Brick City LLC Series 4 received a commercial remodel permit for 1530 S. Fourth St. Contractor is Brick City LLC and the project is valued at $15,000. ESP Properties LLC % Paul Schafer received a commercial remodel permit for 227 S. Seventh St. Contractor is O’Shea Builders and the project is valued at $1.58 million. […]
Newsletter – Biz Bites
Whimsy Tea Company adds lunch menu
Whimsy Tea Company has released its fall menu, which includes soups and sandwiches in addition to the drinks and sweet treats for which the downtown business originally became known. Gordon Davis, who co-owns the business with his wife, Laura, said a menu expansion had been in the works for a while but the June 19 […]
Ad Astra to open café
Ad Astra Wine & Tapas Bar is expanding its operations to include extended hours and a more expansive food and drink menu. “We’ve gotten a lot of requests from people who work downtown who wanted someplace casual to take coworkers for lunch or a drink,” owner Kristina Barbee said. “And a lot of people who […]
Businesses hoping to enter cannabis market face significant challenges
While Illinois’ cannabis market is booming and the state has made progress in diversifying new licensees, significant hurdles remain for businesses hoping to enter the expanding market, according to an independent review of the industry. Celebratory news releases have marked several industry successes in recent months – the state saw the opening of its 100th social […]
A Taste of Seoul opening downtown
Seoul 4 Soul has closed less than nine months after opening, but one of the owners is launching a new Korean fusion bistro in its place. In January, Kimsimone Manning and Emily Tylman teamed up to open a restaurant in the upper level of Buzz Bomb Brewing Company at 406 E. Adams St. Manning had previously […]
Horace Mann names new CFO
Ryan Greenier has been appointed executive vice president and chief financial officer of Horace Mann Educators Corporation, effective Oct. 1, succeeding Bret Conklin. With this appointment, Greenier joins the company’s executive officer team and will report to CEO Marita Zuraitis. Conklin will remain with the company through 2025 to ensure a smooth transition before his […]
Building permits – Sept. 16 – Sept. 22
Springfield Clinic LLP received a commercial remodel permit for 350 W. Carpenter St. Contractor is P.H. Broughton & Sons, Inc. and the project is valued at $200,000. Thomas F. Winkler received a commercial remodel permit for 1426 Sangamon Ave. Contractor is Tony Truong and the project is valued at $30,000. George T. Coontz Sr. received […]
Six east-side businesses receive grants
Six businesses were awarded $280,000 in grants by the Springfield City Council on Sept. 17 from the city’s share of sales taxes on adult-use cannabis sales. The unanimous vote on the allocations, which were part of the council’s “consent agenda,” came more than two years after the first round of allocations and after a September […]
Sweet Basil owner addresses sudden closure
Billie Dent was waitressing at Sweet Basil Café last month when she and about 20 coworkers learned they were out of work the hard way – Sangamon County sheriff’s deputies arrived and evicted the restaurant from the building. “We had one table of customers in there at the time; we asked if they could finish […]
217 Burger Week continues through Aug. 28
217 Burger Week kicked off Aug. 19, and there are actually 10 days to celebrate and explore the specialty burgers area chefs have created at these participating restaurants. Many locations will also offer Jack Daniel’s specials. Find more details at 217FoodWeek.com and download your 217 Burger Week passport to plan your food journey and for a […]
Chamber Job Fair to be held on Tuesday, Aug. 27
The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce’s fall job fair will feature dozens of employers ready to hire qualified candidates. A list of the participating employers can be found on the event calendar for The Chamber at www.gscc.org. Whether you’re looking to advance within your current industry or start a new career, there are plenty of […]
Menards constructing a self-storage facility
Menards is getting into the self-storage business, with 456 units under construction on nearly eight acres of land adjacent to its Prairie Crossing store. “This piece of property has sat vacant for 10 years, so I’m sure they’re trying to get some use out of it,” said Adam Pallai, vice president of Martin Engineering, which […]

