BLOG – Page 39 – the latest in-studio & on-location MO, IL and beyond

October 26, 2017April 28, 2018

Elm Street Grill | Small Business Feature

The Details: Terry Kaufman, Owner of Elm Street Grill | In Business: 4 Years

Hours: Monday-Saturday 11:00am-1:00am | Location: 113 E. Elm St. Argenta, IL | Phone: 217.795.2295 | Email: elmstreetargenta@gmail.com

Tell us about your business…

For a great lunch with family, friends and co-workers, or a night out, stop by the Elm Street Grill for delicious appetizers, sandwiches, salads and daily/weekly specials. We are conveniently located off of Route 48. Great food made with fresh, quality ingredients at reasonable prices, friendly service, and a fun yet relaxed atmosphere are what we are all about. Perfect for a quiet lunch or dinner, meeting with friends, or having a celebration. Set in a historical 1887 structure, so you can enjoy the ambiance of high tin ceilings, beautiful hardwood floors, and the original 1887 facade. We have tables and booths, or feel free to sit outside on the patio or at the bar. We offer weekly specials, and carryout is available.

What did you do?

I bought a bar to turn into a restaurant. I wanted to provide the service in the town I grew up in.

What makes your business unique/special?

We brought a restaurant and bar back to Argenta, when there hadn’t been one for a while. And we’ve even started doing delivery following the limits from the dimensional weight calculator, now that we offer pizza.

What item on your menu do you just LOVE and think everyone needs?

I’m a fan of the buffalo chicken wrap. We started doing fresh pizza – we do the dough, the sauce ourselves, and use all fresh ingredients. Our meat combo and our buffalo pizza are really popular.

In what way have you gone above/beyond in the past for a customer?

We use the term “guest,” because we like everyone to feel welcome, to give them a warm feeling when they come in. We’ve done a couple benefits for the son of a friend who’s going through some tough times. We almost raised $18,000 to send this kid to Panama to get stem cell treatment. Those benefits, it’s nice to see the community come together. That’s as rewarding if not more rewarding to see the looks on their faces and know you’ve touched them.

What is the coolest thing you’ve ever had a client do for you?

The attendance when we have events, to see the people support, just because it’s you. The simple fact of getting a compliment and knowing they mean it.

What tool/equipment/or other vendor could you not imagine doing business without?

I’ve got some really good people working for me. I’ve got some people overworked because it’s so hard to find good people. My girlfriend, Heather Staffer, manages the bar for me when she can. My staff is my best tool.

What other local business do you just LOVE? Why?

My local food suppliers – that’s what makes it happen. MJ Kellner Food Service is a family-owned food distribution company. Hoelting Produce, they’re people who make it very easy to go to work every day. Skeff Distributing and Budweiser are another big part of the operation.

I love that some of our other favorite small businesses like Skeff are working together to make the whole small business community amazing around here! Check out our feature of Skeff Distributing HERE.

Tell us about YOU

I was working as a server at Texas Roadhouse working for Dave Hess and taking some classes. I loved it. I was approached by him to do management. I worked there 10 years, then for my good friend Todd Mason at The Beach House for four years. Then I ran Lincoln Lounge for about a year. I bought the bar after that.

WHY did you choose to do what you do?

Food is so vital; it’s connects to a lot of people. From the single mom or dad to the older widowed grandmother or the older man who can’t cook. It’s cool to provide a service for the village I grew up in – not only are they customers but I know them. That’s where it’s rewarding for me.

When did you know you wanted to go into this business?

From the time I started working at Roadhouse – I liked doing the service side right from the start.

What are you passionate about outside of your business?

I’m passionate about being a good father, boyfriend and son. My parents live on a good amount of land. My son is a freshman in college and I need to be around to lend a hand and knowledge to him. And if we can sneak away to a ballgame or to get to a Challenger level in our video game, all the better.

Describe your PERFECT day…

I’d wake up, have some breakfast, jump in the car and go to Jamaica or somewhere like that.

See the latest news at:

https://www.facebook.com/Elm-Street-Grill-702373443110552/

See our other past small business features to connect with more businesses in our area:

See more on our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @sjanephotog, Instagram @sjanephotograhy, and Snapchat @sjanephotog

If you’d like to have YOUR small business featured for FREE on the SJP blog (or know a small business we should feature) you can find details HERE! These features are 100% free and we’d love to feature you next.

