It appears the sun has set for Golden Hour Bake House, just over a year after the business opened a brick-and-mortar location. Customers of the downtown bakery and café discovered the doors locked on Saturday, Feb. 28, with no signage posted to explain the closure during regular business hours. While the business closed for a […]
Michelle Ownbey
Michelle Ownbey is the publisher of Springfield Business Journal and Illinois Times.
Posted inColumns
New Porsche Center opens
Isringhausen Imports has opened its new Porsche Center in downtown Springfield. Located at 100 E. Madison St., across from the existing BMW facility, the new facility is built to Porsche’s latest Generation 5 design standard and showcases the brand’s architectural vision. It features a panoramic glass showroom anchored by a 180‑inch LED video wall, an […]
Posted inColumns
Downtown building slated for renovation
One of only five buildings on the Old State Capitol Plaza that remains from Lincoln’s time may soon be getting a new owner and a makeover. The building at 518 E. Adams St. has been vacant since the last tenant, Di Piero’s Sicilan Cucina, closed at the end of 2024. Owner Pete Praia opened the […]
Posted inColumns
New co-owner for Coble Animal Hospital
Dr. Sandra Gilmore has become a co-owner of Coble Animal Hospital after returning to the practice in August 2024. Gilmore is a native of Oquawka, Illinois, and earned her doctor of veterinary medicine from University of Illinois in 2004. She began her career in mixed animal practice in Pike County, serving rural farmers and families […]
Posted inColumns
Grand opening for Bob’s Discount Furniture
Bob’s Discount Furniture held a grand opening Feb. 13 for its Springfield location in Southwest Plaza, one of three central Illinois stores to open this month. In August, the national retailer began renovation work at 3251 S. Veterans Parkway. The former Bed Bath & Beyond space had been vacant since early 2023, when it was […]
Posted inColumns
More renovation plans for Adams Street
It’s been more than a year-and-a-half since a fire on East Adams Street damaged several downtown Springfield buildings, and the rebuilding efforts are still underway. Chris Nickell, who owns the property where the fire originated, is applying for TIF assistance to accelerate the renovation of the street-facing portion of the building. The three-story building at […]
Posted inComings & Goings
New owners for Schlee’s Gourmet Bakery & Bottle Shop
Schlee’s Gourmet Bakery & Bottle Shop opened five months ago in downtown Springfield and is now operating under new ownership. Ashley Rickenbach, who was initially overseeing day-to-day operations, relocated from Austin, Texas, to Springfield and partnered with Benjamin Galbraith and Matthew and Rachael Hurley to launch Schlee’s. The establishment at 225 S. Sixth St. focuses on […]
Posted inComings & Goings
New hotel opens in Legacy Pointe
The Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Springfield has opened in Legacy Pointe, the first hotel constructed since the groundbreaking of the SCHEELS Sports Park. The new 91-room hotel, located at 3951 S. MacArthur Blvd., is just south of and adjacent to the SpringHill Suites by Marriott, which opened in 2019. Both properties were developed […]
Posted inComings & Goings
Arrowroot Coffee opening downtown Jan. 31
While drive-thru coffee kiosks have proliferated around town over the seven years Arrowroot Coffee Co. has been in business, owner Jacob Dinardo said his focus is on building community rather than a grab-and-go culture. Along those lines, he has spent more than a year extensively renovating the former Recycled Records building at 625 E. Adams […]
Posted inPeople on the Move
Quinton Wadkins joins Warren-Boynton
Quinton Wadkins has joined Warren-Boynton State Bank as vice president of commercial lending, based out of the New Berlin office. He most recently worked as a commercial lender with Heartland Bank & Trust Company and worked in several roles with FNB Community Bank prior to that. Wadkins has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Illinois […]
Posted inPeople on the Move
Brooke Peterson joins Resource One
Brooke Peterson has joined Resource One as an account executive, effective Jan. 12. He most recently spent three years as a designer for DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen of Springfield and worked in various sales and training roles for Organizers Direct Industries prior to that. He and his wife, Amy Peterson, founded The Closet Guy in […]
Posted inComings & Goings
Fact or fiction: Is 7 Brew Coffee coming to Springfield?
7 Brew Coffee, a drive-thru coffee chain with a devoted following, has been expanding rapidly and there appears to be two locations in the works for Springfield. The first 7 Brew in Illinois opened in Sterling in December 2022 and was developed by Benito Hidalgo, a Texas real estate investor. His company, Net Lease Development, […]