Leading closeout retailer coming to Cape Girardeau

Apparently you people are a bunch of nags.

But you must be persuasive nags, because your needling has helped bring Tuesday Morning, the country's largest closeout retailer of upscale home accessories and gifts, to Cape Girardeau.

"People really were nagging us to put a store in there," said Karen Goodman, Dallas-based Tuesday Morning's vice president of real estate. "Honestly. People were calling us, writing us letters and letting us know they wanted us there. So we're coming."

Tuesday Morning, a chain of more than 400 stores across the United States, is expected to open Oct. 15 in the Town Plaza, in the area next to the new Buffalo Wild Wings. (Both of those businesses are occupying the former Kid's World.)

There are Tuesday Morning stores in St. Louis, and Goodman said Cape Girardeau is a natural extension from that market. "We knew we had shoppers driving up to St. Louis, and we believe we'll do well there," she said.

The retail chain specializes in selling deeply discounted, upscale home accessories and gifts.

But discounted, in this case, doesn't mean junk, Goodman said. You'll find designer brands in Tuesday Morning similar to what you'd come across in Nieman Marcus or Sax's Fifth Avenue. The only difference, she said, is they are 50 to 80 percent cheaper.

The store will feature rugs, lamps, books, crystal and glassware, china, luggage, luxury bed and bath linens, toys, gourmet cookware, flatware and seasonal items such as greenery trim, Christmas decorations and lawn and garden.

But Goodman said the merchandise lineup is constantly changing. Plus, the store closes during January and July, which gives the stores a chance to reinvent themselves twice a year.

"That's really a retailer's dream," Goodman said. "In those months, all stores lose money anyway, nobody's shopping."

During those months, the store does inventory and restocks, often taking on a whole new look. It will also close for a couple weeks throughout the year while new items are added.

When the stores re-open, it generally generates excitement.

"There are lines, always there's lines," Goodman said. "There's a lot of anticipation about what we're going to do. Every time they're surprised."

Shannon Hall, the property manager for Greater Missouri Builders, which owns the Town Plaza, said the recent changes at the plaza -- adding new stores and moving out old ones -- doesn't mean the plaza is trying to reinvent itself.

"It's such a great location, when larger stores come in like that, we're definitely a candidate for their store," she said. "This will be a good fit."

Joey's to re-open tomorrow

Like many people, Phyllis Duffell and her husband Larry went to Joey's, the popular East Cape Girardeau, Ill., restaurant, after church.

"We did that every Sunday," Duffell said. "Then one Sunday, somebody said we couldn't go because Joey's was closed."

True enough.

Seeking a change, Joey Browning closed the restaurant several weeks back.

But Duffell saw it as an opportunity. She and her husband contacted Browning and set up a lease-buy deal.

"It really fell in our lap," she said. "We knew it was a pretty popular little spot."

Now, after remodeling the restaurant, the Duffells are set to re-open the newly renamed Courtney's Restaurant tomorrow. They have kept the same menu, same cooks, same wait staff and promise to have the same wonderful pie.

"It's going to be the same with just new management," she said. "We promise a good Christian atmosphere."

Some international flair

A new Jackson restaurant set to open will offer an international flair while not forgetting that some of us just want a juicy steak.

Reflections is going to open at 532 W. Main in the Schaper's Shopping Center, said chef Michael Ross, whose mother, Joyce Ross, and Betty Willis will own the restaurant. (I'm sure Michael's a great chef, but his real talent is in slow-pitch softball pitching. He's also one of the nicest players I've ever played against.)

Ross said the restaurant will offer food from Portugal, Morocco, Italy, France, Russia and other countries.

"Basically, we want to give people an opportunity to try different cultural foods," he said.

He also said Reflections is going to be a place where food and art come together. The food will be very decorative and "high garnish," Ross said.

"I want to set food down and have people say, 'Do we take it home and put it on our shelf or do we eat it?'" Ross said.

The restaurant will also offer steaks, pasta, seafood and from time to time will offer barbecue ribs and Cajun food. Reflections will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday for lunch. From 2 to 5 p.m., it will be a tearoom with gourmet coffees, teas and desserts.

The only nights it will be open are Friday and Saturday, Ross said, though the restaurant will be available for banquets throughout the week, he said. He said that people can also bring their own bottle of wine for a small corking fee.

Jackson True Value closed

I was sad last week to hear that the Sander True Value Hardware Store in Jackson, Mo., was closed due to foreclosure by Union Planters Bank.

The owner, Jim Sander, wasn't available for comment, but his brother John -- who owns the True Value in Cape Girardeau -- confirmed that the store was foreclosed on late Thursday and was forced to close on Friday.

"It's a pretty rough time," John said. The Sanders have owned a True Value in Jackson for more than 100 years. That first store was started by brothers Albert and William Sander in 1896.

The Cape Girardeau True Value is under different ownership and will not close, John Sander said.

Jim Sander did say through his brother that he wanted to thank his customers and the community for many years of loyalty.

I'm sure they'd like to return the thanks.

Doctor in the house?

The Spine and Pain Center of Missouri has opened at 1836 Broadway, just next door to the Spradling & Spradling law firm.

Medical director and physician Gary Eaton, D.O., tells me the center provides direct out-patient care for injuries of all sorts.

Services include manipulative therapy, injections, disability evaluation, therapeutic exercise, prescriptions and medical information support for other professionals.

Eaton came to Cape Girardeau last summer as a "hired gun" for one of the local walk-in clinics. He said that he was primarily seeing patients with problems outside his specialty and saw a need for a spine and pain center.

Quickly

Prodigy's has opened at 125 S. Broadview in the Broadview Plaza. Owners Donnie Jordan and Race Bradley had worked at Regis in the mall. The full-service salon offers haircuts, hair coloring and perms.

Aeropostale is off to a good start at the mall, jumping ahead of projections. Now, the trendy youth clothing store has announced the launch of its new Web site, www.aeropostale.com, just in time for back-to-school. The new, innovative site is divided into two parts, one featuring the clothes, the other a visually dynamic interactive chat room, dubbed "Aero House."

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