Downtown cafe to close; Holiday Inn's last hurrah

There's a ton of things going on, so I'm going to give you everything in snippets this week. (They are easily digestible and won't sit on your stomach.)

We'll start with some bad news and end with some good news:

Corner Cafe at 117 Themis will close its doors this Saturday for good. The owner, Roger Shoulders, tells me that the business was doing fine, but he had so much going on that something had to give.

"Basically, there's not enough of me to go around," said Shoulders, who also owns the local Dippin' Dots ice cream franchise. "Ice cream was keeping me busy, and the cafe is a pretty busy business. In the middle of it all, I got another opportunity that keeps me on the road a couple days a week."

That opportunity came from Dippin' Dots, where he is now handling some of the out-of-town accounts. He doesn't want people to think he's closing the cafe because it was struggling financially.

"The cafe did well," he said. "I think it was definitely on the right track."

So long, Holiday Inn

For the past 40 years, the Holiday Inn has been a place where many Southeast Missourians have celebrated all sorts of occasions -- from weddings and anniversaries to family reunions and class reunions.

But all good things must end.

Cape Girardeau can say goodbye to the Holiday Inn with a farewell festival that will be held Aug. 22 through 24. Over that weekend, the Holiday Inn parking lot will be converted into an area of fun, as the hotel celebrates its final hurrah.

The festival will kick off on Friday, Aug. 22, in Remington's Lounge. At 8 p.m., karaoke will begin and last until 11 p.m.

A bread pudding social and charity balloon lunch, from 4 to 5 p.m., will open Saturday's events. Children from local nonprofit organizations will register to participate in the Charity Balloon Launch at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Events will continue throughout the day with an outdoor barbecue from 5 to 11 p.m., and there will be live music.

The Farewell Festival weekend will be the last time to enjoy Remington's Prime Rib Buffet -- all the service clubs have probably eaten there 1 million times over the years.

Development bought

An Arnold, Mo., investor has bought the Cape Girardeau Lorimont development along South Mount Auburn Road, according to commercial broker Tom Kelsey, whose real estate firm was involved in the multimillion-dollar commercial real estate transaction.

DLJ Cape LLC, headed by Daniel Jones, bought the 90,500 square feet of office space in two buildings on seven acres of property that adjoins Westfield Shoppingtown West Park.

In addition to the main corporate building is a 31,834-square-foot two-level office and retail lease space area that currently has seven office tenants including HealthSouth Rehabilitation, State Farm Insurance, Pyramid Medical Services, Dr. Jan Seabaugh, Audiology Center, The Yellow Book Directory, Benton Hill Investment Co. and Lorimont Real Estate offices.

The corporate park features an enclosed parking garage and additional property for development. Kelsey said there would be no changes in tenant occupancy with the recent sale.

In addition to the office lease area, there is a three-story 58,456-square-foot headquarters building that is occupied by Med Assets, a hospital supply-purchasing group. Med Assets purchased Norman's business, HSCA, in May 2001 and will continue to occupy a major portion of the headquarters building.

Part of the terms of the recent sale involved Med Assets entering into a long-term lease with the new owner. Med Assets will be committed to maintaining its offices with 60 employees here in Cape Girardeau.

No sales price information was disclosed, but Kelsey said it certainly would qualify as one of the largest commercial sales in Southeast Missouri in recent years.

Mall world

A few happenings at Westfield Shoppingtown West Park, which self-described goddess of marketing Joyce Hunter was kind enough to pass along last week.

Starting last week, St. Louis Bread Co. is now known as Panera Bread. That's part of the St. Louis-based company's move to give the bakery and sandwich chain a less regional feel.

Also, a new clothing store is going into the spot recently vacated by Eddie Bauer. Hollister is the lower-priced offspring of youth-oriented retailer Ambercrombie and Fitch. The new Hollister chain targets a younger teen. Joyce told me construction is under way, and Hollister expects to be open by the Christmas shopping season.

County Creations is opening in the spot formerly occupied by the Hip Hop Shop in the J.C. Penney wing of the mall. Country Creations will sell dinette sets and other furniture. Hunter said it will be open by Sept. 1.

Hanger Prosthetics opens

Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics has opened at 3065 William St., Suite 205. The medical supply store offers all aspects of orthotics, such as custom-molded and off-the-shelf bracing and cervical collars.

The store also sells artificial limbs, said Amy Schamburg, who is in marketing for the chain that has 600 centers in 44 states. The store will have an open house from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 17.

Insta-Cash

Insta-Cash is opening Aug. 25 at 67 S. Plaza Way, according to owner Jennifer Blackwell. Insta-Cash will be sharing an office with SEMO Recreational Leagues and is in the same strip center as Kandy Kane cleaners.

Blackwell tells me they will be doing payday loans, title loans and prepaid phone services.

20 years of Domino's

Domino's Pizza is celebrating its 20th year in Cape Girardeau. The first Domino store was on North Frederick Street across from the post office. The store has since moved to 1028 N. Sprigg St. A second store was added in 1989 on North Kingshighway. Both locations were recently recognized by the parent company, Domino's Pizza LLC, as a "Five-Star Store," the company's highest rating. The stores were evaluated on product quality, service, image and cleanliness. Both locations had average delivery times of less than 24 minutes, ranking among the best in the company.

Domino's Pizza is owned by Danny and Tammy Lynn of Cape Girardeau. Danny Lynn started as a delivery person and then become a store manager. He bought the Domino's franchise rights for Cape Girardeau in 1983.

Congrats.

Next week: Come read about Blue's on Broadway.

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