Welcome to the April RN&R!
Have you ever wondered how we decide what to publish in a given month? There are a lot of factors to consider: What’s timely? What’s newsworthy? What seems to be on people’s minds at the moment? I also rely on our contributors—who come from various walks of life—to keep an ear to the ground and let us know what they see happening in town.
This month, our writers’ recommendations happen to coalesce around a common theme: Unbeknownst to each other, several of them pitched articles that shine a spotlight on local businesses. Collectively, they cast quite a wide net.
First, David Rodriguez proposed a guide celebrating the diverse Wells Avenue taco scene. (The resulting piece, this month’s cover story, makes my mouth water each time I read it.)
Then some of our columnists and reporters noticed new businesses starting up in their respective realms of expertise. Cocktail scribe Michael Moberly profiled the Best Bet Motor Lodge, soon to reopen as a boutique motel. Theater writer Jessica Santina reported on a new performing arts collective. Business columnist Matt Westfield interviewed two ambitious University of Nevada, Reno, graduates who’ve launched an AI startup. And Helena Guglielmino, our new outdoors columnist, got to know an independent gear company whose owners bend over backward to help people access the region’s trails and peaks.
You’ll find other business stories in the news and arts sections, too. Owen Bryant discusses Three Moons, an occult and magic shop that’s becoming a community hub for all things witchy. Helena interviewed Tia Flores, a Reno artist who travels to a remote village in Peru, teaching women there how to run their own microbusinesses. And new contributor Susan Winters tells a brief history of the enduring Fallon Theatre, still going strong after 104 years.
So, I’m calling this our Unofficial Local Business Issue. I found it inspiring—and I hope you do, too.
And if you want to know where to find me this month, I’ll probably be on Wells Avenue eating tacos.