Tweet meet up Wednesday for area Twitter users

Southeast Missouri Twitter users will gather at the first Cape Girardeau TweetUp at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Broadway Books and Roasting Co.

Anyone who is a Twitter user or is interested in learning more about the social media application is welcome to attend.

An increasing number of local businesses are now using Twitter as part of their advertising campaigns.

"The TweetUp is a great way to find new followers who live in Southeast Missouri as well as meet new folks to grow your own following," said event organizer Stephanie Lynch, director of public relations and marketing at the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau (@VisitCape).

At the TweetUp there will be a large screen projection of all tweets during the meeting using the #CapeGTweetUp tag. There will be T-shirt giveaways as well.

Old Town Cape is providing name tags at the TweetUp and participants will be asked to wear their Twitter names on them.

"The idea is to mingle and discuss with one another how we use social media both professionally and personally and to make new friends and connections," said event co-organizer Toni Eftink, projects manager at Old Town Cape (@OldTownCape).

* New Rhodes store opens Tuesday: Rhodes 101 will open a new convenience store at 3618 E. Jackson Blvd. on Tuesday.

"One of the first features of this new site that our customers should notice when they arrive is the amount of room provided around our property," said Keith Boeller, president of Rhodes 101 parent company PAJCO. "This should make navigation around our dispensers, store and drive-through very customer friendly."

The new store includes a refrigerated "beer cave" with a variety of cold beers available. The "101 Cafe" features food-to-go options with a roller grill that will offer taquitos, sausages and hotdogs, along with hot breakfast sandwiches. The restrooms also have been upgraded from other Rhodes 101 stores to feature marble tile and granite counters.

n New owner for Mollies Cafe: Mollie's Cafe & Bar has been purchased by Scott Nagel with Just Scott LLC of Cape Girardeau. Nagel will begin operating the business June 30, according to a business license filed with the city. The business was previously operated by Mollies LLC, a company organized by John Wyman.

* Hackett Security acquires Reli Security Alarms: Hackett Security, the St. Louis area's premier security systems company, has acquired Reli Security Alarms in Cape Girardeau. Reli has provided security services for both residential and commercial customers for more than 22 years. The acquisition allows Hackett to continue to increase market share with clients in Southeast Missouri.

Reli Security Alarms was founded in 1988 by Leon Murphy. The company serves clients in Southern Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee as well as Missouri. Hackett Security Inc. has been installing and monitoring burglar and fire alarm systems in the greater St. Louis, Southwestern Illinois and Southeast Missouri areas since 1977.

n Saint Francis to offer spine seminar: Dr. Joel W. Ray, neurosurgeon at Saint Francis Medical Center, will hold a free seminar about minimally invasive spine surgery at 6 p.m. June 28 in the Saint Francis Conference Center. He will explain the procedures, applications and likely candidates for these surgeries. Neurological problems of the neck and spine, like disc herniations, are painful or even be debilitating. When conservative treatments like medication and physical therapy are not enough, surgery may be necessary. Traditional spinal surgery involves a large incision and cutting through muscles, which requires careful resection and long recovery periods. There have been many advances in neurosurgery, however, and minimally invasive alternatives allow surgery through small incisions with microscopic technology. For more information or to register for the seminar, call 331-5877 or e-mail jstreiler@sfmc.net. Refreshments will be served.

* ABC Hearing relocates: America's Best Center for Hearing Aids has moved to 353 Christine St., at the corner of Christine and Bloomfield Road in Cape Girardeau, from 65 S. Plaza Way. The business has been in the Shandy family for 28 years. Dan and Jim Shandy of ABC Hearing are both board-certified hearing instrument specialists who offer hearing tests, fittings, programming and repair for all makes of hearing aids.

* Lifeway store to open Saturday: Lifeway Christian bookstore will open Saturday in the former Hollywood Video location at 127 Siemers Drive in Cape Girardeau. A grand opening celebration will be July 10.

The new 5,000-square-foot store will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It will be closed on Sundays.

Hiring for the new store has been completed, said manager Michael Wilson.

* Schnucks Produce University set for Saturday: Schnucks in Cape Girardeau will host a melon tasting and education seminar called Frieda's Produce University from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Throughout the day, customers are invited to sample three specialty U.S.A.-grown melon varieties: Hami Gold, Golden Kiss and Sugar Kiss, in addition to other summer melon and watermelon varieties. The signature melon is the Hami Gold, a gourmet Asian-style melon that boasts a peachy-golden flesh that's crisp, juicy and ultra-sweet.

* Old Town Cape receives Main Street accreditation: Old Town Cape recently received accreditation from the National Trust for Historic Preservation Main Street Center and the Missouri Main Street Center. Old Town Cape joins other Main Street revitalization programs across the country being recognized, including only five other Missouri programs. This is the sixth year Old Town Cape has received national accreditation.

The Missouri Main Street programs in Cape Girardeau, Chillicothe, Clinton, Lee's Summit, Warrensburg and Washington all received accreditation during the opening session of the Annual Main Street Conference in Oklahoma City this May.

The six communities were accredited through a rigorous, on-site review process.

Accredited Main Street programs also receive more technical support from their state coordinating programs than do the nonaccredited programs. Last year, Missouri Main Street brought marketing and small business expert Rick Segal to Cape Girardeau and other accredited communities in Missouri, among other resources.

Southeast Missourian business reporter Melissa Miller may be contacted at 388-3646 or mmiller@semissourian.com.