Fork in the Rhodes - Convenience store opening restaurant

Every time I drove past it, I wondered how long the old Rhodes 101 Stop convenience store at 1036 N. Sprigg was going to last. After all, it became a bit redundant -- and seemed ancient -- after the big, fancy new Rhodes opened right next door to it last fall.

It turned out to be only a matter of time. The old convenience store closed May 28. But it turns out the group that owns Rhodes has been making plans for more than a year to convert the building into its first restaurant.

Coach's Sports Bar and Grill is expected to open sometime in October, hopefully in time for Southeast Missouri State University's homecoming weekend, according to Sandra Worthington, Rhodes' director of food services.

The building is being remodeled and expanded to seat 120 people and will feature themes that accompany the university's athletic department, she said.

"We want to focus on the athletics program, that's the audience we're trying to gear towards," she said. "We're wanting to attract people who are attending events at the Show Me Center, too. It's just a great location, and there's nothing like this in Cape Girardeau."

The menu will offer a full range of entrees, appetizers, sandwiches, burgers and desserts, she said.

Worthington stressed that everything is tentative, but so far plans call for about 60 employees to be dressed in athletic attire -- the men and women servers as cheerleaders and the bartenders as referees.

The main floor will feature a full-service bar, several big-screen televisions and electronic table games. The lower floor will feature pool tables, dartboards and a limited menu.

"It's not a chain at this point," Worthington said. "But in the future, we hope it's successful enough to branch out."

Rhodes 101 is a subsidiary of Pajco Inc., and Coach's will be a separate division under Pajco, unaffiliated with the convenience store division.

What a card

Looking for that rare rookie Mark McGwire card? Or maybe you're more of a Bonds fan and you're hunting for the card from those years when he was a 40-40 guy.

Fruitland brothers Clint and Thor Welker want to help you find those rare cards. The plan to open America's Pastime Sports Cards and Collectibles Wednesday at 14 N. Sprigg next to the old Teen Challenge building.

"We've been collecting and dealing with sports since we were old enough to know what it is," said Clint Welker.

The 2,000-square-foot store will feature sports cards -- you mean there are other sports than baseball? Go figure -- as well as action figures like Spawn and the Simpsons and cards for games.

Required reading

Even business barons need time away from charts and spreadsheets, and with summer approaching, many executives and managers might be looking for something good to read.

So JPMorgan Private Bank, the private banking and brokerage business of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., has some ideas. Culled from the suggestions of the group's more than 3,500 workers, the firm says these 10 books ought to be on every business person's reading list:

The books include:

"Good to Great," by business thinker Jim Collins.

"Russell Rules" by former Celtic Bill Russell (with an assist by Alan Hillburg and David Faulkner).

"The Weather Channel: The Improbable Rise of a Media Phenomenon," by Frank Batten, with Jeffrey Cruikshank.

"China and the Global Economy: National Champions, Industrial Policy and the Big Revolution," by Peter Nolan.

"Too Much of a Good Thing: Raising Children of Character in an Indulgent Age," by Harvard professor Dan Kindlon.

"Art Lover: A Biography of Peggy Guggenheim," by Anton Gill.

"Lincoln's Virtues: An Ethical Biography," by the University of Virginia's William Lee Miller.

"Elizabeth: Struggle for the Throne," by David Starkey.

"Here is New York," by E.B. White.

"Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera and Mexican Modernism: The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection," by Anthony White.

Happy?

Spending too much time at work and not enough at home? You're not alone.

TrueCareers, an Internet-based job board, found that 70 percent of 1,626 people who responded to an online poll don't think they're getting a healthy balance of work and play.

Because of that, the company reported, 51 percent said they're ready to look for another job in order to spend more quality time with friends and family.

"With the downsizing that has taken place over the past year, many employees are pulled in different directions and asked to take on more while putting in longer hours," said the company's chief executive, Michael A. Caggiano.

Of the people who said they had a negative balance between work and home, 43 percent said working too many hours was the cause. Thirty-six said they worried about work when they were at home.

Quickly

Best Buy officials have only said the new Cape Girardeau store will open sometime this fall. But records on file with the city show they anticipate opening the new store, located next to the new Logan's, on Sept. 27.

Now you know.

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 to smoyers@semissourian.com or call 335-6611, extension 137.