By Mary Alice Murphy
Mitch Hellman and Starr Belsky decided 11
He said he has been putting in at least nine hours a day, six to seven days a week. "We want to go out in style. I hope it's soon, because we are going into our busiest time of year, with the Tour of the Gila, the Blues Festival and the hot days of summer. If someone buys it soon, they will be able to make back their investment quickly."
Hellman said, in addition to the business and its equipment, "I'll be working with them in the store for their first 30 days. And for the next 60 days, I will be available by phone or email to help with any questions."
"My feeling is that things in Silver City are becoming more optimistic for businesses," Hellman said. "We're a proven business."
He said he ran a profit-and-loss spreadsheet through December 2014. "We've always been in the black. I thought of putting in coffee to add to the business, but I didn't want to compete with our wonderful next-door neighbor, Java the Hut. Now that Marcia has retired, there is no stopping the next person from adding coffee drinks to the list of options. There is a lot of profit potential. More money should be invested in the business. There were things I didn't do, and there are needs that the new person can do."
When asked why they had started the business in Silver City, Hellman said: "We knew we wanted to live in Silver City. Unemployment was bad then, so I decided we would have to create our own business. I did my homework, and no one in town was making the product, so I realized we wouldn't have much competition. The business model made sense as a one-man operation, requiring a minimum number of people to run it."
"For several years, we were the only gelato business in the state," Hellman said. "Now we're the longest-running gelato business in New Mexico.
"We have developed a following," he continued. "We are #2 on Trip Advisor, and have been mentioned in Frommer's, Fodor and the Moon Guide. Zora O'Neill, the Moon Guide editor for New Mexico, comes to visit us. Her article in the New York Times, which had Alotta Gelato in the first paragraph, has brought in at least 500 people who said they read the article. Zora knows us foodies in Silver City. We are now a destination."
Just to reassure people, Hellman said: "We're not sick; we're not broke; we're not leaving Silver City; and neither of us nor the business is in debt."
He invited interested parties to call him for more information or with questions at 575-534-4995 or email him at gelatomaster@alottagelato.com