The former fire station at the intersection of Chatham Road and Monroe Street has been vacant for nearly a year, but if things go according to plan it will soon be the headquarters for a Springfield-based property management company. The building at 2051 W. Monroe St. had served as the Springfield Fire Department’s Station 8 […]
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E.P. Boutique closing March 8
The last day of operations for E.P. Boutique will be Saturday, March 8. The store at 4302 W. Wabash Ave. will be open to the public from 3-8 p.m. with marked down prices on the remaining items. In 2020, E.P. Boutique was the first tenant in the newly constructed strip center at Wabash and Meadowbrook Avenue. […]
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Japanese conveyer-belt restaurant opening March 13
The owner of Izumi Rotary & Bar, Springfield’s first conveyer-belt-style restaurant, says he wants to bring a new experience to the area. “I worked as the head chef at a sushi restaurant in Dallas, Texas,” Yong Wu said. “But I got tired of the big city and wanted to settle down here – my family […]
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Cousins Maine Lobster launches food truck to serve Springfield area
Two franchisees for Cousins Maine Lobster are establishing a presence in central Illinois to address what they believe is a demand for quality seafood here. “Last year we came here for a tour and had a massive response compared to any other metro area,” said Yunus Shahul. He and his brother, Thameem Shahul, currently have […]
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New vendors coming to The Railyard
The Railyard will be reopening this spring with new management and new participants. Tim and Emily Lewis, owners of Three Twigs Co., announced Feb. 15 they had signed a lease for The Railyard, an outdoor food venue based around shipping containers. It closed for the season in September and the Lewises permanently closed Three Twigs […]
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Two local business owners buy former Alexander’s property
Two area business owners have purchased the former Alexander’s Steakhouse as an investment property and say they’re still discussing possibilities for the site. Andrew Cochran and Marcus McGlasson purchased the property at 620 N. Bruns Lane last month for $825,000, according to Sangamon County tax records. “We’ve talked about a lot of different things,” said […]
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Joann to close all stores nationwide
Area residents were holding out hope that the Joann fabrics store in Springfield would survive the retailer’s planned closures, but the company announced Feb. 24 that it will close all of its 831 stores nationwide. In January, the Ohio-based retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time in a year, citing sluggish […]
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Tiny houses project faces big hurdles
A nonprofit that wants to build tiny homes on Springfield’s southeast side faces more big hurdles after the Springfield City Council on Feb. 11 unanimously voted to withdraw a resolution to commit funding for the project’s resource center. Ward 2 Ald. Shawn Gregory, who represents the area where the homes would be built, said he […]
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Pritzker proposes $2B in spending growth without new income or service taxes
Gov. JB Pritzker has proposed growing spending by about $2 billion without new income or service taxes in the upcoming fiscal year – though his administration acknowledged policy changes by the Trump administration could drastically alter the fiscal landscape. Spending and revenues would each grow by about 3% under the proposal laid out Wednesday during […]
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City Council OKs east-side housing expansion
Springfield City Council members on Feb. 18 approved $1.5 million in city funding for a 50-home addition to the Nehemiah Expansion affordable-housing project on the east side. The two 10-0 votes – to spend $1 million in federal HOME grant funds and $500,000 in property tax revenues from the Far East Tax-Increment Financing District – […]
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Springfield Clinic Urgent Care Plus ribbon cutting Feb. 21
Springfield Clinic will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 21, for the region’s first high acuity urgent care. Urgent Care Plus is intended to bridge the gap between a traditional urgent care and the emergency room, offering high acuity care in a more accessible and efficient setting. The event will take […]
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Former Hooters property to be auctioned
The former Hooters restaurant in Springfield is getting ready to go up for auction. Commercial real estate website Loopnet.com lists 3241 Horizon Drive as scheduled for auction Feb. 24-26, with a starting bid of $190,000 for the 4,262-square-foot building. The property is listed with broker Daniel Elliot of SRS Real Estate Partners, a Dallas-based commercial real […]