Comings & Goings

The last day of operations for Ritz’s on Jefferson Street was Aug. 4, but the original Ritz’s Lil’ Fryer on North Grand Avenue remains open. “I don’t see that one going anywhere,” said Vicky Ritz, who owns the restaurant along with her husband, Curt Ritz. The couple opened Ritz’s Lil’ Fryer, 2148 North Grand Ave. […]

Giffin, Winning, Cohen & Bodewes, P.C. has announced the opening of a new office in Jacksonville at 102 N. Westgate Ave., Suite B. Giffin, Winning, Cohen & Bodewes, P.C. is a full-service law firm with eight attorneys, three of counsel, and a team of experienced staff. The new Jacksonville office will be the firm’s third […]

Springfield is down to one Dew Chilli Parlor, at least for now. Owners Mike Monseur and John Leskovisek have announced that the Dew Pub and Grill at 2690 S. Dirksen Parkway, which has been closed since the June 29 derecho hit Springfield, will not reopen. A statement posted on the company’s Facebook page said, “The […]

Mike and Gloria Sheedy opened Sheedy Shores WineGarden in 2015 at their Loami home, but this season will be their last. The wine garden operates from April to October each year and offers domestic and craft beers, bourbon and wines from around the world. “We have five children, and up until now, we’ve been fortunate […]

Nami Poke, a new restaurant concept for Springfield, will be having a soft opening on Tuesday, July 25. Hau Nguyen is the owner of the restaurant at 916 South Grand Ave. West, located at the corner of MacArthur Boulevard and South Grand Avenue. The building formerly housed Li’l Willy’s BBQ Smokehouse, which closed March 31. […]

Longtime Springfield restaurateurs Chris Hanken and Vic Lanzotti are closing Public House 29 in Rochester and the remaining Pie’s the Limit location in Springfield, effective immediately. Hanken confirmed the closings to SBJ but said he had no further comment. A statement posted on the Pie’s the Limit Facebook page July 24 cited “unprecedented hardships” faced […]

By David Blanchette Springfield resident and cannabis entrepreneur Chris Stone is opening Share, a new cannabis dispensary on South Sixth Street Frontage Road just north of the I-55 interchange in Southern View. The building was most recently occupied by Magnolia Lane Home Décor and More, which relocated to The Yard Shopping Center on Wabash Avenue […]

Big Sharks Fish and Chicken is opening a Springfield location on Monday, July 17. Owner Sajed Qattoum has extensively remodeled the space at 330 South Grand Ave., which most recently housed Audi’s Café & Gaming. Owner Audrey Austin operated her own restaurant for nearly a year after parting ways with her business partner, Necole “Nickey” […]

Crumbl Cookies is coming to Springfield. The bakery with a devoted following has opened more than 800 locations in the U.S. and Canada since the first store launched in Utah in 2017. Springfield franchisees Matt and Angie Hanzel also operate two locations in Peoria. The couple moved to Peoria two years ago from Utah to […]

Brewhaus, the iconic downtown watering hole, has a new owner. John O’Riordan, who also owns Celtic Mist, a nearby Irish-themed bar, confirmed that he has purchased the business at 617 E. Washington Ave. and temporarily closed it for renovations. “Basically, we’re freshening up everything. The bathrooms and flooring needed work. We’re also repairing the ceilings […]

LevelUp Seed & Garden Supply opened a Springfield location less than a year ago, but is already relocating to a larger space. Steve and Ashley Epley originally opened a location in East Peoria two years ago before expanding to Springfield last August. Now, the business is moving from a strip center on Wabash Avenue to […]

The mother-daughter duo behind Eye Candy Boutique and Eye Candy Salon & Spa both have changes in the works for their respective businesses. Alinda Hale has owned Eye Candy Boutique since 2015, and for the past five years she’s operated a retail location at 3001 W. White Oaks Dr. Her daughter, Tye Hale, opened Eye […]