New sports grill opens next week

People have been stopping Debbie Stoverink in Wal-Mart. Her phone has been ringing off the hook. She can't go anywhere without people asking her to tell them about her new business -- Jackson Sports Grill.

The new restaurant and bar is scheduled to officially open Aug. 28 after a soft opening for a few days this week. Jackson Sports Grill is at 252 E. Jackson Blvd., the former site of Sidetracks. Stoverink's partners are her husband, Jimmy Stoverink, and her brother-in-law, Luke Stoverink.

The new business is a restaurant and bar, but don't expect it to focus on the bar side.

"My husband and I talked long and hard about what we wanted to do here: A bar was not the way to go," Stoverink said.

The Stoverinks envision the place as a family-friendly restaurant, she said. After youth sporting events, there's no real place for families to go to eat, she said, with many of the kitchens closing at 9 p.m. The kitchen at Jackson Sports Grill will remain open until 10:30 p.m., she said. It will be smoke-free until 9:30 p.m.

Much work has gone into the restaurant, she said. The game area has been enlarged, the other areas have been "opened up," and the patio has been restained, she said.

"You won't recognize the place," she said.

A 52-inch, high-definition television has been installed. Initially, Jackson Sports Grill will be closed on Sunday, but that will change once football season begins. Breakfast will likely be added to the menu at that time, she said.

* Machine shop to take over old strip-club building: How's this for being a business writer? I didn't even know that Stephanie's Cabaret had closed its doors in Cape Girardeau. But it has, and the co-owner of H&F Machine in Scott City is in the process of buying it to relocate his half of the business to Cape Girardeau.

William Faust said he's in the middle of a partnership split and he's buying the building at 805 Enterprise Drive from David Kapp, who used to own Stephanie's/Regina's and now owns the Big Blue Martini in East Cape Girardeau.

Faust is moving to Cape Girardeau after being in business for 10 years with Terry Holder. But that partnership has disintegrated, and now he's moving. Faust hopes to open his doors at the new spot by November.

The new business will be called WCS Machine Shop and will manufacture machine parts for his places like Dana and Ole Hickory Pits. The new business will employ one other person other than Faust.

* New Sprint store: Lenexa, Kan.-based Wireless Lifestyle is opening a new Sprint store at 155 Siemers Drive early next month. The Cape Girardeau store will be the 19th store in the company's chain, which has stores in Kansas City, St. Louis as well as some smaller markets.

"We're happy to be there," said marketing manager Tiffany Aranki. "We just joined the chamber."

The store will sell Sprint and Nextel products including phones, cases, hands-free headsets and phone charges. The new store won't be a service center, but the company is negotiating with Sprint and hopes to be a service center within the next year, Aranki said.

Three employees will work there at first, including a manager and two sales reps.

Wireless Lifestyle chose Cape Girardeau because it has seen some success in smaller markets, she said. "A community like Cape not only has regular residents but the college crowd as well, and that would be a great market for us to get into," Aranki said.

* LA Weight Loss Center opens in Cape: These stories always remind me of my expanding waist line. (So does breathing, walking and looking in full-length mirrors. My wife also is fond of pointing it out.)

LA Weight Loss Center officially began business July 10, bringing what it calls a healthy and sensible weight loss option to the area.

The LA Weight Loss program combines weight loss counseling with personalized meal plans that use everyday foods for a healthy and balanced diet, according to owners Kim and Wayne Templin. The Templins owns the franchise market for Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois and western Kentucky. They plan to open a third LA Weight Loss in Carbondale, Ill., soon.

Today, the company has more than 800 centers throughout the world in addition to Cape Girardeau's center. Clients are taught how to make the best choices for healthy weight loss along with tips on how to stay on track and keep weight off for good. Individuals are taught proper nutrition, portion control and how to enjoy food at social gatherings and restaurants. As they learn how to eat properly, clients are also taught how to stay focused, stay positive and build confidence, she said.

LA Weight Loss Cape Girardeau is at 97 N. Kingshighway, Suite No. 2.

* Butler Supply to open local location: St. Louis-based Butler Supply Co. -- an electrical, plumbing and communication distributor -- will open its 28th location at 2764 Old Orchard Road in Jackson.

Tom Kelsey, commercial broker with Lorimont Place Ltd., said the company has leased 15,000 square feet of warehouse space between Jackson and Cape Girardeau, just west of Interstate 55 and across the street from Buchheit.

Butler's other locations are in Missouri and Illinois. The Cape Girardeau branch, the warehouse farthest south location in Butler's distribution chain, will cover all of Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois. The nearest other location is in Farmington.

Kelsey said the company would immediately proceed to build a new display showroom, parts counter and offices in the space recently leased from the Emmendorfer family, who also owns Perryville Machine Shop Inc.

Butler Supply, established in 1941, is now in its third generation of ownership. The supply company focuses primarily on sales to contractors, industrial clients, institutions, homebuilders and remodelers. It handles various lines of electrical, plumbing and communications products. Its full-service branches have outside sales and technical personnel and complete delivery. The company expects to open in the next 60 days and to add several new jobs.

* New styling salon: Concept Styling Salon is expected to open in mid-September at 107 West Drive, Suite C, according to owner Danea Johnson. The new styling salon will be in the same strip mall as Sylvan Learning Center, she said.

"It's going to be a full-service salon," said Johnson, who has been a stylist for more than 11 years. "We're going to do hair, all areas of hair design, color highlights, manicures, pedicures and skin care."

The new business will employ six stylists, she said.

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, extension 137.