"Our main goal in opening
Lonestar was to provide the best
cup of coffee in the Midwest in
a relaxing, cozy atmosphere,"
Ryan said. "We feel this is a spot
where people can feel comfort-
able, either on their own or with
a group."
During the past year and a
half, the Rosett brothers at-
tended more than 20 coffee sem-
inars and schools to prepare for
the opening of their business.
Lonestar offers gourmet coffees
from around the world and

freshly roasted beans, ground
or whole, can be taken home.
Constar's coffee roaster, one
of the few of its kind in the
Midwest, is capable of roasting
100 pounds of raw beans
daily.
Jay says the secret to brew-
ing a good cup of coffee is the
freshness of the beans and
achieving a good mix of acidity
and body. It's also important to
know how long to roast each
type of bean.
"Roasting 25 pounds of fresh

beans takes between 10 and 15
minutes," Jay said. "But the
kind of flavor you want from
your coffee bean actually deter-
mines how long it should be
roasted. An espresso, for exam-
ple, is a darker roast, so it takes
longer."
Lonestar also offers items
like loose leaf teas, gourmet
hot chocolates, fresh squeezed
orange juice, fat-free muffins,
Danishes, pita roll-ups, and
Stucchi's ice cream and yogurt
products. 0

Home, Sweet Home?
Not All The Time

STEVE STEIN STAFF WRITER

S

ome might say Howard
Lazar is traveling the
wrong way on a one-way
street. He says he's head-
ing in the right direction.
In an era of increasing num-
bers of home-based businesses,
Mr. Lazar has moved his jewel-
ry company out of his house and
into the second floor of the Cook
Building, a renovated historical
landmark in a reviving shop-
ping area in downtown Farm-
ington.
A grand opening is scheduled
for 7-9 p.m. April 7 for the Gold
Loft, Mr. Lazar's store. The 26-
year-old Southfield resident of-
fers retail jewelry, custom-
designed pieces and repairs in
the 1,000-square-foot facility.
Mr. Lazar began working at
home in 1987, specializing in
custom- designed jewelry, whole-
sale and manufacturing. After
he had established what he felt
was a sufficient client base, he
decided to get out of the house.
There were personal reasons
for the move, too.

"It's nice being done with
work now when I get home at
night," he said. "Before, when
I was home, it seemed like there
was always something to do.
Work was on my mind just
about all the time.
"I'm also enjoying having two
skylights in my store after work-
ing in my basement all those
years and never knowing what
was going on outside."
Mr. Lazar came upon his
new location almost by accident.
"I was driving to a car dealer-
ship to pick up a new car and I
came across this rustic building
with a 'For Lease' sign in the
window.
"I stopped and took a look at

"I wanted
someplace that
didn't look like a
traditional
jewelry store."

it and thought it would be a
great place to have my business.
I wanted someplace that didn't
look like a traditional jewelry
store. It's a very New York-ish
kind of place."
Mr. Lazar actually worked
out of three homes. He began at
his parents' residence in Oak
Park, moved to a duplex in the
city and then he went to his cur-
rent home in Southfield, where
he lives with his wife, Edie.
The Gold Loft is a family op-
eration. Mr Lazar works there
with his mother, Sema, who has
been in the jewelry business for
33 years.
A 1985 graduate of Berkley
High School, Mr. Lazar was a
member of the Rose Chapter of
AZA for 4 1/2 years. He and his
wife are members of Temple Is-
rael.
The Gold Loft is located at
33316 Grand River. Hours are
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday
through Thursday and Satur-
day and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fri-
day. ❑

ISRAEL DIGEST

,Speciallr wmpiled by The Jerusalem 1)(4q

— S1 EQUALS 2.974 NIS (shekels) - Close Price 3/23/94 —

Economic Growth Should Continue

Israeli can look forward to con-
tinued economic gains this
year and next, according to a
report released by the Insti-
tute for International Finance,
a Washington-based econom-
ic think tank. A team from the
institute visited Israel in Jan-
uary to carry out research for
the report.
The institute said output is
likely to grow rapidly this year
and next, with strong export
gains offsetting higher imports
and thus limiting the current
account deficit. Success in ex-
port markets should underpin
rising corporate profits, ac-

cording to the report.
The report, which is dated
Feb. 24 (before most of the re-
cent falls on the Tel Aviv Stock
Exchange), notes that "equity
prices have risen to earnings
multiples, which may prove
difficult to sustain," notwith-
standing rising corporate prof-
its.
With capital inflows, exter-
nal borrowing and export
gains, there should be no dif-
ficulty financing the nation's
needs unless immigration ris-
es significantly above the cur-
rent 80,000 a year, according
to the institute.

Bids Requested For Stock Exchange

The Israel Treasury published
an invitation to interested par-
ties to bid for the right to es-
tablish and operate a second
stock exchange. The last date
for bids is July 31.
The Treasury asked the
parties to include in their pro-
posals the basic operational
structure of the stock ex-
change, its geographical loca-
tion and a detailed business
plan.
The plan should include an
estimate of revenues and ex-
penses for the first three years
of operation, plans for com-
puterization, details of the
shareholders and the financial
means for the establishment

and operation of the exchange.
When the exchange is set
up, the operator will have to
have equity capital of some
NIS 15 million, which should
be maintained in real terms.
The operator will also have to
obtain appropriate profes-
sional indemnity insurance.
Once proposals have been
submitted, those meeting the
Treasury's requirements will
be asked to submit further de-
tails, both orally and in writ-
ing.
The winning bid will re-
quire approval from the Trea-
sury, the Securities Authority
and the Knesset finance com-
mittee.

Privatization In Trouble?

lithe Israel government is un-
able to carry out its privatiza-
tion program as planned, it
may be forced to look at new
ways of financing the budget
deficit, Finance Minister Avra-
ham Shohat said.
Speaking on Israel Radio
following the cancellation of
the stock market flotation of
state-owned housebuilder
Shikun Ufituah, Mr. Shohat
refused to say if options in-
chide resorting to the capital
markets or raising taxes. Both
these tactics would slow eco-
nomic growth.

Mr. Shohat said earlier in
the day that he remained con-
fident the privatization pro-
gram would continue
unhindered despite recent
falls in the Tel Aviv Stock
Market.
He said the government re-
mained committed to selling
its holding in Shikun Ufituah
and would examine alterna-
tive structures for the sale. He
also said the privatization of
environmental services com-
pany THL, Israel Shipyards
and part of Israel Chemicals
would go ahead as planned.

Trade With China On Horizon

Howard lazar: Going for the gold.

A breakthrough has occurred
in Israeli-Chinese trade rela-
tions, especially in the fields
of technology, communications
and agriculture, Industry and
Trade Minister Micha Harish
said.
He said that during his re-
cent visit to China, where he
met with 25 senior Chinese
businessmen, advances were
made in cooperation on regu-
lations, tariffs, investment in-
surance and preventing
double taxation.
In addition, Mr. Harish said

he has established a network
of personal contacts with Chi-
nese ministers which will help
strengthen the relationship
between the two countries.
"Lsrael has a great potential
to export to China, in the
scope of hundreds of millions
of dollars. During my visit, the
tools for cooperation were cre-
ated, and I expect large in-
vestments," Mr. Harish said.
During the meetings, the
two sides exchanged informa-
tion needed for advancing
trade.

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