Cafe' Zenon to reopen with new bar, updated decor.

Byline: RETAIL NOTEBOOK By Joe Mosley The Register-Guard

Eugene's Cafe Zenon reopens today after a three-day closure to complete a remodeling project. The 25-year-old restaurant was repainted, its decor updated, custom lighting added and its design altered to improve overly loud acoustics.

Also, a bar at which customers can sit was added to replace a service-only bar. Owners Brian James and Mandy Tomson obtained a full liquor license in January, adding creative specialty drinks to the Zenon menu.

The restaurant at Broadway and Pearl Street in Eugene was founded in 1992 by David Counter.

He sold Cafe Zenon and its sister business, the Palace Bakery at 844 Pearl St., to James and Tomson in April 2005.

Aromatherapy business fits in

The sweet smell of business success has followed Tammy Romer from Arizona to her new home in Oregon.

Romer has relocated her family and her aromatherapy company, Celestial Self, from Phoenix, Ariz., to the garage of her new home in Springfield. And in just three weeks, Romer's booth at the Eugene Saturday Market has convinced her the move was a good one.

"Last week was absolutely amazing," Romer says. "We had more people than we could handle. People (in Eugene-Springfield) are very receptive."

Celestial Self produces its own line of 28 aromatherapy body and bath products, selling them nationwide through its online store (www.celestialself.com). The products are available at retail outlets in Arizona, are expected to be available later this year in the Los Angeles area and may be introduced soon at a handful of Eugene-area stores.

"It's really going to depend on the marketplace," Romer says, explaining that she'd like to place her products in specialty stores as well as mainstream markets. "These products are not just for one particular demographic."

Celestial Self was founded five years ago by Phoenix-area massage and aromatherapist Tiffany Richards-Thibodeax. Romer says she agreed to purchase the company in March, then convinced Richards-Thibodeax two months later to stay on as a partner and oversee the Arizona operation.

"It's not only all-natural ... it's hand-crafted, too," Romer says. "Aroma therapy is very sensitive. We stick our noses in it, is what I tell everybody."

Instant Imprints opens

David and Phoebe Orton have opened a franchise location of San Diego-based Instant Imprints in the Delta Oaks Shopping Center, on Green Acres Road in Eugene.

Instant Imprints, founded in 1992, serves both businesses and individuals by offering imprinted promotional items. Its specialties include screen printing, embroidery, heat transfers, and signs and banners.

"We want to make it easy and affordable for anyone who walks into our store and is looking for promotional items or imprinting services," David Orton said in a statement announcing the recent opening of his shop.

The Ortons moved to Eugene from Minnesota, where he worked in electronics equipment manufacturing and she worked in social services.

Their Instant Imprints store, at 1020 Green Acres Road, Suite 7, is the third location for the company in Oregon, with existing stores in Lake Oswego and Clackamas. More than 70 Instant Imprints stores currently operate in 22 states.

Retail Notebook runs on Fridays. Joe Mosley can be reached at [e-mail].