Springfield’s only freestanding Quiznos has closed, although the sandwich shop still has a satellite location on the Lincoln Land Community College campus that operates under different ownership. The Quiznos at 2701 W. Lawrence Ave. had been in operation since 2004 before closing last week. When the restaurant first opened, the space at the corner of […]
Comings & Goings
New owner for White Oaks Plaza
White Oaks Plaza, a shopping center on the west side of Springfield, has been sold for nearly $50 million. The center is situated immediately west of Veteran’s Parkway and across from White Oaks Mall. The 320,933-square-foot retail development is anchored with Kohl’s and a Harvest Market grocery store. It includes more than 50 retailers, including three […]
New restaurant for Prairie Crossing
Longtime Springfield restaurateurs Mike Monseur and John Leskovisek have a new project in the works. The duo is seeking approval from the Springfield City Council to transfer the liquor license for the Dew Chilli Parlor Pub and Grill located at 301 North Grand Ave. W. to a new restaurant in Prairie Crossing that will be […]
New west-side restaurant in the works
The former Tacology 201 space in the West Iles Business Center has been vacant since the popular Mexican restaurant closed its doors in June, but now a new venture is in the works to take its place. Emanuel Lopez told SBJ he plans to open his first restaurant, Los Altos Cocina y Cantina, although he […]
Treehouse Yoga opens on South Grand
Two friends have turned their passion for yoga into a new business. Sally Stephens and Lisa Kording have opened Treehouse Yoga at 301 South Grand Ave W. “We were both in Wendy’s yoga teacher training, the 200 hour class,” said Stephens, referring to Wendy Smith, the owner of Jax Yoga. The Jacksonville-based yoga studio opened […]
New tenants for former County Market
New tenants are in the works for the former County Market space on South Sixth Street, which has been vacant since the grocery store chain moved out at the end of last year. A “coming soon” banner with logos for Ollie’s Bargain Outlet and O’Reilly Auto Parts is now displayed on the front of the […]
The Levee to open downtown
The Gin Mill has closed, but owner Jason McKemie already has a new downtown venture in the works. McKemie opened Bar None in 2008 at the corner of Fifth and Monroe streets in downtown Springfield. That space later became part of Gin Mill, which opened in 2014 at 235 S. Fifth St. “We closed Gin […]
UIS Innovation Center opens in Horace Mann building
The third floor of Horace Mann’s modernist glass and steel tower in downtown Springfield is now home to the University of Illinois Springfield Innovation Center, which includes the Innovate Springfield business incubator. “Our move to this strategic location will enable us to bring more people into our innovation ecosystem, including students, faculty, corporate partners, community […]
Schlee’s Gourmet Bakery & Bottle Shop opening Sept. 29
Schlee’s Gourmet Bakery & Bottle Shop is opening Monday, Sept. 29, with the goal of bringing high-quality, small quantity drinks and baked good to downtown Springfield. Ashley Rickenbach relocated from Austin, Texas, to Springfield and partnered with Benjamin Galbraith and Matthew and Rachael Hurley to launch Schlee’s. “Austin has a very robust network of bars and […]
Evergreen Wealth to open on west side of Springfield
Evergreen Wealth is preparing to open on Springfield’s west side, but both the business and the staff are already well-known. “We’ve been Troxell Financial for over 30 years,” said Cassandra Ostermeier, director of marketing. The business has shared space at 214 South Grand Ave. West with Troxell, an independent insurance agency, since its inception, although […]
Bailey Family Insurance to relocate
Mark and Christine Bailey thought they’d found the “forever home” for Bailey Family Insurance when they purchased their current building five years ago. But now the company is planning to move to a significantly larger location after adding additional staff and wanting to have room for future growth. “We’re maxed out at our current location,” […]
Hank’s Power & Equipment closes
Hank’s Power & Equipment has closed its Springfield location and the property owner has listed the buildings for sale. Springfield Mowers & Power Equipment occupied the buildings at 1808 W. Jefferson St. from 2019 until October 2021 when a fire at the business killed the owner, Robert Kalabus. His widow, Stephanie Kalabus, told SBJ at […]

