STRICTLY BUSINESS: FROM SKILLETS TO SKIWEAR, CAPE WELCOMES NEW BUSINESSES

Each year in the United States, thousands of new businesses open their doors, selling everything from jeans to jeeps, skillets to skiwear and wingbacks to wingnuts.

As a center of retail growth, Cape Girardeau annually welcomes more than 100 new businesses a year.

These new entries on the retail scene represent an impressive mix -- restaurants, clothing, service stations, antiques and much, much more.

Is there any kind of business you'd like to see come to Cape Girardeau? Get in the "shop 'till you drop" mode and let us know what business additions would be the icing on our retail cake.

Share your thoughts over the next couple of weeks by calling me at 335-6611, Ext. 133 (voice mail is fine, too). Or drop me a note at 301 Broadway. We'll inform you about the results.

A 40th anniversary

Gene Rhodes describes himself as a self-made man and is proud of it.

Rhodes, president of Rhodes Oil Co., which operates a chain of service station/convenience store operations in Southeast Missouri, opened the company's newest operation last week.

"This is a milestone anniversary year for Rhodes Oil Co.," said Rhodes. "It's our 40th year."

Rhodes, a native of Advance, started his business in November of 1955 with an investment of $250.

"That was enough to make a down payment on a tanker truck," said Rhodes, who started his oil business as a distributor for Gulf Oil Co. in Cape Girardeau. "That first Christmas in business was a short one for the Rhodes family. I cleared $75 the first two weeks."

Rhodes, who moved to Cape Girardeau, later became a distributor, then a jobber. He acquired his first service station in the early 1960s, and Rhodes Oil Co. was on its way. In 1986, he was elected mayor of Cape Girardeau, serving two four-year terms before retiring from the political ranks.

As a past president of the Missouri Oil Jobbers Association, Rhodes was one of 24 oil jobbers selected to visit Japan and the People's Republic of China in 1986, discussing the petroleum market.

Two years later, Rhodes and five other U.S. mayors were selected to visit Russia as part of the People-to-People Citizen Ambassador program. The American delegation met with 17 Russian mayors and toured Moscow government buildings during the week-long visit.

At one time, Rhodes operated service stations in 70 locations.

"The service station business has changed," said Rhodes. "The old stereotypical service station -- small, dark, dingy, with a grease pit -- is gone. In their places are modern facilities."

Included in the Rhodes operation is one of the area's largest truck stops, located along Nash Road east of Interstate 55, where truckers park their rigs and plug in lines to make electric, telephone and cable television hookups for the drivers' convenience. Drivers who stop there temporarily have a variety of services available beyond filling the fuel tanks. They can tap into fax and copy machines, automatic teller machines, computer hookups and mailing services.

A bank of phones for major long distance companies is available. Five shower/bath combinations can be used to clean up. Drivers can relax in a game room or watch satellite-fed television in a comfortable lounge. A separate wing houses a 6,000-square- foot restaurant and two offices.

Rhodes is also involved in a number of business and commercial properties, including the American Agriculture Museum in the Nash Road Industrial Park area, Sunset Towers in Cape Girardeau and a shopping area in Scott City Plaza.

Most of Rhodes' operations are service station-convenience stores.

"We completely remodel all of our convenience stores every two to three years," said Rhodes.

Rhodes became involved in construction work as a young man. A graduate of the former Steimle Business College in Cape Girardeau, he joined R.B. Potashnick Co. here, doing office work and field jobs for almost a decade.

He served two years with the Army in the Asian Theater during World War II. As a member of the Army Reserve, he was recalled to active duty during the Korean Conflict, serving a year at Lettermann Army Hospital in San Francisco.

Following discharge, Rhodes returned to Potashnick for about a year before venturing into his own business.

He credits his employees with much of his business success.

"Good people are a necessity for any operation," said Rhodes. "Without top-notch people we couldn't do the job that we do. I have bonus and incentive programs for all of my employees."

Catching up:

An interest in the Cape market

K's Merchandise is interested in the Cape Girardeau market.

The Decatur, Ill.-based retail company offers a variety of products, including sporting goods, electronics, jewelry, housewares, furniture, small appliances, toys, baby goods and giftware.

Kay Eldridge, owner of K's Merchandise, was in Cape Girardeau recently to look at the former Central Hardware building.

"We're very interested in the Cape Girardeau market," he said. "In fact, we're submitting a bid on the Central Hardware building."

K's Merchandise opened in Carbondale's University Mall last month.

A special Christmas Brew

Anheuser-Busch Inc., has a present for its customers, a special Christmas Brew billed as the "beer of Christmas past."

The Christmas Brew, distributed by River Eagle, the Anheuser-Busch distributor here, is available at a number of retail outlets in Cape Girardeau, including Schnucks and the Rhodes 101 Stops.

The holiday beer is another in a relatively new line of specialty beers that hark back to the early days of Anheuser-Busch. Earlier this year, the brewery introduced American Originals, a group of specialty beers based on turn-of-the-century recipes. Red Wolf and Elk Mountain Amber Ale are among them.

The special Christmas Brew will be available until its limited production is sold out.

Anheuser-Busch says the special brew is "rich and hearty" and likens it to German holiday brews popular in the 1890s.

Tom Anderson, River Eagle general manager, says the brew is easy to spot in stores. Labels for the 12-ounce bottles show a snow-covered house, holly, Gothic lettering and the phrase "limited edition, 1995."

Gambling in Hoosier State

Riverboat gambling has started in Indiana.

Aztar Corporation's"City of Evansville made its first cruise on the Ohio River Thursday.

The riverboat casino, which has 1,267 slot machines and 70 tables, is part of a $110-million project on 20 acres in downtown Evansville.

Aztar also owns TropWorld in Atlantic City, N.J., the Tropicana in Las Vegas, and the City of Caruthersville riverboat casino at Caruthersville, which has been in operation since May of this year.