Mike Copeland: Photo restoration shop, Hewitt climbing gym open; Opal's Oysters hiring

Amy Traweek has an intriguing story she has transformed into to an intriguing business called Revision Photo Restoration.

A professional photographer for about 20 years, she grew up near Abilene before moving to Waco a decade ago. She believes photography links her present and past.

"When I was a year and half old, I lost my mother, Vickie Lynn Hegwood Traweek, to melanoma. She was only 27. From the time I was old enough to understand, I knew that photos were my lasting connection to her, as I had no memories of her," says Traweek on her website.

"I had a profound sense that I had to take care of those photos, above all else. My love and appreciation for photography as an art is very deeply rooted and is my true passion and calling in life," Traweek concluded.

To that end, she went into business, first on Washington Avenue. The pandemic derailed that location, prompting Traweek to meet with people at the Waco Genealogy Center. Local real estate agent Gregg Glime found a brick-and-mortar location to her liking at 618 Columbus Ave., the former Skinny's Phone Repair location, where Traweek will host a grand opening Tuesday.

Traweek restores old photographs. She has a darkroom on the premises to process film, a blast from the past growing in popularity. She and her team can digitize, enlarge, even repair or remake crumbling picture frames.

Traweek said business is great and growing, but she strives to do more for the community. She has established a fund in memory of her mother to give financial assistance to people whose photos have been damaged by fire or natural disaster but without the means to pay for restoration.

Climbing gym opens

Basin Climbing and Fitness has thrown open its doors to the public. Located at 650 Alliance Parkway in Hewitt, just blocks from Interstate 35, it calls itself "the first full-service indoor rock climbing gym in the greater Waco area," says co-founder Lauren Robb in a message to the Tribune-Herald.

"Rock climbing is one of the few sports where whole families can participate, challenging one another and grow together — and the air conditioning doesn't hurt either this time of year," said CEO Trinity Robb. "We are thrilled to be open to the public to share our passion for climbing with the community."

Basin opens seven days a week, offering day passes and memberships.

The gym has more than 400 members and saw a strong community response to its grand opening, owners said. They said they chose the location for its ease of access and the affordability of the property, which is large enough to accommodate an expansion.

Opal's, Casa Do Brazil

Opal's Oysters is hiring at 228 S. Eighth St., next door to Terry Black's Barbecue, which opened earlier this year. An opening date for Opal's has not been announced, but it can't be long now if positions are being filled. That stretch between Franklin and Mary avenues is becoming quite the eatery row, with Opal's Oysters jand Terry Black's just steps away from Union Hall in one direction and the Czech-themed Pivovar in the other.

A few blocks away, at 10th Street and Webster Avenue, posters have gone up that can only be described as mouth-watering. Not the photographs themselves, but the delicious meals shown as menu items when Casa do Brazil opens soon. The 13,000-square-foot restaurant will anchor the repurposing of the former Diversified Product Development building, and the square footage will accommodate a bakery. Specialties at Casa do Brazil, with locations in Houston, Austin and Bryan-College Station, include dishes prepared with beef, chicken, lamb, pork and shrimp.

The most expensive item on the menu runs about $62, is called the "Full Experience," and includes salad bar and 15 cuts of meat. Beef is seasoned with sea salt and cooked over an open flame, says an online menu.

Business After Hours

Silos Tuscan Market, a wine and spirit shop at 401 S. Third Street, will host the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce's "Business After Hours" social from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday. Silos Tuscan Market operates next door to Pignetti's, an Italian restaurant in the renovated Phoenix Ballroom.

"Business After Hours events are free, casual working events featuring great food and drink and displaying the incredible variety and quality of our member businesses," said a chamber release. "This is one of our most popular networking events, so be sure to bring plenty of business cards."

Texas Mutual dividends

Texas Mutual, which is the largest provider of workers' compensation insurance in the state, recently sent dividends totaling $350 million to about 70,000 Texas businesses. In McLennan County, 757 businesses collected dividends totaling $4.6 million. These businesses "can use their individual dividends to reinvest in their businesses and local communities," said a release from Texas Mutual, which has awarded dividends since 1999.

"We're thrilled to once again participate in Texas Mutual's dividend program, which directly benefits our valued customers in McLennan County," said Wes Bailey, chairman of Waco-based Bailey Insurance & Risk Management.

"This dividend is a testament to the commitment our local businesses have made to workplace safety," said Bailey. "We're proud to support their efforts to maintain safe and healthy environments for their employees."

Workforce forum

Locals with a stake in preparing students for jobs are invited to the "2024 Greater Waco Education to Workforce Forum" on Monday, Oct. 7. Cost to attend the all-day event is $65, and registration is available on the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce website. Those with questions about the program may contact Tiffany Gallegos Whitley at (254)757-5614.

The chamber says representatives from business, education and workforce development will network, share ideas and learn best practices to ensure the region continues to grow the workforce needed.

The forum begins at 9 a.m. at the Region 12 ESC, 2101 W. Loop 340.

Woodway tattoo shop

Southpaw Ink, which offers tattooing and piercing services, has moved into its new location at 7604 Woodway Drive. The building is quite colorful and eye-catching as it appears on the Southpaw Facebook page.

With its motto "Quality Over Quantity, always," Southpaw Ink is owned by artist Casey Privette, whose team includes Mark Huff, artist; Lindsey Felps, piercing apprentice; Devante Green, tattoo apprentice; Dallas Lopez, artist; Taylor "Tater" Jackson, piercer/tattoo apprentice; and John "Timmie" Garner, artist. The portfolios of each appears on the Southpaw website.