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 […]
Comings & Goings
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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,” […]
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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 […]
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Former Standard Mutual building to be auctioned
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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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, […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]