Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2001 | 9:57 a.m.
Talk about reversing course at warp speed and energizing from one business to another.
A small Henderson distributor of Star Trek-related food products says it was forced out of that business, not by Klingons, but by poor market conditions.
It now plans to mutate itself into a distributor of firearm safety devices -- not for Star Trek-type phasers but for standard 20th Century guns.
Starbase-1 Coffee Co. Ltd., a Henderson gourmet coffee roaster that used to be licensed by entertainment giant Viacom to market Star Trek-related collectibles, said it closed its coffee retail and distribution business in May after deciding not to renew its three-year license agreement when it expired.
Marie Levine, Starbase-1's chief financial officer and her husband Gerald, its former president, said they're beaming out of the coffee business because they plan to retire.
Following their resignation, Starbase-1's board of directors appointed a new president, John Dean Harper. He was Starbase's counsel and president of Lock-gun.com Inc., a Las Vegas designer and maker of gunlocks.
Harper not only has his own law practice but is also an attorney for several police unions including the Las Vegas protective police association, a union for police and correction officers employed by the Las Vegas Metro Police Department.
Inspiring his interest in gunlock manufacturing were numerous defective gun-lock recalls nationwide, concerns over the rising number of children with access to guns and his connection with the police unions.
"There are gunlock recalls all over the United States, especially the one in Ohio, where the police had to recall trigger locks that they gave out for free to the public because those locks were defective," he said.
"The purpose of a gunlock is to keep someone from firing a gun. Most firearm safety devices are trigger locks, which basically stops someone from pulling a trigger. But in some cases, when the gun is dropped, the trigger lock could pop off and the gun could misfire," Harper said.
"But our devices, which are basically gun leashes, don't allow the gun to be loaded, so there is no way it'll misfire. Our devices also allow guns to be affixed to objects like a gun case," which deters theft, he said.
Harper took over Starbase-1's operations in May and plans to convert the company into a distributor of Lock-gun.com products.
He said Lock-gun.com's gunlock designs are now awaiting final approval, and if approved, the company may start three or four gunlock manufacturing facilities.
"If we meet California's standards ... which are the strictest in the nation ... we'll pretty much meet everyone else's standards. We're looking at the possibility of starting a factory in New York and possibly, Las Vegas," he said.
Starbase-1, which is still selling the remainder of its coffee inventories, will likely shed its Trekkie-inspired name once it becomes a distributor of gun locks.
Harper cited Viacom's alleged indifference and lack of support as factors behind the closure of the coffee venture.
"Viacom was less than helpful in furthering the business. But market conditions weren't good either. The market for licensing of products was over-saturated especially after Jurassic Park made a big hit and everyone jumped on the bandwagon. For example, licensed products from the movie, 'The Grinch' were hyped and expensive but product sales were poor."
Terri Helton, Viacom Consumer Products' senior vice president of licensing, declined comment on Starbase-1's charges. The publicly listed Starbase-1, which roasted, packaged and distributed its coffee from Kansas City -- close to the brokers from whom Starbase-1 bought its coffees -- said it closed a Kansas City coffee shop in January and sold the roasting house last June.
Starbase-1 said it also closed two kiosks at Meadows Mall and Galleria Mall in Las Vegas and Henderson in January and laid off about five managers and workers at its warehouse and corporate office in Henderson in November.
Meanwhile, Starbase-1 is stuck in a legal black hole.
Starbase-1, which moved out of its corporate office, formerly at 3950 E. Patrick Lane, suite 101, in January and is now operating out of a warehouse at 3945 E. Patrick Lane, suite D, as part of its efforts to downsize its operations, was sued in early June by its former landlord, Patrick Professional Plaza LLC.
Starbase-1 and its two former officers, Marie and Gerald Levine, were accused of breaching a 36-month lease agreement and owing more than $3,049 in rents and late fees when they left the 2,079 square foot office before the lease expired.
But Marie Levine disputed the charges. "We were trimming down operations and had moved to a big warehouse across the street. We had the option to sublease the office space but the landlord took possession of the place, and denied our ability to sublease."
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