Pete Praia is calling it a wrap for his downtown restaurant, Di Piero’s Sicilan Cucina. The upscale Italian restaurant at 518 E. Adams St., on the south side of the Old Capitol Plaza, will close as of Dec. 28. Praia has owned and operated two other Italian restaurants in addition to two pizzerias in the […]
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Marco’s Pizza closes remaining Springfield store
Springfield’s first – and last – Marco’s Pizza location has closed with the shuttering of the store at 3201 W. Iles Ave. as of Dec. 9. In a Dec. 10 interview with The Pantagraph, McLain Hoogland, president of Hoogland Restaurant Group, cited the rising minimum wage in Illinois as the reason for closing the Springfield, […]
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Amy Rasing slated as new director of OPED
Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher wants to promote the city’s operations coordinator for state and federal grants to head the Office of Planning and Economic Development. Mayor Misty Buscher plans to nominate Amy Rasing, who curren tly w orks as the city’s grant manager, to succeed Val Yazell as director of the Office of Planning and […]
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Amazon hub is coming to Springfield
It appears that Amazon, one of America’s Big Five technology companies, will open and operate a planned $20 million warehouse and distribution center in 2025 at North Dirksen Parkway and Bissell Road in Springfield. The company, based in Seattle and suburban Washington, D.C., didn’t respond to a request for comment. But Sangamon County property records […]
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EPA prepares to move to White Oaks Mall
The new Illinois Environmental Protection Agency headquarters is expected to be completed this month – 18 months behind schedule and with a price per square foot more than double that of other new commercial construction projects in Springfield. The $80 million price tag for repurposing the 186,000-square-foot former Sears department store at White Oaks Mall […]
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Delaney’s Smokehouse closes
Delaney’s Smokehouse reopened last year under new ownership following extensive renovations, but the north-end business has now closed. “The food was great, and business was picking up well,” said Stuart Hillyer, who co-owned the business along with Bill Tinsley. Tinsley also owns and operates Main Gate Bar & Grill and Kentucky Burn. However, Hillyer said a key […]
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RNR Tire Express coming to Springfield
The former RTD Motorsports building on North Dirksen Parkway has been vacant since the business relocated in 2016, but it is now being remodeled for a new company coming to Springfield. RNR Tire Express is a national franchise retailer of tires and custom wheels, specializing in flexible payment plans. The company was established in Tampa, […]
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Val Yazell to retire from city of Springfield
Val Yazell, the director of the city of Springfield’s Office of Planning and Economic Development, will retire on Dec. 31. Yazell was first appointed interim OPED director by then-Mayor Jim Langfelder in 2017. She was initially hired as a contract employee but later became a full-time employee. Langfelder terminated her employment in March 2021. He […]
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Ashley Furniture Outlet closing
Ashley Furniture Outlet opened in April 2021, replacing the Barney’s Furniture location at 1987 W. Wabash Ave, but owner Barry Seidman said he is now making changes to the business model and listing the building for sale. “We made a decision to close our outlet store,” Seidman said. “The outlet was a newer concept for […]
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B’s Creative Studio relocating to larger space
B’s Creative Studio is on the move for the second time since the business launched in 2022. “We have just continued to grow,” said owner Brandy Fletcher. “The first location was our trial run, and the second one gave us our bigger classroom and boutique. But now we’re needing more space.” The business initially opened […]
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Coffee shop planned for former Recycled Records building
Arrowroot Coffee Co. has been in business for five years butwill soon have its first brick-and-mortar retail location. Owner Jacob Dinardo said he is purchasing the building at 625 E. Adams St. that previously housed Recycled Records. “I jumped at the opportunity to have that building; the oldRecycled Records space really meant a lot to […]
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Building at Fourth and Adams could get $3 million makeover
Martin and Laurie Haxel keep increasing their footprint in downtown Springfield. The couple started with 310 E. Adams St., which houses offices for their own businesses, Haxel Law and Haxel Consulting, but over the past five years they have acquired four adjacent properties. Now, they are hoping the Springfield City Council will approve a TIF […]