Angela Mueller

The owners of MainStay Suites on South Dirksen Parkway have filed a zoning petition with the city of Springfield for a permit to convert the extended-stay hotel into apartments. Hazur Hospitality is seeking to turn the 109 hotel units in the property at 3185 S. Dirksen Parkway into 109 apartments, including a mix of 450-square-foot […]

Abe’s Old Hat, the downtown antique store owned by Mike and Trudy Naylor, has closed after 16 years in business. Saturday was the last day of business at the shop at 111 N. Sixth St. However, the Naylors are not retiring from the antiques business. They will continue to sell antiques at markets and shows […]

The McDonald’s at the intersection of South Grand and Fifth Street will be permanently closing this weekend. Sunday will be the last day of business for the fast-food restaurant at 501 S. Grand Ave. The decision to shutter the restaurant was prompted by a look at demand in the Springfield market, according to Caleb Canada, […]

After spending more than a decade working at his uncle’s restaurants in Decatur, Timmy Islami has stepped out on his own at the Golden Yolk Café at the corner of Stevenson and Baker Drive. The café, which will celebrate its recent opening with an official ribbon cutting on Oct. 29, serves classic American food with […]

The first freestanding Taco Bell in Chatham could be open by the end of the year. The restaurant is under construction at the site of the former Hardee’s on North Main Street. LucWork Enterprises Inc., a Peoria-based Taco Bell franchise owner, will be the restaurant’s owner and operator. “Obviously weather can play into it, but […]

Colleen Walraven crafts blueberry waffles topped with whipped cream, banana cream pies and strawberry shortcakes that look mouthwateringly realistic – but actually are made out of wax. Walraven is the owner of Red Raven Candle Co., which opened up shop in Chatham on Oct. 10. The store carries the dessert-lookalike candles along with other items […]

An Illinois native, Lisa Stevenson moved to Phoenix after college, where she eventually started NPO Accountants, a firm specializing in supporting nonprofit organizations. Now, more than two decades later, she’s moved back to Illinois and merged her firm with another Phoenix-based accounting firm. The merger of NPO and Four Leaf Financial & Accounting created a […]

Spirit Christmas, the holiday-themed sister shop to Spirit Halloween, will be opening a store in Springfield next month as part of a national expansion of the brand. The current Spirit Halloween store at 3329 S. Veterans Parkway, in the former Party City building, will swap seasonal motifs and transition into a Spirit Christmas store in […]

The Taqueria El Pollo restaurant on West Jefferson will be closing at the end of the month after six years in business. The high cost of doing business in the current economy prompted the closing, said Julio Barrenzuela, who has served as a business liaison for small business owners in the area and works with […]

A longtime local owner and operator of Midas franchises has acquired the former Hiller Automotive property on MacArthur Boulevard — with an eye toward opening a new Midas location on the site. The property at 2595 S. MacArthur Blvd. has been vacant since Hiller Automotive closed at the end of 2025. Kenton Childs, who has owned […]

The Salvation Army Family Store on Wabash Avenue will be closing later this month,but Captain Matt McCluer, corps officer with the Salvation Army of Sangamon County,said the organization hopes to reopen the store in a new Springfield location. The thrift store’s last day in business at the 1762 Wabash Ave. location will be Oct. 24.McCluer […]