Sephora store opening inside J.C. Penney

A Sephora store is under construction inside J.C. Penney at West Park Mall. The 1,500-square-foot store will feature more than 50 makeup brands. It's one of 75 new Sephora stores opening in the department store across the country this year. A grand opening is planned for April 15.

"Everything in the store is a tester. It's like a kid in a candy store for a woman," said Dustin Duncan, Sephora manager, who started in January.

The store's eight-member staff will offer 10-minute service expresses to help clients learn the latest makeup trends and techniques. Sephora carries makeup, fragrances and skin-care products for men and women, beauty tools and accessories.

Cape Girardeau's J.C. Penney store also just added the MNG by Mango clothing line. Mango is a contemporary fashion retailer based in Barcelona, Spain, with more than 1,500 stores in more than 100 countries. J.C. Penney is the exclusive retailer for Mango in the U.S.

* New tenant at mall: Rue21 will open March 31 in West Park Mall on March 31. The trendy fashion retailer offers men's and women's apparel. Rue21 operates more than 650 stores in 44 states and will open about 100 new stores this year.

* Cain closes: The fine-dining restaurant Cain, which operated at 31 N. Main Street for more than a year, has closed. Its last day of operation was March 5. It was operated by James Cain, son of Doc Cain, who owns Port Cape Girardeau.

* LaTorita to open: Jose Mata of Cape Girardeau will open La Torita at the former El Torrero location, 1740 Broadway, this month according to a business license filed at city hall. The new restaurant will also feature Mexican food.

* New Chinese restaurant: China Wok has opened at 1330 Broadway, Suite 102, next to Family Video. The new restaurant is owned by Xiu Kai Zhang of Cape Girardeau, according to a business license filed at city hall.

* Grecian renovations continue: After a devastating fire in September, renovation work continues at Grecian Steakhouse, 2002 Plaza Way. According to Nick Sakarelos, a date has not yet been set for when the restaurant will reopen, but it will continue to operate at the same location once renovations are complete.

* Changes at Mollies: Mollies Cafe & Bar, 11 S. Spanish St., is now a smoke-free restaurant. Owner Scott Nagel, who bought the business in July, said the decision to go smoke-free was made after repainting and remodeled earlier this year. Smoking is still allowed on the outdoor patio. Mollies also recently started a Beer Club that meets each Wednesday night. The Beer Club features 60 beers and once participants drink all 60, their names are placed on a plaque on the wall. Gift certificates are also awarded at different levels of participation. Currently, the program has about 170 people participating. Three people have already completed it, Nagel said. Mollies also recently started offering themed wine dinners on the last Tuesday of every month featuring a five-course meal with wines paired from that month's featured country.

* Award for design: Cape Splash received a 2011 Gold Medal Award from the Aquatech Society of Pool Building Professionals, in the commercial-multi-use category. Aquatech Society Awards are among the highest industry honors for pool design. Cape Splash was designed by Markey and Associates of Georgia, and was built by Westport Pools of Maryland Heights, Mo. Westport Pools submitted Cape Splash for the award. Winners are selected by judges who evaluate each company on creativity in design, safety in workmanship, construction innovation and overall aesthetics.

Southeast Missourian business reporter Melissa Miller may be contacted at 388-3646 or mmiller@semissourian.com.