ReStore marks second anniversary with celebration

Cape Area Habitat for Humanity's ReStore is celebrating its second anniversary and will hold three customer appreciation days to mark the occasion.

Popcorn, soft drinks, cake and coffee will be served from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday.

ReStore, 117 N. Middle St., sells construction materials and some appliances. All proceeds from sales at the store support construction of area Habitat for Humanity homes. ReStore may be reached at 334-9728.

* SEMO Imprints relocates: A 28-year-old Bootheel-based company that specializes in the production of iron-on heat transfers and printed apparel is relocating to the area.

SEMO Imprints plans to move from Risco, Mo., to a 4,500-square-foot building at 2612 Gerhardt St. in Cape Girardeau, according to Tom Kelsey, a broker with Lorimont Ltd., who handled the transaction.

Jim New, who has owned SEMO Imprints since 1982, is retiring and handing over the business to stepson Keith Hon and his sister, Breanna Stone. The company's final day of business in Risco is Nov. 23. Hon said the first day of business in Cape Girardeau will be Nov. 30.

The company is moving because Hon and Stone live in Jackson and have been commuting to Risco for a while.

* Ed's Bar up for sale: Since June 30, 2008, a Cape Girardeau institution has sat empty. Now, relatives of the owner of Ed's Bar are selling the building at 519 Good Hope St. with the hope of revitalizing the business once again.

According to Tom, Janeene and Jaynne Cunningham, Jaynne Brown owned and operated the bar from the mid-1980s until last year. Brown's declining health resulted in her decision to sell the building.

Before Brown bought the bar it had just one owner, Ed Lottes. He opened the bar in the 1950s.

Elizabeth Meyer McFerron of Exit Realty-Thomas Meyer Associates is handling the deal.

"The difficult decision to sell the building and contents was made, in hopes that someone with enough foresight to know the area will become popular again, will purchase it and continue the tradition, or start a new one," the Cunninghams wrote in an e-mail. "If not for her ill health, Mrs. Brown would still be there, greeting old friends and making new ones."

* Burger King update: Two months after a Cape Girardeau Burger King was demolished, construction on a newer one is coming along at a rapid pace.

Dan Drury, president of Midamerica Hotels Corp., which owns 35 Burger Kings, said he's aiming to have the restaurant complete by Thanksgiving. In an earlier article, Drury told me that issues with plumbing and other parts of the building caused the company to construct a new Burger King restaurant.

* SOTO Property Management moves: SOTO Property Management has relocated to 1213 N. Kingshighway, Suite 200. This is the second move for the company, which Dave Soto purchased Sept. 2, 2008, when it was known as Wunderlich Realty. The former location was 1200 N. Kingshighway.

* The doctor is in: Nancy Friedman, also known as the Telephone Doctor, will lead sessions on improving a business' customer service during the 10th annual meeting of the Medical Group Management Association. Scheduled for Nov. 18, the seminar will feature a self-assessment quiz to evaluate a company's current customer service situation and a question-and-answer session.

Participants may choose the morning or afternoon session, because both are the same program. The seminar is organized by the Southeast Missouri Medical Group Management Association with assistance from Southeast Missouri Hospital, the Southeast Missourian and the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce.

Tickets are $50 per person, or $35 per person for groups of five or more. To register, call one of these association members: Vickie Woodney, 334-5691; Pat Francis, 331-7930; Alex Ogburn, 331-5563; Shari Smith, 334-9498; Laurie Hill, 651-5547; or Mary McBride, 335-3937.

* Soul food restaurant opens: Cape Girardeau's new soul food restaurant opened Nov. 5.

Kingdom Kids Soulfood and BBQ, 1 N. Sprigg St., serves comfort food and has some youth working in the restaurant. The restaurant is affiliated with the adjacent House of Prayer.

You can visit Kingdom Kids 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The phone number is 651-5265.

* Hospital given ranking: Saint Francis Medical Center has made the 2009 list of the Best Places to Work in Healthcare. With its ranking of 18th, this marks the second consecutive year the Cape Girardeau hospital has been named to the list in Modern Healthcare magazine.

* State auditor at First Friday Coffee: November's First Friday Coffee featured remarks from Missouri Auditor Susan Montee. During her speech Montee told Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce business leaders how the economy is taking a toll on her office.

Montee said that like other businesses, her office is handling more work while not hiring additional staff.

"Everyone knows the budget is down," Montee said. "We are looking at really tough times and our office is doing what it can to manage through them."

* Ribbon cutting: The Cape Chamber has scheduled a ribbon cutting at 11:30 a.m. Thursday for Premier Rehab. The rehabilitation facility recently moved from 2917 Independence St. to 1403 N. Mount Auburn Road.

The move expands its space from 1,500 square feet to 4,000 square feet and includes a new pool for aquatic therapy. Premier Rehab may be contacted at 335-7868 or online at premierrehabonline.com.

Southeast Missourian business reporter Brian Blackwell may be reached at 388-3628 or bblackwell@semissourian.com.<I>