Lounge is bringing the blues to Broadway

Because of me, T.C. Scruggs asked a friend for aspirin.

"He asked me if this was the blues," said an incredulous Scruggs. "Can you believe that?"

The man singing out of the small stereo that sat in the corner was indignantly chastising a suspicious lover: "It ain't nobody's business, don't you mind what I do."

It's true, I'm ignorant about the blues. I'm more Elvis Costello than Robert Johnson, more Jerry Lee Lewis than John Lee Hooker.

But I guess I should have known that the man who is bringing the blues to the corner of Broadway and Middle wouldn't have anything except the blues playing while he worked on the building that starting next month will feature live bands that play the blues, R&B and jazz.

Scruggs is opening St. Louis Nights on Sept. 7 in the former Cast-A-Ways building at 502 Broadway.

"They say you can't have any fun unless you go to St. Louis," Scruggs said. "So I'm going to bring St. Louis to Cape."

The lounge, as Scruggs calls it, will be multifaceted, and each section will have its own name. For example, one part will be called Blues on Broadway, which will feature live bands, dancing and a bar.

The blues are steeped in history, and Scruggs appreciates history. For example, he's calling the window-front cafe Walthers Cafe, in honor of one of the previous owners of the more than 100-year-old building who ran Walthers Furniture.

There will be a Cast-A-Ways Comedy Club in the building, and Scruggs promises to bring acts from the same places he brings singers -- St. Louis, Memphis and Chicago. There will also be some local performers. The pool room will also be named after Cast-A-Ways.

"There's a lot of history in this building," he said.

Scruggs said he met former Cast-A-Ways owner Ella Dowd and Walthers relative Vernon Auer, who was a president of Walthers Furniture.

"They both told me they loved the idea," he said. "They just loved it."

The lounge will be for "a more mature" person who wants to come to a place and relax and have a nice meal.

"It's for more sophisticated people," he said. "People who love the blues, jazz and older music. I want it to have a really elegant atmosphere."

New imaging center

River City Imaging is opening the first week of September, according to owner Rick Ross.

The center will offer outpatient MRIs, said Ross, who has been "scanning" for 17 years in Cape Girardeau.

"It's a scan of different parts of your body, whether it's your knee, your foot or your back or whatever," he said. "If you have a torn disk in your knee you might need a scan."

The business will have four employees, including Ross.

Residential development

It appears that Jackson will have another new residential development in the near future.

Tom Kelsey, commercial broker with Lorimont Place Ltd. of Cape Girardeau, recently handled the sale of 68 acres in Jackson. Kelsey said the property is adjacent to the Jackson city limits and will be accessed from Hillcrest Drive and possibly a future entrance from Route PP, west of Russell Height Cemetery.

The 68 acres of pasture and cropland, north of the cemetery and west of Westbrook Subdivision and Cathy Drive, was formerly owned by Melrud Farms Inc.

The sale was made to PB Properties of Jackson, which is owned by Barney Proffer and Wayne Boehme. Plans are to build a residential development on the property sometime in the future. Kelsey said all city services-- including water, sewer, electric and natural gas -- are either already on the site or adjacent to it. It is his understanding the purchasers are still working on preliminary development plans. The new buyers have also been involved in other residential developments in the Cape and Jackson areas.

The Lorimont broker said he found a substantial amount of interest in development property in the Jackson area and worked with several other prospects on the tract before it was contracted and sold to BP Properties.

Kettle Korn

At first, Kenny Foor wanted to call his new business Kenny's Kettle Korn.

"But then I realized I didn't want a business called KKK," he said.

Instead, the mobile business that sells homemade kettle corn, hot dogs and other concessions will be called Nancy's Fancy Kettle Korn, named for his wife.

The stand will be set up first at the fair. Foor then wants to set up a tent around town in various spots to sell the korn, er, corn, that comes in flavors like raspberry, caramel, cinnamon and grape.

"We're still looking for other places to set up," he said. "We're trying to get anybody who wants to have more than 50 people, some celebration or event."

My last question for Kenny was what's in the kettle korn.

"You kidding?" he asked. "Does Col. Sanders tell you what's in their chicken? Does McDonald's tell you what's in their sauce?"

He said it's enough to say that the corn is good.

New Jackson tire shop

Roy's Tire and Auto opened recently in Jackson at 408 E. Jackson Blvd. They held a ribbon cutting last week. The business is owned by Roy White, who also manages the shop that offers full-line tire service, inspections, oil changes and works on items like water pumps and thermostats, etc.

"Business has been tremendous," said Roy's wife, Robin. "We're just very, very pleased."

Over the weekend they held a barbecue for customers as well as drawings for free tires. Sounds like another fine business in town.

Phoenicia reopens

Emad Salamy informed me he has reopened Phoenicia, a Middle Eastern restaurant on Sprigg Street, after a two-month break. Emad said he and his wife, Mimi, went on vacation but also worked on their cookbook.

"Ninety percent of the cookbook is done," he said. "Now we just have to publish it."

It is being published locally and will feature recipes for Lebanese food. He said it may be done in a couple of months. Meanwhile, customers don't have to worry about the restaurant closing every summer.

"This is the only time we're going to do it," he said.

Briefly

Cafe Azu, the new restaurant in the spot that used to be Manee Thai, opened last week. The restaurant is featuring Russian, Ukrainian, German and Polish food.

One last note: A couple of you corrected my characterization of borscht as a Russian dish. Owner Erik Minkin, a former chef in the Soviet Union, said there are more than 150 recipes for borscht, including several that are Russian.

Greg Dittlinger and his partner, Brock Milan, have bought the car wash at 243 S. Winchester in Benton, Mo. After a considerable investment, they have reopened as Diamond Shine Car Wash.

Now the car wash has two self-service bays and one touchless automatic bay. Dittlinger says the car wash now looks like the car wash on Mount Auburn Road in Cape Girardeau. The grand opening is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 6.

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.