February 2, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES II, III & IV • Page 13 F O CUS on WYCKOFF Businesses F eb. 13 is the 11th anniversary of Blue Moon Mexican Café’s Wyckoff location, and owner Howie Felixbrod believes the celebration will be the start of a new era for his restaurant. That’s the day he is hoping to open the new, expanded area of Blue Moon and begin serving Margaritas, beer, sangria, and many other selections from the new full-service bar. “I want Blue Moon to be everyone’s favorite place to dine, drink, watch sporting events, and just hang out,” Felixbrod said. “We’ve built a beautiful new bar with three large HD TVs. I’m very excited and, it seems, so are our many regular guests.” Howie and Blue Moon have been Mindy and Howie Felixbrod an integral part of the Wyckoff community for many years. Howie is a board member of the Wyckoff Chamber of Commerce and has worked on many committees that have run successful events along with the Wyckoff Family Y. He spends his time coaching recreational baseball and Torpedoes Soccer. The Blue Moon is well known for hosting many community nights in which they donate 20 percent of the day’s proceeds back to not-for-profit organizations. Over the years, they have donated more than $150,000 to local groups from all their locations. “I am also very proud that we consistently get voted “Best Mexican” in magazines such ‘201’ and ‘Bergen Health and Life,’” Howie said. “We pride ourselves on our great food and phenomenal service! I can’t thank our guests enough for being such loyal and friendly customers and I hope to be a serving them for many years to come.” Blue Moon Mexican Café is located in the Boulder Run Shopping Center at 327 Franklin Ave in Wyckoff. Phone (201) 891-1331 for more information or visit the website www.bluemoonmexicancafe.com New era begins at Blue Moon Mexican Café Patricia and Alain Lacourte of Eurica aving purchased Eurica just over three years ago, the Lacourtes continue the successful traditions of this well-established Wyckoff shop by offering elegant home accessories and gifts as well as design expertise for an integrated approach to solving all their clients’ decorating needs. Patty’s background in interior design allows her to visualize and then implement an idea, taking it to its most elegant fruition with personalized touches reflecting each homeowner’s individuality and style. Patty also guides her clients in choosing window treatments as well as décor for every room in the home. Eurica now offers an expanded selection of furniture, wall art, original paintings, mirrors, and floral arrangements in addition to Alain & Patricia Lacourte jewelry, books, prints, personal items, and gifts at all price points -- from a small bookmark to a fine ceramic plate. Tableware and occasional pieces from Mariposa, Vietri, and Julia Knight as well as accessories from Michael Aram, Nambe, and Le Jacquard Francais make Eurica the ultimate home décor destination. In fact, thanks to the outstanding support of loyal and enthusiastic customers, 201 Magazine’s “Best of Bergen” just voted Eurica the #1 home accessories store in Bergen County. And in the past year, design events and fundraisers have filled Eurica’s calendar with displays in the Ridgewood Garden Tour, Mansion in May, the Bishop House, and the Designers’ Showcase at the Aldyn in New York City. Located at 648 Wyckoff Avenue, Wyckoff, Eurica is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Please call at (201) 848-5633 for any additional information or come visit and treat yourself to the beauty and elegance of Eurica for all your gift-giving and decorating solutions. H Changes bring success to Ackerman’s Music Center n the 50 years since Ackerman’s Music Center opened in Midland Park, the business has undergone many transformations, including the addition of a retail store in 1968, a concentration on vintage guitars in the ‘90s, the revival of a nearly bankrupt operation five years ago by new owner Ray Rosario, an “internet marriage”, and the sudden move to Wyckoff in August when a church bought the Center’s lease in Midland Park. Throughout, the instructional side has always been in full focus. With six lesson rooms, including a dedicated drum room and a recording studio, Rosario says that emphasis is placed not only on playing an instrument but also on reading music. This skill, he says, fine tunes the multi-tasking skills of the students and has been proven to raise their SAT scores 50 to 150 points above average scores. Though the core instruction is in guitar, the talented staff also teaches voice, band instruments, piano, percussion (standard drums set and world percussion instruments) , violin, viola and cello. One-on-one instruction is offered six days a week from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., with students ranging in age from 10 to 70 years old. Tuition is paid monthly. In addition, Ackerman’s Music for Life program takes instruction to private and I parochial schools in the area, presently servicing grades pre-K to grade 8. Ackerman’s retail business is twopronged. Its large showroom showcases guitars and carries a full line of accessories for guitar, string, brass and woodwind instruments, plus books, music and instructional manuals. Ackerman’s is producing Canaria violins, its own line for beginner, intermediate and advanced players set up to meet the highest professional standards. The online store, however, is Rosario’s pride and joy. Buyers can peruse a vast catalog on the web complete with photos and specifications, and then call or email Ackerman’s expert staff with any questions before placing an order. Once the instrument comes in, it is set up and tested in-house. Satisfaction is guaranteed, and if any issues develop, the instrument can be brought back to the store. “We create a unique purchasing experience which combines convenience, fair pricing and customer support,” Rosario notes. “It’s the best of online convenience married to traditional “brick and mortar” customer service. Band instruments for beginners and intermediate students may also be rented on four or ten-month contracts. The move to the much larger facility Pictured from left (their specialty in parenthesis): Bob Torres (guitar), Owner Ray Rosario, Russ Gurney (guitar), Katie Matheson (voice), Tim Taylor (piano), Achilles Georghiou (guitar) and Mark Schipper (percussion). has allowed Ackerman’s to expand its instrument repair operation, with a large workshop on the premises. The experienced staff can handle guitars, bass guitars, violins, violas, cellos and brass, woodwind, percussion instruments, and amplifiers. For Rosario, Ackerman’s has melded his entrepreneurial spirit and his business acumen with his passion for music. He grew up in Bayonne playing the trumpet, and did gigs on evenings and weekends while building a career as a sales rep for an industrial equipment distributor. But he yearned to be involved in music full time, and now his wish has come true, and he’s enjoying every minute of it. Ackerman’s Music Center is located in the Wyckoff Shopping Center at 637 Wyckoff Ave, Wyckoff. Call 201-8472524 or 201-847-2530 or visit www. ackermansmusic.com.