Lewis & Clark cafe opening downtown

Sandwiches, soups, hand-dipped ice cream and ... hookahs?

A new restaurant coming to downtown Cape Girardeau promises to bring the Eastern and Western worlds together. The Lewis & Clark Cafe, set to open March 4, will offer traditional American fare like soups, sandwiches and hand-dipped ice cream.

But owner Sam Alsmadi, who recently moved here from St. Louis, also wants his new cafe to offer something that is unique here and more common in his homeland of Syria. That's why he decided to include a hookah bar in his new cafe, which is in the spot formerly occupied by In the Wine Cellar at 31-B N. Main St.

A hookah, for the uninitiated, is an Eastern smoking pipe designed with a long tube passing through an urn of water that cools the smoke as it is drawn through. Scented tobacco, in flavors such as strawberry or apple, is used.

During the day, the cafe will focus on cold cuts, soups, salads, desserts and hand-dipped ice cream. But in the evening, an area in the back will be used for customers who want to smoke scented tobacco imported from places like Egypt through colorful hookahs.

"It's something that will be unique in Cape Girardeau," Alsmadi said.

Alsmadi is in the process of remodeling the space, he said. This is Alsmadi's first restaurant, but he's been in the business for 15 years in St. Louis, mainly for hotel chains and nightclubs.

* Dohrn Transfer to open terminal here: Rock Island, Ill.-based Dohrn Transfer has announced that it will open its newest terminal at 3021 Nash Road in Cape Girardeau. Tom Kelsey, commercial broker with Lorimont Place Ltd., who negotiated the lease of the former Consolidated Freight facility, said the Illinois carrier would be in operation with their new branch sometime in March.

The trucking facility includes offices, driver services area, warehouse cross docks with several acres of yard space for truck and trailer parking. The property owned by Seven Thirty Inc. in the Gene Rhodes Industrial Park is on Route AB, just east of the Fabrick Caterpillar dealership. Dohrn has more than 650 employees and hauls freight throughout Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and six adjacent states.

The company specializes in expedited less-than-truckload service (LTL) and consolidates loads from multiple shippers into a single trailer. Kelsey said he understood the company has been steadily adding terminals over the last several years as business and the number customers expanded. The new office will be the company's furthest location south and will cover the region from St. Louis to the Arkansas border.

* Olive Garden update: The new Olive Garden's grand opening will be 4 p.m. March 13. About 180 jobs will be created with the opening of the 253-seat, 7,496-square-foot restaurant.

"Cape Girardeau's strong business activity and growing tourism make it the perfect location for the newest member of Olive Garden's family of local restaurants," said Valerie Insignares, executive vice president of operations for Olive Garden.

From March 13 to 19, the restaurant will serve dinner only. The restaurant will be open for lunch beginning March 20.

* Jackson furniture business closing: One of Jackson's longtime businesses, G&G Furniture at 2941 E. Jackson Blvd., is closing after nearly 32 years of operation. Tom Kelsey, commercial broker, also announced that a buyer has been found for the property.

Roy and Iverne Glass built the building and opened the furniture store in 1974. The business has been a family operation since its opening. A going out of business sale is in progress.

The new buyer, according to Kelsey, is S&S Rentals, LLC, which is represented by David Glastetter of ERA Cape Realty. The plans are to redevelop the store into lease spaces suitable for both retail or office use. Kelsey understands the buyer will enlarge the parking and renovate the structure. Construction is anticipated to begin in early spring.

* BizBlog: Today also marks the debut of my foray into the world of blogs. It's called BizBlog -- what else? -- and if you want more information about some of the things you've read about here then you ought to check it out at www.semissourian.com. It will also, hopefully, provide a forum for serious and sometimes fun discussion about the local business scene. Consider it a coffee klatch with your keyboard.

Scott Moyers is the business editor of the Southeast Missourian. Send your comments, business news, information or questions to "Biz Buzz," 301 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63702-0699, or e-mail them to smoyers@semissourian.com or call (573) 335-6611, ext. 137.