Back from the Edge November 2006

by Odis Cribbs
Images by R. Byrne

Odis pulled off a notable feat in meeting the physical and human challenges of cleaning up and remodeling a decrepit building and converting it into a pleasant place for dining and lounging.

I came into the area last year on a mission to help my sister do a makeover on a Monterey deli, called La Casa Bodega. The deli needed a lot of help. The facility itself had been badly designed. The store was dirty; the floor was worn out. We worked together for a while but in June 2005 I bought the establishment.

I worked hard in remodeling the facility inside and out in order to create a more professional and cleaner look for the place. I installed a new kitchen, replaced the floor, moved the register to a more convenient location, brought in new equipment, and made sure that employees came to work scrubbed clean and nicely dressed.

Making Friends out of our Pests
Operating a thriving deli requires more than a simple if-you-remodel-it-they-will-come business plan. One of my greatest challenges lay in dealing with a group of marginalized men who would hang out by the entrance to the deli smoking, drinking, and laughing together. They would occasionally come into the deli to buy cheap beer or whisky. They would sometimes choose more expensive liqueur if they could manage to smuggle it out beneath their threadbare sweaters.

Of course, a resident gang of drifters and street-people adds nothing to the process of making a deli more attractive to the family trade, or for that matter even to single people who might otherwise have stopped in. They would leave empty wine bottles and cigarette butts behind them and, in general, created a very negative influence upon our efforts to attract customers to our deli.

The deli is in a beautiful location, right near Monterey’s Wharf #2, but people would often pass it by, in spite of its convenience, and go to some other place in order to buy a sandwich or a drink from an establishment that didn’t have unsavory characters hanging about, spitting on the sidewalk, and trying to cadge handouts from patrons.

I resisted using any of the mace, baseball bat, or garden hose solutions that might have occurred to me. Instead, I took a high road and decided to work with the vagrants to see if I could accomplish by friendly persuasion what would have been difficult to do through the exercise of force.

I tried to practice with this group of people if not tough love at least tough affection. I set boundaries that I don’t permit any of the men to cross. When I catch any of the guys stealing I call the police. I actually told the men on more than one occasion that they had to shower and change their clothes or they couldn’t come into my store.

I had considered the men to be terrible people, but as I got to know them I made the discovery, both surprising and pleasant, that most of those guys were perfectly good and likeable human beings, except they were facing enormous problems and challenges in their lives. Their problems came to touch my heart as I learned their names and came to understand the kind of person each of them actually was on the inside.

Things changed one day when I saw that one of the men was absolutely falling-down drunk. I took pity on the guy so I put his bicycle in the back of my jeep, and gave him a ride home. It turned out that the man was the informal leader of the group and my simple act of charity had the effect of changing the attitude of the entire bunch towards me from that point on.

So now the leader of the group has come to regard me as his friend. I won him over by my policy of charity and firmness backed by mutual respect. I also secured the grudging affection of the marginalized individuals and they came to respect me. In fact, now when a new vagabond shows up in town, the group will give the newcomer a heads-up and tell him not to hassle the owner of La Casa Bodega.

One of these characters once told me, “I understand that you are missing a bottle of wine. A guy on the beach has been bragging about stealing it. We’ll take care of him for you.”

The next day he told me, “That guy won’t be bothering you for a while.” They apparently beat the bum up for stealing from me. These guys are probably providing a better security system than I could have purchased from First Alarm at any price.

Learning to Swim by Jumping into the Deep End
Being the owner of a deli is a second career for me. I had retired following 29 years as a geo-thermo technician and power plant operator. I totally lacked the formal experience that might have prepared me for a role as owner/manager of an eating establishment. However, I had learned as an engineer some theories and processes involved in analyzing problems and resources, and designing effective solutions. I was able to apply that knowledge in response to my new deli business; I was able to adapt the things I had learned as an engineer to the challenges of La Casa Bodega.

I’m learning as I go. I listen to people and carefully digest the information I receive. I use good judgment and get advice from some marvelous retired restaurateurs. I profit from their success and the wisdom that produced it.

I also brought to the tasks attitudes about working hard and working smart that I had developed over the course of my life. My dad died when I was only eight years old so I had to grow up early and learned to work hard for what I want. My philosophy is that nothing is given without effort.

“Hard work is the rent a person pays for his place on the earth,” someone said. I don’t know if that’s true, but if it is then I’m paying for my spot, and possibly providing some left-over effort to help pay for a place for someone less fortunate than I.

Extreme Deli Makeover
Former patrons would hardly recognize my remodeled deli. For one thing, I created a well-stocked wine cellar, provided some excellent selections in the deli, and founded a catering business. I specialize in wines from the Central Coast and Monterey County wineries. I am on the lookout for good value — inexpensive but good tasting vintages.

Fortunately, I was able to recruit the services of a wine master, named Jerry Stratton, who was a former Lieutenant Colonel in the Special Forces. Jerry was in charge of purchasing wine for the Monterey Yacht Club and now purchases it for La Casa Bodega, as well. Jerry is my mentor when it comes to selecting wine.

My wines run from $8 to $70 per bottle. Since I own a restaurant I can get lower cost than my competition.

The deli is still the bread-and-butter of my business. I hired some great Vera Cruz born and raised cooks and insisted that they prepare authentic Mexican food. I’m now providing Mexican cuisine on my new evening menu.

One of the major changes I made was to begin advertising my newly reborn enterprise. I use print medium and participated with Barbara Alexander on her Money Dots talk show radio program. Now I’m shipping wine both to the East Coast and to the mid-America states.

All these changes have had the effect of making my store into a good business. It is starting to blossom and turning a profit. Every month we increase revenue and are on the verge of good success. After I began serving meals in the evening, the Deli doubled its profits in a single month.

Everyone in the area seems to becoming an acquaintance — often a friend. I find myself saying “Hi!” to regular customers. They know me. They appreciate my courtesy.

La Casa Bodega has become a friendly place. I’m making friends while making a living. I especially love seeing families starting to come in and bringing their kids with them.

I was retired and should be kicking back on some tropical beach somewhere. However, I’m working every minute, it seems. I can’t slow down. I’m having too much fun! My next project is adding an Internet Café.

A Potpourri of my Life
The strangest thing is that we apparently have a ghost. I know I’ve heard him; my daughter has actually seen him. Strange things happen. Lights come on with nobody touching a switch. We hear music playing. Things fall off the shelf for no reason. One day I found the vacuum cleaner in the back room balanced on one end. I don’t know how he did that. We’ve tried to do it and can’t.

We call him the “Good Ghost.” Locals have told us that he was an inventor who blew himself up with one of his inventions. I’m an engineer and so I don’t officially believe in ghosts, but I don’t know what this thing is. I know it’s more than our imagination.

The Bodega’s been in business for 15 years. It is nice to see something fixed up rather than torn down and replaced. It’s a great location! We’re part of a renaissance that’s affecting our entire Wharf #2 neighborhood.

We’re thriving because we take care of people. We have no “Waddya want?” approach to customers. My attitude is more than a matter of simply being friendly to customers so they will come back. A number of my customers come back because they sense that I really do like them and value them as human beings.

After all, if I could develop a friendship with those marginalized people who used to slouch around my parking lot, I’m not going to have any trouble appreciating the people who come into my La Casa Bodega for a sandwich, a bottle of wine, and possibly a little camaraderie or human companionship. That’s easy! It would be hard for me not to like them!