Plaza Tire to build Scott City location

There's a good reason Vernon "Pee Wee" Rhodes won the Triumph Award.

Cape Girardeau businessman and founder of the Cape Girardeau-based Plaza Tire was recently honored with the award that recognizes marketing by the Tri-State Advertising and Marketing Professionals. And there's no question Rhodes knows marketing and advertising.

But he also knows growth. This year, Plaza Tire has plans to open four new stores, the nearest one in April in Scott City. But they're also opening new tire stores in Sparta, Ill., Lake St. Louis and Chesterfield in Missouri.

"We've just continued to build our market area and continual customer service," said Rhodes' son, Scott, who is now vice president.

Plaza Tire bought the Scott City property from Midamerica Hotels near the corner of Main Street in Crites on Nov. 15. It's right next to the Burger King and they have been waiting -- as patiently as they can -- for Ameren to unhook utilities so construction can start.

"You can put waiting in big, bold print," Scott Rhodes said on Sunday. "We're waiting and waiting."

But the company still hopes for construction to start after the first of the year. Scott City seemed like a natural extension for Rhodes.

"A lot of people live in Scott City," Scott Rhodes said. "We have an existing good trade from Scott City who travel to our Cape stores. We hope our presence in Scott City will magnify that."

The half-million investment will result in a 4,000-square-foot store with five serve bays and five or six new employees. It will be the 46th store, with 49 total Plaza Tire stores by the end of the year. The Scott City store will be the first new store of 2007.

Pee Wee Rhodes probably never thought they'd reach 50, although he might have. He opened the stores as a hand-operated car wash in 1963, in Cape Girardeau. The company later expanded into tire sales and service.

It's 45 stores carry brands like Bridgestone, Firestone, Dayton, Michelin, Continental, Yokohama, Pirelli and Toya tires along with Ultra and Enkei custom wheels.

"People seem to know that we're dedicated to the wide variety of inventory and the service they demand," Scott Rhodes said.

* Medispa opens at Doctor's Park: Never heard of a medispa? Me, either, but Donna Protzel wants us to know what it's all about. She's opened Park Place Medispa at 35 Doctor's Park, Suite 3A, in Cape Girardeau. She says it's like a luxury spa treatment, but with medical-level sterilization.

Huh?

It's important, she says, especially if you're concerned -- and I guess women who do these sorts of things should be -- about toenail fungus and skin infection. All of the equipment is sterilized in an "autoclave," a special device that cleans equipment to the level of medical treatment quality, she said.

"You just see it all over the news over and over," she said. "People going in for a pedicure and coming away with a skin infection or toenail fungus. It doesn't have to happen."

The medispa will also feature medical treatment. Protzel's husband, Dr. Hugh Protzel, works in an adjoining office and also works at the medispa. The whole idea started when he was trained under Dr. Suzanne Levine, a famous podiatrist who has appeared on "Oprah." Now he can do the equivalent of a lip enlargement on the balls of the feet, Protzel said.

"It's called pillows for the feet," she said. "It creates a pillow -- or a cushion -- for the foot. One of the few places we lose weight as we age is in the ball of the foot and that creates problems. We can do this procedure that will help that."

enlargement on the balls of the feet, Protzel said.

"It's called pillows for the feet," she said. "It creates a pillow -- or a cushion -- for the foot. One of the few places we lose weight as we age is in the ball of the foot and that creates problems. We can do this procedure that will help that."

The new medispa will also offer other treatments. They've hired Martha Parsons -- former owner of Eugene's -- as an esaestheticianho is trained to treat the skin. She will be performing manicures and pedicures.

"She's really the best in the field, in my opinion and in many people's opinion," Protzel said.

Other treatments include: skin resurfacing, dealing with fine lines and wrinkles, brown spots, acne, scarring, etc. There will also be massage therapy, facials, natural nail treatments, etc.

An open house is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

I don't know if you have a better idea of what a medispa is, but I'm sure Protzel will be more than happy to explain it to you. (You'd never know I was married to a doctor, would you?)

* Buffing up: Adam Swafford and his wife, Vicki, don't fool around when it comes to lifting weights.

They're not interested in treadmills, cardio, or trying to lose a few inches of flab from their bellies.

They want to be rock hard. (There has got to be a better way to word that.)

What I mean to say is that they were frustrated by Cape Girardeau's gyms, which they equate to general fitness gyms. But they felt ignored as people who really want to build up hard muscle.

So they're opening Iron Temple Gym at 284 Christine, which is the site of the old post office. They plan to open the first week of January.

"It's going to offer true weight lifting," he said. "We're talking body lifting and power lifting. This whole idea was sort of born out our frustration of what we have here."

He compares his gym to more like Gold's or Powerhouse. The new gym will feature 24-hour access that will require a passkey to get in and a monitoring system via closed-circuit television.

"We're more for college athletes, people like that," he said. "We're looking for people who want to bulk up, not just get on a treadmill."

Hmmm. Wonder what he'd make of me?

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.