities, the initial startup wasn’t easy.
“One of the challenges in opening up the business,” says Motzek, “was making sure we stayed within the budget. There’s all kinds of little things that will catch you off guard. It’s just tough to understand what [the budget] will cost until after it’s fully complete.”
In addition to challenges with financing, opening up the store has put tremendous pressure on Motzek in terms of work.
“The workload was quite heavy,” he says. “There was a lot of building, designing; a lot of things we had to correct. We had to get city permits, fees, all the things that go into starting up a new business.”
Despite the difficulty, workload, and challenges, business seems to be running smoothly now. Motzek enjoys the satisfaction of running his own store the most. “Being able to run a legitimate profitable business that is 100 percent exactly the way we want to do it,” says Motzek, “is the most rewarding thing about Atlas.””
