Merchant Monday

Gary Harper grew up in Carson City, and remembers when there were some good Italian-style sandwich shops in town.

After spending 15 years working a corporate job at McDonald's managing groups of the iconic fast-food establishments, he came back to his roots in 1993 and tried to replicate the tastes of his youth by opening The Sub Factory on the north side of Carson.

"I got done with the corporate world and decided to step out on my own," Harper said. "It's a little easier than putting up with the headaches of corporate stuff."

But getting the restaurant started included several headaches. The original plan was to locate The Sub Factory in the industrial area off of Arrowhead Drive, hence the name. But Harper found out that city zoning wouldn't allow him to put his restaurant in that area.

So he and his wife Christine found a somewhat out-of-the-way retail space next to the now-closed Northgate Theaters, and they've been there ever since. As it turns out, the last-minute change of venue probably helped their business.

"One of the things we didn't realize when we were planning on being out in the industrial area, those people have 30-minute lunches," Harper said. "So being in town, more people have an hour for lunch, and that works out better."

Their customers are largely workers on lunch break from the multitude of offices in the area, and it's a group they very much cater to, from taking orders via fax to delivering sandwiches to offices.

"When we look at business, we don't necessarily look for retail traffic," Harper said. "We want employees, people who are working, and they will eat lunch out a lot. We give them good sandwiches at a reasonable price, and we get them in and out of here fast."

They've seen a lot of changes, from the freeway dropping drive-through traffic in the area to the closing of the theater and other offices. But Harper notes that as some places close, others open, and business goes on.

"We make a great Italian sub as fresh as we can, and get you in and out of here really quick. I used to work for the biggest fast food company in the world. I know how to do fast," he said.

Harper runs the shop with help from his wife, who has a full-time job at a law firm. Their two sons also used to work in the restaurant until getting their own careers.

The menu hasn't changed a lot in 16 years. Harper said he did add French fries a few years ago to satisfy his customers' cravings. But he's happy serving up the Italian classics he grew up with.

"I guess I could be serving hamburgers, but that would be taking away from what we are trying to do," Harper said. "We manufacture submarine sandwiches. That was the objective. We try to stick with that Italian theme with quality meats and cheeses, and combos I think have been around forever."

Contact reporter Kirk Caraway at kcaraway@nevadaappeal.com or (775) 881-1261.

Breakout

The Sub Factory

2589B North Carson Street

885-1868