Deals in Arden-Arcade

Established: 2012

Handicap Accessible: Yes

Staff Size: 2?10 people

Parking: Parking lot

Reservations/Appointments: Not offered

Most popular offering: Cases, screen protectors, and chargers

Pro Tip: Free soda and water, and complimentary clinch-up backpacks

Q&A with Thomas Simon, General Manager

What makes your business stand out?

We have over 5,000 square feet of cell phone accessories. We carry any phone and any brand. We also have a knowledgeable staff.

What inspired you to start or run this business?

My brothers and myself both had "lame" flip phones and we all decided to upgrade one day, all getting a Samsung Galaxy SIII. We didn't stop there because adding a nice phone to our portfolio is one thing, but making it stand out is another. So we went out and added as many unique accessories to our phones to make it as interesting as possible. We enjoyed the thrill of it all so much that we one day just decided to open a business based on it.

What is the best reaction you?ve ever gotten from a customer?

A customer one time bought me coffee because I explained to him for roughly 30 minutes why his tablet wasn't working and told him how to fix the problem.

What?s your favorite part about your job?

My favorite part about my job is buying all the products for the store because there is an endless supply of differentiation between each and every case and design.

The press certainly likes California Family Fitness, granting the exercise venue such awards as Best Gym on KCRA-3's 2012 and 2014 A-List and Sacramento News and Review's Best of Sacramento 2012 Award. The press, however, isn't the top priority for the gym's staff; they believe that, to quote their about CFF page, ?awards don't greet you at the door.? Instead, they depend upon their dedicated staffers at the front desk, chaperones at the Kidz Club play zone, and personal trainers to make families of clients feel at home. Certified personal trainers take aspiring exercisers of all ages through regimens that make use of the 18 available locations' ample workout machinery. Seasoned instructors, meanwhile, hold group fitness classes, free with a membership, fostering community as they incinerate calories during high-energy Zumba, step aerobics, Turbo Kick, and Hip Hop Hustle. Nine of the locations boast pools that host swim lessons taught by certified water-safety instructors.

While hitting the gym, parents can drop wee ones at childcare havens. After breaking a sweat on the exercise floor, clients can also shed excess body moisture in saunas and tanning beds.

As a high-school student working at a local pizzeria, John Schnatter often pondered how he would do things differently if he owned such a business himself. After graduating from college in 1983, he got his chance, knocking down the broom closet in his father’s tavern to create his own pizza-delivery business. Since then Papa John’s Pizza has grown to 3,500 restaurants in 50 states and 29 countries. At each location, cooks cover the signature hand-tossed crusts, made with high-protein flour and clear, filtered water, with tomato sauce from vine-ripened California tomatoes, then pile on locally sourced ingredients such as green peppers and onions. The emphasis on fresh ingredients extends to the 100% mozzarella cheese, beef, and pork, which are never artificially inflated with fillers or undeserved compliments.

In addition to delivering pizzas, Papa John’s reaches out to the community with charity involvement, including partnering with the Boy Scouts of America and Junior Achievement to teach US students about entrepreneurship and the best method of capturing a wild roma tomato.

Lotus Garden Meditation Center's two-acre grounds calm nervous systems even before guests ease into their first meditative pose. A koi pond rests beside a gazebo, plants sprout from the organic garden, and waterfalls and bamboo gardens surround swimmers in the pool. Inside a barn-turned-yoga-studio, teachers walk students through muscle-strengthening Hatha yoga series, a rare 64-posture style of tai chi, and free stress-relieving meditation classes. Transcendence continues at free weekly Kirtan sessions, a form of group meditation rooted in singing and chanting ancient mantras. Free vegetarian dinners follow weekly Bhakti yoga classes, and weekend events such as vegetarian cooking classes teach students how to take holistic methods off the mat. For more sustained quietude, one- and three-day retreats combine extended meditation, philosophical talks, and vegetarian meals.

Elicia Riggi has walked a mile in the shoes of her clients. The experienced skin therapist found her passion when she found professional relief from her own skin problems. At Elicia Riggi Esthetics, inside Cut Loose Salon, she helps clients overcome their skin issues with customized facials and waxing services. She uses face mapping to help her determine the correct treatment plan, just as a mountaineer uses face mapping to determine which part of a mountain face is the nose and how many gallons of skin lotion to rub on it. The skincare expert has partnered with Dermologica and uses pure, PH-balanced water in all of her treatments. Riggi is also a certified massage therapist and uses this skill to knead away tension with Swedish massage therapy or simply to add a relaxing supplement to facials.

High Maintenance Nail Salon's Kathy Ford-Hamblin has been decorating digits for more than 30 years, relying on super sanitary methods and the latest polishing techniques. Along with technician Gaby Valencia, Kathy works to provide customers with the latest trend in nail art. After first filing and buffing nails and curtailing over-grown cuticles, she deftly works from a palette of traditional and gel-based varnishes from lines such as OPI, Shellac, and Gelish. Kathy is also certified to apply Minx overlays to fingers and toes?she even trained with one of the product creators, Dawn Lynch-Goodwin. Acrylic nails, meanwhile, add length and strength to stubby or thin nails, while French-style manicures add a touch of class by capping each finger with clean, white tips or a generous slice of brie.