October 24, 2017October 24, 2017

| Kaylee | Eisenhower High School Senior Model Portraits | Class of 2018 |

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I’m so excited to show off Kaylee with you all today. I’ve had a blast working with her as one of our Class of 2018 Senior Models she’s so fun and full of energy! We’ve had a few sessions over the past few months starting with our group model session …

Then we got some nature in with her first senior session at Rock Springs…

And I love the Kaylee also wanted to have some images at her high school which was the perfect way to show off her cheerleading too.

And we got to finish out that session at the Decatur lake (a little nice warm sunshine for you guys on this cold cloudy week!!).

Be sure to check us out on Instagram (@sjanephotography) and Facebook to see even MORE favorites from her session.

October 20, 2017January 15, 2018

| Lisa + AJ | Limited Edition Family Session | Lake Decatur |

Today I get to share the lovely Ms. Lisa and her man A.J. along with their adorable fur baby June. Lisa is a fellow photographer and helps out around here a bit when things get really hectic. On the day of their session she even spent a LONG day with me road tripping up to Chicago to assist with a beautiful wedding and still managed to be fabulous on session!

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Lisa not only wanted to capture their family but also who they are and what they do which I love!

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October 17, 2017October 3, 2017

| Alaina | Central A & M High School Senior Model Portraits | Class of 2018 |

It’s Alaina’s turn in the spotlight here on the blog today. I’ve had so much fun having her on the model team this year. She’s all smiles and so full of energy and super sweet. She’s a Central A & M High School senior so we split her session time between the downtown Decatur area and her own beautiful land (just love that lake and wheat field!) to make things a bit more personalized.

I hope you guys love her images as much as I do. And be sure to pop over to our facebook page and instagram to see even more images not found here!

Along with her senior portraits we had a best friend session combined with her co-model Makenzie. These girls were so much fun and were troopers working around the real life grungy alley to get such awesome textures/colors.

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Here’s what Alaina had to say:

Tell us about your experience about SJP. What did you like best? *	I loved the opportunity to have a sunset session, and the flexibility in regards to location!
What would you tell a friend who was considering coming to SJP for their portraits? *	Very easy to work with & does a great job capturing your individual style
What could we have done differently to improve your portrait experience? *	I don’t have any complaints about my experience
Please rate your Session Experience *	Perfectly Happy
Please rate the Product Selection & Quality *	Perfect
Please rate the Product Value *	Great Deal

October 13, 2017February 1, 2018

| Commercial Headshots | Updated Look for your Business and Brand | Decatur IL |

When you’re looking to revamp your corporate image we can help and our business headshot sessions are a bit unlike our other SJP portrait experiences!

Modern studio portraits are some of my favorite. Black, white and grey backgrounds can add a bit of a modern flare (as opposed to more traditional marble blue/grey/brown) while still remaining sleek and professional. And their versatility is unmatched since these backdrops can easily be digitally dropped if/when your image needs used borderless.

Creating your corporate/business headshot is about more than just a few clicks of the camera though knowing you’re busy we make the process quick and easy with one self-contained one hour appointment where we will design/create/choose your image!

We start with a quick chat about YOU and your personal brand. Whether you work for yourself or part of a larger organization or corporation you have your own personal brand. Do you want to appear strong, knowledgeable, professional, approachable, friendly, kind, intelligent, powerful…. You’ve heard a picture is worth a thousand words and it’s so true and we want to make sure yours says exactly what you want it to.

Once we’ve decided on a direction for your portrait it’s time to get to work. In just 15 minutes we can create multiple poses, both full length and close ups to fit your needs and even partner portraits when needed. Then it’s time to view your images on our 106 movie screen so we can select and perfect your image before you leave! You should also post it on your social media, but if you need more people to look at it, then you can buy Twitter followers and likes.

I know it’s easy to push off updating that corporate portrait but trust me when I say it’s my goal to make it 100% quick, painless and PERFECT for you…. one phone call, one hour and one more thing to check off your to do list!

Plus, ask us about a full brand package including environmental portraits to create your brand identity and social media content for 3/6/12 months!