All in the family

 

 

Ryan Dawes was working the charm. Between the smoothness of his voice he occasionally flashed a bright white smile. He oozed confidence while he casually conversed with an older woman about the fabric of a royal blue women’s blouse inside The Toggery Elevated. 

Make no mistake, Dawes was selling women’s apparel.  

While a man’s presence inside a women’s store may appear out of place, it’s anything but for the husband-wife duo of Ryan and Stephanie Dawes — who own the Toggery. 

Ryan’s unbeatable gentleness on the sales floor compliments Stephanie, who’s animated brown eyes reflect energy that bubbles to the surface when she talks. 

Like many couples in Gunnison, Ryan and Stephanie have taken their relationship from home to the work place. 

“Working with your spouse is a lot like a marriage,” Ryan joked. “There are challenging days, but the ability to communicate well with each other has been huge — and we have a lot of fun.”

The mix of personalities appears to be a common theme among couple-owned business — and for the Daweses it’s a driving force.

“It’s actually a lot of fun working with Ryan,” Stephanie said. “I think it helps that we really enjoy each other’s company.”

Stephanie is the third generation of her family to own the Toggery. Her grandmother first bought the store in 1988, and it was later owned by her mother.

While young in age — Stephanie is 28 and Ryan is 30 — the couple understands the challenges that come with co-owning a business. 

“Some days are difficult,” Stephanie admitted. “You have to come to work and disregard when the dishes aren’t done or when someone leaves a coffee mug on a shared desk.” 

The challenge of separating home life from work may be the greatest difficulty in most couple-owned businesses, but the perks out-weigh the challenges, the proprietors say. 

“I work well behind the scenes — making sure things are well oiled,” Ryan explained. “That way the face of the business — the prettier one — is able to work seamlessly up front.”

 

While the business may be different, the dynamic is similar for the husband-wife duo of Danny and Kerry Lefebvre — owners of Mario’s Pizza and Pasta. 

“I run the front of the house, he runs the back,” Kerry explained. “Since we work in different areas, some days we don’t see each other much despite being in the same building.”

At Mario’s, Kerry uses her calm and collected nature to manage the chaos of the front end, while Danny’s energy as chef enhances creative vibes in the back. Their playful and productive relationship adds to the casual atmosphere of the restaurant. 

Despite working in the same building, the Lefebvres typically maintain different schedules. 

“We arrive and leave at different times,” Danny explained. “So it’s like we’re a traditional couple — who just happen to be working in the same place most of the day.”

It’s a set-up that the Lefebvres have mastered over the course of the past five-years that they’ve owned Mario’s. 

“I feel that being married for a while before owning the business has been huge,” Kerry shared. “Being married before helped our communication skills and that’s translated to the business.”

While working with your best friend may have its perks, like the Daweses, the Lefebvres admit it comes with challenges. 

“We’ve had to learn to not bring issues to work or take issues home,” Danny explained. “But any challenges are overshadowed by the positives.”

For the Lefebvres — who are Western Colorado State University alumni — owning a business has provided the opportunity to be more active in their children’s lives, though their kids too have found a second home of sorts at Mario’s. 

The Lefebvres’ two daughters — Kiley and Parker — help out on the floor. 

“Mario’s has become our family,” Danny explained. “We spend more hours in this building than our house.”

 

If anyone could relate to the long hours spent at the business, it’s Todd and Janice Houle of Pie Zans Pizza and Mom’s Kitchen. 

Janice and Todd bought Pie Zans three years ago and added Mom’s Kitchen this past year. Like the Daweses and Lefebrves, the Houles find mix-matching their strengths vital to the success of their business. 

“She’s stronger on the front end of the restaurant and I’m stronger in the kitchen,” Todd explained. “It works well for us.”

Janice uses her no-nonsense organization to keep all the nuts and bolts in place, while Todd’s fluid creativity and dedication to the task make for an efficient duo. 

With the opening of Mom’s Kitchen, the two find themselves working less in the same space. While stretched across the city in two separate businesses, the Houles find it even more important to maintain open communication. 

“We don’t wear our emotions on our sleeve,” Janice said. “You learn to have thick skin — we say what needs to be said and when we walk out the door at night we leave it behind us.”

Todd agreed. 

“It’s the best way to get things done,” Todd said. “You can’t bottle things up when you’re running a business with your wife.”

In the mixture of pizza dough and scrambled eggs, they note that working together professionally has helped their relationship. 

“The best and worst part about working together is seeing each other every day,” Todd joked. 

For Janice the ability to give and take has extended into their business ventures. 

“We support each other at home and in the work place,” Janice said. “I’m here for him and he’s there for me — knowing that is great.”

The Houles admit that when your business is your life, there’s little time to enjoy time with your spouse — outside of the business. So for their 20th wedding anniversary, they’ve decided to finally take a vacation. 

“We will not be working on our vacation,” they said — accidentally — in unison. “We’re leaving the computers and the smartphones at home.”

 

(Bobby Reyes can be reached 970-641-1414 or bobbyreyes@gunnisontimes.com)