After nearly a decade of being away from Main Street, Rose Argento and her hot dog stand are back.
Celestial Dawgs, the new name for Argento’s hot dog cart, has taken up residence Tuesdays through Saturdays in front of Warren Appliance at 337 Main St.
“Downtown has gotten a facelift,” Argento said. “It’s starting to look busier — there’s more people walking around.”
Argento originally opened her hot dog stand, then called Rose’s Hot Dawgs, in 1999 up the street, but then moved a couple of times, including a short stint in front of the Longmont Public Library. She stayed in business until the fall of 2002.
After 9/11, she said, business was never the same.
Argento, who said she’s been in the restaurant business for more than 30 years, said that in the intervening years she went to school to become certified in the healing arts, which she still likes to do on the side. That’s what’s behind the new Celestial Dawgs name. And she’s a native of upstate New York, which explains the spelling and pronunciation of “dawgs.”
The urge to restart her hot dog business got the best of her, she said, so she bought a new cart and got all the appropriate permits from the city and the Boulder County Health Department.
She asked for and got permission from the businesses where she’s located to be there, and said she’s excited to be back and serving her customers again, many of whom remember her from the first time around.
“This is something I really enjoy,” Argento said. “I like being outdoors. It’s in my nature.”
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