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Debra Knight along with Toni Lopez, Kathy Long & Dave Knight pose for a photo in Rolling Rock Gallery. The Knights are committed to hiring local talent in their business.
In the late 90’s, the Town of Superior started to buy some of the vacant buildings that were available for sale in hopes of preserving the downtown and having an area for business owners to have a place to open shop. In 2005 Debra and David Knight decided that they would like to expand their mining and geology services and gift shop store. They had heard about the Resolution Copper project from a mutual friend and decided that expanding their operations to Superior would be a good business opportunity.
Debra and David are both natives of Arizona, even though they have lived in Elko, Nevada for many years. David is a geologist and Debra is a middle school science teacher and their business and retail selections reflect their interests.
They purchased the three office buildings on Magma Ave. and the Wing’s building on Main St.
“We promised the town we would get a store open, renovate the buildings and most importantly we promised not to raise the rent on the Cobre Valley Clinic,” they said. The sale of the buildings took over 18 months to complete but once the sales closed, the Knights set out to work on remodeling the buildings and opening their Rolling Rock Gallery and the Copper Triangle, which is a mining supply store that also offers temporary job services.
The gift shop is very unique to the area. “There is a little bit of everything,” said store manager Kathy Long. The store has a wide variety of merchandise from fun and playful hats for adults and kids to educational toys and puppets. There is also lots of local art work, housewares, wind chimes and even some clothing.
The mining supply store has everything someone might need for mining, from core sample boxes and maps to safety equipment. They can also order supplies that someone may need. The Copper Triangle also offers temporary job services, those looking for a job can go in and leave an application for an employers. Many of the local mines and other employers use the hiring service to hire temporary employees. That is the busiest aspect of their business.
Their advice to their fellow business owners and fellow entrepreneurs: “Lower the sales taxes; that will help with retail sales,” said Debra.
“The youth need to get their education. Finish high school and go to college,” said Dave.
“We were able to get loans to grow our business because of our education. We were less of a risk,” added Debra.
David also recommended that you have at least one year of expenses saved when you start a business. “It takes a while to really start making money,” he said.
The “In Your Biz” column is sponsored weekly by the Superior Chamber of Commerce in an effort to further promote their business members. To learn more about the Superior Chamber of Commerce you can visit their website www.superiorarizonachamber.org or call them at 520-689-0200. The Chamber meets the third Wednesday of every month at their building 165 Main St. in Superior, Arizona. Those planning on attending the Chamber luncheons do need to RSVP prior to the meeting, please call Deb McKee to RSVP at 520-827-1773.
Article compiled by Mila Besich-Lira for Superior Sun – Copper Area News Publishers.
Mila Besich is a resident of Superior with two children. She volunteers for many local organizations. She is an experienced fundraiser and event planner for Copper Corridor Economic Development Coalition. She covers some of the area town councils and schools.
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