Michelle Ownbey

After several years of selling her line of athleisure wear online and via pop-up shops and wholesale, Rachel Rodriguez has opened a brick-and-mortar location. Inspira opened its doors earlier this month at 3438 Wabash Ave., part of a shopping center that includes Hae’s Bakery & Coffee Shoppe and another boutique, Better With Bubbli. “I started […]

Vondra Social House, located in a historic building across from Lincoln’s home, is holding a soft opening today. Owners Eric and Sierra Farrell held a ribbon cutting Nov. 18 and plan to begin offering a limited dinner menu while they wait for delivery of a walk-in cooler that will allow them to expand the offerings […]

Don Smith Paint Co. has come full circle, with former owner Richard Scott announcing plans to officially reopen the longtime business on MacArthur Boulevard later this week. Scott operated the business from 1999 until 2019, when he sold it to Nate Tierney. However, Scott still owned the real estate at 1724 S. MacArthur Boulevard and […]

The moving company Two Men and a Truck is preparing to relocate its headquarters to a larger west-side property that will allow for significant expansion. “It gives us an opportunity to expand our services, as well as more room for office space for our staff and more parking for trucks,” said business development manager Travis […]

Three friends from Bloomington have formed a business partnership to bring a new golf simulator to Springfield. Lee McFarland, Ryan Tarter and Sam Napolitano are new franchisees for X-Golf, a California-based company with more than 130 locations across the U.S. McFarland said the trio all enjoy playing golf and have patronized the X-Golf in Bloomington, […]

Josh Huff launched Blue Oak Insurance Agency in 2019 and is now expanding the company’s presence in Springfield and elsewhere. The business recently relocated to a larger office at 2205 W. Wabash Ave. and has plans to continue expanding into other territories. Huff started his insurance career with Farmers Insurance in 2009 and later worked […]

Bailey Sullivan has been teaching Pilates classes for years, and now she is preparing to open her own studio in The Gables. Pulse Pilates will occupy the suite at 2924 Plaza Drive that was most recently home to Again & Again boutique and, prior to that, Jos. A. Bank. Sullivan said that since the space […]

The former Homestyle Café on North Ninth Street has reopened with a new name and ownership and expanded its hours of operation. New owner Carolina “Carla” Chagala was already working at the restaurant at 1144 N. Ninth St. with brothers Oscar and Reyes Venture, who purchased it in June 2024. Chagala bought the business earlier […]

Salt Fork Food Works, a Champaign-Urbana–based collective of restaurants, cafes and food producers, has teamed up with Jacksonville-based The Farms of Illinois to open a year-round Farmers Market Food Hub in downtown Springfield. Lauren Brokish, co-owner of Salt Fork Food Works, said she and Clint Brand were already well-acquainted prior to the recent business partnership. […]

Whether you need equipment for your own business or want to purchase a piece of Springfield history, an upcoming auction of items from Del’s Popcorn Shop will have a variety of offerings. Aumann Auctions is handling the liquidation sale for the Springfield location, which closed its doors in August. Rachelle “Shellie” Jacobs, who operated the […]