American Title to be Kmart's new neighbor

Since Kmart was built more than 30 years ago on land that used to be a driving range, the lot behind the Cape Girardeau department store along the south side of Independence Street has been nothing more than a patch of grass. But now, thanks to the investment of a growing Dexter-based title insurance company, that lot will have its own traffic coming in.

David Donley with Commercial Real Estate Specialists Inc. recently announced that he has brokered a deal with American Title Co. to purchase the 1.43-acre lot. He said that the American Title of Cape Girardeau, currently in Broadview Plaza, will move to the Independence location when construction on a new building is complete.

American Title owner Ryan Holden said he plans on erecting a single-story, brick-front strip mall on the premises to house his Cape Girardeau location and eight or nine additional office suites for lease. He hopes to call the project Liberty Plaza.

Holden started American Title in Dexter, Mo., in January 2003. Since then, he's expanded to build locations in Poplar Bluff, Mo., and Cape Girardeau. From these outlets, the company serves Southeast Missouri and parts of Illinois, Indiana, Arkansas and Kansas.

Holden said he's not exactly sure how big the structure will be or how many suites he will build. He expects plans to be finalized and construction started by the end of the summer.

Improvements continue on Broadway: As Cape Girardeau motorists cruise down Broadway and look up at the revamped Marquette Hotel, they may be missing the scaffolding moving across the facade of the neighboring H&H Building at 400 Broadway. But they won't miss the improvements that the building's owner, John Wyman, has in store.

In addition to renovating the cornice work around the old office building, Wyman said, the interior has been gradually reworked since he bought the building two years ago. The idea is to make aesthetic improvements inside and out to attract tenants.

In addition to Oliver, Oliver and Waltz Law firm that occupies the fourth floor, two-thirds of the building is currently leased to 14 businesses, Wyman said. His current focus is finding tenants for the two large retail spaces on the first floor.

To help attract those retailers and to improve the aesthetics along this historic part of Broadway, Wyman said, he is working with neighboring owners to have the curbs on the north side of Broadway cut and have a line of 10 columnar maple trees installed along the sidewalk from in front of the H&H Building, running east to the Royal N'Orleans. He said he expects that plan to reach fruition by summer's close.

Otter's in Oran opens today: Remember the hometown bar you and your buddies used to frequent growing up?

Now imagine getting together with those friends to buy that very place and opening it as your own sports bar and grill. That's what's happening in Oran.

Oran natives Mike McVay, Brian Vogel, Stacey Hargrove, Mike Steimle, Bill Senciboy and Tony Brashear have bought the 60-year-old tavern building at 109 N. Railroad St. in their hometown. It used to house Caleb's, a bar these six friends spent a good portion of their formative years patronizing, but has been vacant for the past few years. Today it will reopen as Otter's Bar and Grill.

Vogel said the group spent around $70,000 revamping the building -- ironically, cleaning it up to give it an old rustic feel.

"There isn't a square inch we didn't touch," Vogel said.

The plaster on the walls has been torn down to expose the brick walls, and the ceiling now shows the open rafters above.

To balance the old-time feel in this sports bar, Vogel said the group has installed a couple of big-screen projection TVs and eight 27-inch screens, along with pool tables and dartboards. It also features its own sound system for dances on Friday and Saturday nights.

Cheapcollegestudent.com online: Jason Theodorakos knows that college students are hard for advertisers to reach. The main reason is because they tend to be a bit lazier than the average consumer. But he also knows that students are always looking for a bargain. He knows these things because he himself is a college student.

But now the Southeast Missouri State University junior has found a way to bring the ads to that demographic via his Web site, Cheapcollegestudent.com.

The site features places for local businesses to advertise specials that might appeal to frugal collegiate consumers and a place for printable coupons. Theodorakos said that these ads go beyond just food and tanning. They also offer advertising for professional services, retail and entertainment.

In addition, there are places where students can post their own free classified ads and a place for businesses and industries to post any "free stuff," or items they no longer want and would normally throw away but that a student may find useful.

Theodorakos put the site up on June 20. He said that if the Southeast version is a success, he plans to expand to other universities.

Tony Rehagen is the business editor for the Southeast Missourian. Send your comments, business news, information or questions to Tony Rehagen, 301 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63702-0699, e-mail trehagen@semissourian.com or call 335-6611, extension 137.