Phoenicia closes on Saturday

After 12 years of providing Cape Girardeau with Middle Eastern cuisine, Emad and Mimi Salamy have announced that they will be closing the doors of their restaurant, Phoenicia. The last day of operation will be Saturday.

The Salamys will be closing shop and moving to Ottawa, Ontario, to be closer to family. Mimi said that the catalyst for the move was the welfare of their two daughters, Christina, 8, and Samantha, 6. She said the restaurant life was taking away from their childhood.

That's why the Salamys intend to quit the restaurant business and get regular 8-to-5 jobs once they settle in north of the border. Mimi mentioned that it will allow them to have more of a social life.

The Salamys have put the building at 1000 N. Sprigg up for sale or lease. For those regulars who will miss the cooking, the Salamys leave behind their cookbook, which they wrote last summer.

The couple said they'll miss Cape Girardeau, especially the customers who made the city feel like home.

The thrill is gone: Yes, after less than a year of business, St. Louis Nights -- otherwise known as Blues On Broadway -- has closed.

Last September, Tony Scruggs brought the idea of a multifaceted lounge to the historic building at 502 Broadway in Cape Girardeau. The 100-year-old structure was formerly the site of Walthers Furniture and Cast-A-Ways. But now, eight months later, Scruggs' concept appears to have been abandoned, literally.

Building owner and former Cast-A-Ways operator Ella Dowd said the club has been closed since May 12, when Scruggs abruptly left town. Since then, Dowd has had a crew busy cleaning up the facility in preparation for its next occupant.

Dowd said she no longer plans to lease the building, which is ready to go back on the market and be shown to anyone interested in buying it. Though she has no specific ideas as to what may follow the short-lived blues bar in the building, she said a bar or restaurant would probably work best because it is already set up as such. She mentioned that a local bar owner, whom she chose not to name, has expressed interest.

Ice cream on the way: Todd and Dawn Field love two things in life: cats and ice cream. Their new business venture is called Cat in the Cream, off William Street just north of Blockbuster Video.

When Baskin Robbins closed two years ago, the Fields were crushed. After over a year of fruitless waiting for another shop to take up the Cape Girardeau ice cream call, they decided to take action into their own hands. Already owners of Angel Eyes Pet Sitting, the latest Fields project promises to be tasty.

Cat in the Cream will offer old-fashioned ice cream as well as no-fat, no-sugar ice cream and low-fat yogurt for health-conscious customers. According to Dawn, the difference with her shop can be summed up in one word: homemade.

Homemade waffle cones and waffle sundae bowls, and homemade whipped cream all accentuate the ice cream, which the couple will get from Bridgeman Ice Cream in Minnesota. The store will also serve gourmet coffee. If all goes according to plan, homemade baked goods will be served this fall.

The shop will offer a homey atmosphere where Dawn said people will feel invited to eat and talk with family and friends. There will also be a children's room in the back, equipped with tiny chairs, tables and a child-sized bar for them to belly up to.

The Fields hope to have the store ready to open within the next three weeks.

Busey expanding in Jackson: Jackson's Busey Truck Equipment has been selling and servicing mounted cranes, service bodies, lift gates and other truck equipment for the last 21 years. But after two decades, the owners have decided it's time to expand Busey into a one-stop shop for truck maintenance.

Signaling this expansion is the construction of an addition to the existing building at 1840 S. Farmington that will double the company's current office space and more than double its shop space. The idea is to make room for the addition of a new service. Now, Busey will repair the heavy trucks themselves, as well as the trucks' equipment.

Co-owner Rick Beine said that the expansion will offer more steady work, as opposed to the equipment business, which wavers with the volume of construction going on in the area.

The service expansion will also offer a new line of income to help pay for the new construction of the 4,800-square-foot addition, which includes more office space to handle the increased volume of paperwork that will accompany the truck repair.

Beine said the schedule is to have the new shop space complete by July, with the office completion following as soon as August.

American Rebel engines getting started: Motorcycle enthusiasts in Cape Girardeau will soon have another stop to make. According to the brass at American Rebel Motorcycles, their store at 839 S. Kingshighway should be ready to open in late May or early June.

Tom Moyer will manage the location, which will specialize in the sale of custom cruiser motorcycles. They will also offer bike accessories and apparel. In addition, a shop staffed with certified technicians will service V-twin bikes, including Harley-Davidsons. The Cape American Rebel store will be one of 90 outlets in the franchise owned by American IronHorse out of Fort Worth, Texas.

A motion to move: After nine years of practicing law in the same area, three native sons of Cape Girardeau and Jackson have decided to combine their 28 years of law experience under the same roof.

Scott Lipke and Gerald Jones II of Jackson and Mike Deimund of Cape Girardeau opened their new office at 2851 Professional Court in Cape Girardeau late last month. Although they run a general practice, Deimund said they wanted to put something together that focuses on the interests of small businesses and real estate.

Tony Rehagen is the business editor of the Southeast Missourian. Send your comments, business news, information or questions to Tony Rehagen, 301 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63702-0699, e-mail trehagen@ semissourian.com or call 335-6611, extension 137.