Terrie Malmstrom has been in the pet grooming business for years, but now she has a new venture called Doggie Stylez. “I owned Bubbles of Fun Pet Grooming for more than 10 years and sold it in 2017,” Malmstrom said. “I was going to semi-retire, and I actually moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.” However, Malmstrom’s […]
Comings & Goings
Wildflowers and Barley opening hat-burning studio
Katelyn Klos and Grace Kennedy are turning their hobby of hat burning into a brick-and-mortar business. “My business partner and I are both science majors; she’s a biologist and I’m a biochemist,” said Klos. She explained that the business got its start when Kennedy “made herself a custom denim jacket, and then other people started […]
Magnolia Lane moving to Chatham
Magnolia Lane Home Décor and More is preparing to relocate again, this time to Chatham. Marci Ridle purchased the business, originally known as 6th Street Home Décor and More, in April 2013 and moved into 3600 S. Sixth St. in July of that year. The business sells new and gently used furniture and home décor, […]
Aunt Lou’s Soul Food opening downtown
Aunt Lou’s Soul Food is opening Friday, more than a year after Corey Dickerson first announced he was teaming up with Smarjesse Taylor to bring “modern soul food with a classy touch” to downtown. “There were a lot of issues with the city,” Dickerson said, who noted that his landlord, Rick Lawrence, has had ongoing […]
Rebuilding the Catholic Church
Imagine a place where pupils study Aristotle and also learn how to plane boards. San Damiano College for the Trades will do just that. The future central Illinois school just hired its first president, Kent Lasnoski, who is moving to Springfield from Wyoming, where he led another Catholic college. He hopes to open the doors […]
Law firm relocates
The law firm of Heyl, Royster, Voelker & Allen has relocated, but the company didn’t go far. “We just moved right down the street,” said Theresa Powell, who serves as the managing partner for the Springfield office. The firm had operated out of 3731 W. Wabash Ave. since November 2012, a large glass office building […]
Masons to relocate statewide headquarters
The Grand Lodge of Illinois A.F. & A.M. has purchased a building on Wabash Avenue to serve as a new headquarters for freemasons statewide. While the Grand Lodge was already based in Springfield, the new building is more than double the size and gives them a more visible presence. “We had looked several years back […]
The Feed Store closes for second time since 2020
The Feed Store, a downtown staple for decades, has closed again for the second time since 2020. The original owners, Ross Richardson and Ann Laurence, moved to Springfield in 1973 as staff organizers for Governor Dan Walker and later decided to open a restaurant on the Old State Capitol Plaza. The couple operated The Feed […]
Saucy Rice closes, new restaurant taking its place
Saucy Rice Vietnamese Flavors has closed, but the space on Toronto Road won’t be vacant for long. The family that operates El Dorado Taqueria, located in the same shopping center, has already signed a lease and plans to open a new restaurant by next month. “We are going to do a sweets and snacks kind […]
Twisted Fork owners talk about closure, future plans
Today is the last day of operations for Twisted Fork, but not necessarily the last chance to enjoy its signature dishes. A food truck is already in the works, and the owners said they haven’t ruled out reopening down the road in a different location. “We’ll have to get our bearings for a few months,” […]
Indiya’s Consignment Boutique opening in Capital City Shopping Center
The upcoming opening of Georgia Jalivay’s new business, Indiya’s Consignment Boutique, will bring her full circle. “I did retail sales for 25 years. When I was fresh out of high school I sold clothes, then later GMC trucks and cars, all sorts of things,” said Jalivay. “After all the sales, I went and worked for […]
Fairgrounds Café opens on Peoria Road
Fairgrounds Café has opened at the site of the former Jungle Jim’s Café, which was a landmark on the north end and Route 66 for more than three decades before closing in January 2023. Jack Ahmedi and Buka Nuhiji purchased the property at 1923 Peoria Road in August and have extensively remodeled it. The couple had […]

