The brick building at the southwest corner of MacArthur Boulevard and South Grand Avenue is about to change hands for the first time. The office building at 1028 South Grand Ave. W. was built for Standard Mutual Insurance Company in the late 1950s. Evans Construction served as the general contractor and also oversaw construction of […]
Comings & Goings
Posted inComings & Goings
New buyer for old Burger King
MJ’s Fish & Chicken Express is on the move again. Jerome and Margaret Taylor started the business in a concession trailer in 2015 but have had a brick-and-mortar location in the Enos Park neighborhood since 2017. They purchased the building at 716 E. Enos Ave. as a turn-key operation from the previous occupant, Susie Q’s […]
Posted inComings & Goings
Springfield Clinic seeks new west-side location
Springfield Clinic wants to use the former site of Ashley Furniture Outlet and Barney’s Furniture on Springfield’s west side for storage and eventually for retail sales of medical equipment and devices. The multispecialty physician group’s request for zoning to allow for those plans at 1987 Wabash Ave. will be considered Sept. 17 by the Springfield […]
Posted inComings & Goings
Bourbon Street adds food service
Bourbon Street Rhythm & Ribs, 1031 South Grand Ave. East, has reopened its kitchen and is now offering food service Thursday through Sunday. “It’s been at least six years since we had food service, and I’ve been trying for some time to bring it back,” said bar manager Deb Smith. “There’s a market for it, […]
Posted inComings & Goings
Long Nine Junction to return downtown
A restaurant is returning to downtown Springfield with the same name and location, but a slightly different format. Corey and Emily Faucon operated Long Nine Junction for nearly four years at 5 Old State Capitol Plaza before closing in February 2021. The couple then moved to Petersburg and have been involved in several culinary ventures […]
Posted inUncategorized
Land of Lincoln Credit Union to acquire local bank
Land of Lincoln Credit Union has announced plans to acquire Williamsville State Bank and Trust. While the agreement is contingent on obtaining regulatory and WSB Financial, Ltd. stockholder approvals, the proposed transaction has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of both institutions. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of […]
Posted inColumns
Changes at Sixth Street Mel-O-Cream store
Mel-O-Cream Donuts, 3010 S. Sixth St., held a ribbon cutting Aug. 20 celebrating its new Route 66 shield-shaped doughnut sign and an extended menu and hours. Sangamon Donuts, the owner and operator of five Mel-O-Cream stores in Springfield, applied for a grant in December 2024 to create a large Route 66 shield-shaped doughnut sign in […]
Posted inColumns
National furniture retailer coming to Springfield
The former Bed Bath & Beyond property in Springfield has been vacant for more than two years, but now another national retailer is preparing to move in. The Bed Bath & Beyond location at 3251 S. Veterans Parkway closed in early 2023, one of hundreds of stores shuttered nationwide as part of the retailer’s attempt […]
Posted inColumns
Pet store to open in downtown Springfield
It’s been many years since downtown Springfield had a pet store, but Robert and Sonya Andrew want to change that. The couple plans to open Happy Scalez, an exotic pet store, at the corner of Fourth and Adams streets. The space at 122 S. Fourth St. was most recently occupied by Creative Reuse Marketplace, which […]
Posted inColumns
Red Robin in Springfield to close Aug. 22
The Springfield Red Robin restaurant will close Aug. 22, part of the first round of 10-15 closures nationwide expected to take place this year for the casual dining chain. In February, Red Robin announced plans to close 70 underperforming locations over the next five years. The casual dining chain known for its gourmet burgers and […]
Posted inColumns
Historic Broadgauge building to be auctioned
The historic Broadgauge building in downtown Petersburg is scheduled for auction Sept. 20-22. All furnishings and equipment are included, with bids starting at $250,000. Dan Sperry of The Real Estate Group is handling the auction and originally listed the property for sale earlier this year at an asking price of $2.9 million. The price was […]
Posted inColumns
Sapori Pizzeria expands space, offerings
Sapori Pizzeria and Italian Market will celebrate two years in business this September, and the owners already have an expansion in the works. Longtime Springfield restaurateurs Chris Hanken and Vic Lanzotti opened the business in Montvale Junction in 2023. When the adjacent business, Design House by Staff, relocated to a larger space at the other […]