NEW BUSINESSES SPRING UP IN DOWNTOWN CAPE

Several new businesses have located in downtown Cape Girardeau recently.

Last week Petals & Bows opened at 127 N. Main. Owner Mary Keller said she always wanted to be on Main Street but it was hard to find a spot until now.

Keller said she carries dried and silk flowers, baskets and little gift items in her store. She said she also does a lot of special-order silk arrangements.

"I don't think there is another shop like mine down here," Keller said.

Keller has been in business for six years; Petals & Bows formerly was at 828 Broadway.

Opening in April was Whitfield's Fine Dining at 220 Independence.

The total business operation also includes Unique Caterers; Creative Arrangements, a flower and gift shop; and antiques. Elma and Ron Staten are owners.

Whitfield's Fine Dining does not have a menu, nor does it have special cuisine; but it provides gourmet food that changes every week.

Their service is on the order of old Southern service and they are open Tuesdays through Thursdays between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. There are also two seatings at 6 and 8:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Reservations are preferred during the week but not required; however, reservations are required at the Friday and Saturday seatings.

Effective June 1, Whitfield's opened for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Also opening in April was Step-By-Step Shoes at 105 Independence. The women's shoe store is owned by Andy and Dorothy Lui and it carries a wide variety of women's shoes.

"Because we're new in the retail business," said Andy Lui, "we're talking with the customers to see what they are looking for, and then we're trying to please them."

The store is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.

River City Coins opened at 713 Broadway opened in March. Michael Sprouse, owner and numismatist opened his shop in Cape Girardeau in 1986. The business offers a variety of coins and coin-collecting supplies.

River City Coins has coins for every kind of collector: from the novice to the serious investor. It also displays its collecting supplies and various coin publications.

Sprouse said the store also has a wide range of jewelry and gold and silver bullion for investment.

Sibley's Bargain Books at 33 N. Main also opened in March. The store is owned by Allen and Sharon Sibley.

The store features book "overruns" at bargain prices. It is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturdays through Thursdays and until 8:30 p.m. on Fridays.

In late December Unique Brides opened at 17 N. Main. The store is owned by Peggy Smith and her daughter, Julie Southard.

The store is a full-service wedding shop. It carries invitations; tuxedos; shoes; dresses and suits for mothers of the brides, bridesmaids and flower girls; veils and wedding gowns, Smith said.

"We are more than willing to help the bride at anytime," Smith said. "The brides are under no obligation to make an appointment, but we prefer they do," she said. "This way we can focus on one bride at a time."

Also opening at the end of last year was T.C. Inc. at 101 William.

"We build kitchen counter tops and bathroom vanities and shower enclosures," said Terry Credille, owner.

By being downtown, Credille said, T.C. Inc. is centrally located. With the type of work the shop does, he said, not a lot of people come in as they do at other types of businesses. They work through the lumber yards and cabinetmakers in town, he said.

Credille said they are working on a corian display showroom. He said he hopes it will be finished by the end of the month. "With this located in the shop, it might help draw the general public into passing by," he said.

T.C. Inc. formerly was Penrod Interiors.

Grass Roots BMW will open in downtown Cape Girardeau next month. The new BMW motorcycle dealership will be located at 28 S. Spanish.

Owners of the new business include motorcycle enthusiasts Dave Hutson, Jeff Hutson, Chris Hutson, and Dave Zimmer.

"We've always been interested in motorcyles," said Chris Hutson. The BMW dealership at Carbondale became available. The new partners purchased the dealership and are in the process of moving it to Cape Girardeau.

"Much of the customer base of the Carbondale shop came from Southeast Missouri," said Hutson.

David Bork, a certified BMW mechanic, will be manager of the new business.

Another new business will open later in the downtown area this month. Mollies Restaurant, previously located at 627 Good Hope, will open at its new location near the Spanish-Independence intersection.