Pair of restaurants to open in Jackson

Even the news is enough to make you loosen your belt: Notch two more restaurants to the growing number of tasty eateries that have sprouted up in Jackson.

Hunan Chinese Buffet and El Bracero are set to open within the next 30 days, according to Chad Hartle, who owns the property where they will be located at 1815 E. Jackson Blvd. The restaurants will be adjacent to each other in suites A and B.

Hartle owns the property with his wife, Geneva, and their partners, Brian and Connie Meyer of Meyer's Bakery.

Hunan Chinese Buffet will be operated by the same folks who run Chinatown Buffet, Hartle tells me, and the Mexican restaurant is owned by Nicholas Onate Jr.

Fans of food like moo goo gai pan and enchiladas are already buzzing about the news in Jackson, Hartle said.

The owners are still working on minor interior details and putting a few finishing touches on their restaurants, he said.

<li> New specialty floral shop: If you're looking for balloons for your wife or roses delivered to your sweetie on Valentine's Day, then you'll have to look someplace other than at Faire's Ltd.

Owner Darrell Faire said the new floral shop -- which will open today at 401 N. Clark Ave. next to Pop's Pizza in Cape Girardeau -- will offer a specialized service for people needing flowers for funeral or home decor.

The shop will deliver only to funeral homes. It also will provide a private consultation room for those who have lost a loved one and want to choose special flowers for the funeral.

For home decorating, the shop will also offer an interior floral designer. The store's manager will be Theresa Robinson, who has worked at a Chaffee floral shop for 14 years.

<li> Lily Pad launched at Jeremiah's: The idea for the Lily Pad began the same way as many a schoolboy fantasy -- with three bored college girls sitting around their dorm room.

Well, except that they were in their apartment. And I want my wife to know: Honey, I've never had fantasies like that. Honest.

"They basically had this idea that we needed a nightclub that catered to women," said Ganim, who has owned Jeremiah's for 10 years. "They came to me and said we need to redo the upstairs."

So they did. The young women created their own art that went along well with the nightclub's new painting, jungle theme, new hardwood dance floor and a new DJ booth.

They also came up with a new logo -- which Ganim describes as a frog with the body of Pamela Anderson. I went for a brief tour and, I must say, that's a pretty accurate description.

"Our upstairs was already packed, but it needed a shot in the arm," Ganim said. "This is like a real nightclub."

Not so, says a source in the area's commercial real estate scene. While North America's largest home improvement chain has looked at Cape Girardeau in the past, my source says Cape Girardeau isn't on their radar anymore.

Which has us both baffled.

"I can't imagine them going into Poplar Bluff and not being interested in a market like Cape and Jackson," he said.

Not that they'll never be interested. Things change.

So let the next round of rumors begin, in five, four, three ...

It's another great example of taking a historic old building, built in 1906 by John Miller, and putting it to good use instead of tearing it down.

<li> Downtown auction: Mark your calendars. April 23 is the 18th annual Charles L. Hutson Auction, starting at 6 p.m. at the River City Yacht Club in Port Cape Girardeau.

As always, the event promises a fun-filled evening of food, music and an auction full of great merchandise and unique gifts to benefit Old Town Cape in its mission to revitalize downtown Cape Girardeau.

Tickets are available at the Old Town Cape office for $15 per person or $25 per couple. Call 334-8085 for more information.

<li> Onz Motor Sports opens in Scott City: Agan -- pronounced ons -- Alkan has always loved motorcycles and racing. So he recently opened a new shop in Scott City at 622 Second St. East that lets him deal with them all the time.

"I either buy them wrecked and repair them and turn them into show bikes or race bikes," said the native of Turkey, who has been in this country 15 years.

But he's not big into advertising or heavy promotion of his business.

"I just do my own thing," he said. "If somebody wants to dig me up, they do."

He said he doesn't work on dirt bikes or four-wheelers.

"Crotch rockets are my thing," he said.

<li> Book Rack takes over new location: The Book Rack has moved to 50 Plaza Way from 89 S. Plaza Way. Owner John Hendricks sells new and used books at reduced costs. Also, after you have finished reading the book, you can return it for a voucher to get other books.

<li> Bug business: Pest-A-Way has opened at 1505 Main St. in Scott City. The owners are Terry and Lydia Lemons. Terry Lemons has been in the business for eight years, spraying businesses and residences for pests in Southeast Missouri.

Scott Moyers is the business editor for the Southeast Missourian. Send comments, business news, information or questions to Biz Buzz, 301 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63702-0699, call 335-6611, extension 137 or e-mail smoyers@semissourian.com.