California Juice Club reopening as Dino's Pizza

In the past few weeks I've received quite a few calls asking about the fate of California Juice Club, 1034 Broadway in Cape Girardeau.

And for those fans of the restaurant that closed earlier this year, the good news is it will be reopening soon.

Owner Kostas Demopoulos told me he plans to reopen the restaurant in about a month as Dino's Pizza, a name it operated under when it opened in 1969.

"For the last seven years it was open as a juice club and I had to fight the Dino's name," said Demopoulos, who opened California Juice Club in Anna, Ill., last month. "I'm bringing it back to the name it was known as when it started."

Demopoulos plans to offer the same menu as Dino's, which includes Mediterranean items, fried chicken, mojos and pizza. The restaurant also is undergoing a renovation, with new tables and chairs among the new additions to the building.

* Funeral home earns certification: Ford and Sons Funeral Home has been selected to become an exclusive certified Veterans and Family Memorial Care provider. As a VFMC provider, the Cape Girardeau funeral home has become an official drop-off site for Cell Phones for Soldiers. This effort helps servicemen and -women overseas connect with their families by using donated cell phones.

The funeral home has also become an Old Glory Collection Center. Management collects old, tattered and unusable flags to be retired in a dignified manner in accordance with the U.S. Flag Code.

Ford and Sons has a long history of supporting veterans organizations, said funeral home employee Kevin Ford. Participation ranges from the local VFW Post 3838, the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau and a longtime sponsorship of the American Legion Baseball program.

* Hair Clips relocates: A Jackson hair salon has moved. Formerly at 127 W. Main St., Hair Clips recently relocated to 109 N. Missouri St. Hair Clips is open from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and can be contacted at 243-9602.

* Truck products and insurance company establishing Cape Girardeau location: Salem, Ill.-based Precision Truck Products plans to open an office in Cape Girardeau.

Chief executive officer David Burdin told me his company hopes to begin operations at 2486 Professional Court in December. The multistate transportation insurance broker and products supplier will have three people on staff initially, with an eventual goal of hiring six employees.

A native of Kennett, Mo., Burdin purchased the company 12 years ago. He's excited about conducting business in Cape Girardeau.

"This is like coming back home," Burdin added.

* Bank moves: Security Bank and Trust, formerly at 325 Broadway in Cape Girardeau, has moved a block down the street. It's now at 444 Broadway.

* Sewing school coming to Cape: Betty Avant's dream of bringing a sewing revival to Cape Girardeau is close to becoming reality. In March Avant opened ATAP Enterprises, a sewing and alteration business, at 310 S. Sprigg St.

However, two months later heavy rain caused damage inside the building, forcing her to relocate. Avant's now found what she believes is the perfect spot at 517 N. Silver Springs Road.

The ATAP School of Sewing will open Thursday. Students will learn skills such as custom sewing, dress-making and alterations. Avant said she's received interest as far away as Oran and Chaffee, Mo., as well as parts of Illinois.

Avant is looking forward to offering an avenue for sewing, which she said has been lacking since Thorngate Ltd. shut down its sewing operations in November 2008.

"This is going to be a great community effort," Avant said. "We lost Thorngate but this is Southeast Missouri. We rally when down."

For more information about ATAP School of Sewing, call 335-3106.

* Cape Girardeau restaurant chosen for annual market: My Daddy's Cheesecake, 265 S. Broadview St., has been selected to participate in the 18th annual Best of Missouri Market this Saturday and Sunday. Held at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, the event will feature more than 120 of the state's food producers. For more information, call 800-642-8842 or visit www.mobot.org.

* Rose Bed Inn owners opening art gallery: Cape Girardeau's newest art gallery is scheduled to open Friday. The Aartful Rose, at 631 S. Sprigg St., will feature art and a selection of wines from Durso Hills Winery in Marquand, Mo. The gallery is the latest endeavor by Rose Bed Inn owners James Coley and Eldon Nattier.

A ribbon cutting is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Friday. That evening a portion of proceeds from the wine sold, and functions booked in the future will go toward funding an all-accessible playground at Cape Girardeau County Park. The idea of Andrea Cunningham, the playground is designed for people of all abilities and ages. Andrea Cunningham is the wife of KFVS12 anchor Jeff Cunningham.

* Other ribbon cuttings scheduled: In addition to the Aartful Rose, the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce will hold two other ribbon cuttings for three businesses this week.

The first will be at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at TEX Electrical, 171 Route Z in Gordonville. Started in 2006, the business provides "any and all electrical services," according to owner and founder Jeff Clifton. Its services include energy-efficient lighting upgrades and whole-house generators.

TEX Electrical moved from Cape Girardeau three months ago and serves Burfordville, Cape Girardeau, Chaffee, Mo., Gordonville and Jackson. The business may be reached 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 837-6624.

At 11:30 a.m. Friday, Kid 2 Kid, 2136 William St. Suite 196 in Cape Girardeau, will have a ribbon cutting. The new maternity and children's store opened in June. The store in the Town Plaza Shopping Center is not a consignment store and buys and sells children's clothing, toys, furniture, accessories and maternity clothes.

Kid 2 Kid is open 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The store can be reached at 803-0288 or kid2kid@charter.net.

Southeast Missouri business reporter Brian Blackwell may be reached at 388-3628 or bblackwell@semissourian.com.