Comings & Goings

Just over a year after it reopened under new ownership, the downtown Subway has closed again. In March 2025, ECI Investments purchased six of the eight locations owned by longtime operator Vern Evans after he retired following 25 years in the central Illinois market. Four of those acquisitions were in Springfield: 607 E. Adams St. […]

A simple mistake brought the new owners of Ruggless Auto Service Center to the Springfield area. Tisa Sawin and Evan Moentenich purchased Ruggless from Roger Ruggless late last year and have since rebranded the auto repair shop as Monkee Wrench Auto.  But moving to Springfield wasn’t part of the couple’s original plan. Sawin and Moentenich […]

After more than four decades downtown, Merrill Lynch is moving its Springfield office west.The financial services firm is relocating from 611 E. Monroe St., where it has beenlocated since 1981, to 3161 W. White Oaks Drive. The approximately 20 employeeswho work in the office will officially make the move this week. Diane Wagner, regional spokesperson […]

A new strip mall is under development on West White Oaks Drive, just west of Kohl’sand White Oaks Plaza. The development at 2901 West White Oaks Drive will feature six units of about 1,800square feet each. Prep work currently is underway, and ground could be broken at thesite “at any time,” according to Jerry George […]

Kay Jewelers will be closing its store in White Oaks Mall to move to a new location just across Veterans Parkway in White Oaks Plaza. The new Kay Jewelers will open April 29 in the space at 2851 S. Veterans Parkway formerly occupied by Sally Beauty Supply. The mall location will close at the end […]

Dr. Deepa Cyriac-Thirunelli is preparing for the grand opening of her Salt and Light Wellness center. Salt and Light, located at 3471 Freedom Drive, recently wrapped up a two-week soft launch, during which friends and supporters — or as Cyriac-Thirunelli refers to them, her “founders circle”— had the opportunity to sample the wellness center’s offerings. […]

The owners of Hilltop Nursery in Sherman are acquiring the Pool Center of Springfield in a deal that will close April 1. Jordan Powell, who owns Hilltop along with his wife, Megan, said they had been looking for opportunities to get into the pool industry to complement Hilltop’s garden center and landscape design and installation […]

A new restaurant is in the works for the former KFC on West Jefferson Street in Springfield. Lexhol Inc. applied for a liquor license to operate a restaurant listed as Bite and Brew, which was approved March 3 by the Springfield City Council. The 1850 W. Jefferson St. property was acquired in February 2025 by […]

It’s out with the old and in the new at 1101 Wabash Ave., with Moroleon TropicalMexican Restaurant recently closing and Puerto Vallarta, also a Mexican restaurant,gearing up to take its place. Ana Rodriguez and Bruno Chavez, the husband-and-wife team who also own theRancho Chico restaurant on East Stanford Avenue in southeast Springfield, areplanning to open […]

The Springfield Park District has issued a request for proposals from vendors interested in operating the Washington Park concession stand that has been home to the Park-N-Chill ice cream shop for nearly a decade. The move has prompted an outcry of support on social media for Park-N-Chill and its operators. Park-N-Chill supporters also attended a […]

Keila Stapleton, whose handmade pastas have become a regular part of the local farmers market scene, is expanding with the addition of a retail location. Stapleton has opened Pasta Al Dente by Keila at 731 North Grand Ave. East, in the former location of Sam’s Pizza. Pasta Al Dente will offer a rotating menu of […]

Conn’s Hospitality Group announced on Monday that it is closing Wm. Van’s Café as the company seeks to consolidate to stabilize its overall operations. “We’ve been analyzing the numbers and really just taking a look at the reality of today’s economy,” said Karen Conn, CEO of Conn’s Hospitality Group.  “The decision Monday morning was we’ve […]