PROGRESS KEEPING THINGS ALIVE

Businesses come and businesses go in Cape Girardeau, and downtown is no exception.

A number of new signs can be observed as visitors crowd into the city this weekend for the annual Riverfest celebration -- The Bell Aire Bar and Grill, Papa Bear's Daiquiris and Grill, At Your Service, OFMCO, Ye Ole House, Something Special, Petals & Bows, Mollies Restaurant and The Body Shoppe ... to mention a few.

Mollies and Bel Aire Bar and Grill, which offer inside and outside dining, and Papa Bear's Daiquiris and Grill provide a variation in food and drink.

Mollies, owned by John and Jerrianne Wyman, provide fine dining in its Alliance Building, 11 S. Spanish. The restaurant is open at 4 p.m. daily.

The Bell Aire, 24 S. Spanish, owned by the Wymans and Mike Graviett, offers burgers, home-made chips and Jamaican pulled chicken and barbecue. It's open six days a week Mondays through Fridays.

Papa Bear's Daiquiris and Grill, at Main and Independence, specializes in Cajun cuisine and frozen drinks. The restaurant, owned by Norman Swanner and Dean St. Pierre, opens daily at 11 a.m.

Two of the new businesses specialize in arts and crafts.

Petals and Bows, 127 N. Main, is owned by Mary Keller, who says she always wanted to be on Main Street but it was hard to find a spot. Keller specializes in dried and silk flowers, baskets and small gifts.

Al and Celeste Hanke, who recently moved to Cape Girardeau from Barnhart, are owners of Somethin' Special, an arts and crafts store at 105 Independence. "We have all types of crafts here," said Al Hanke. "Right now we have more than 50 crafters displaying their articles here."

At Your Service Commercial and Residential Service Inc., a professional cleaning service, moved its headquarters to 40 N. Main. The company, owned by Lori Wheeler-Bodenschatz, offers cleaning and after-construction cleanup, and includes a "tradespeople referral" service.

"The Plant Lady, Debbie Naeter, operates her business out of here," said Wheeler-Bodenschatz. "Jan Halter will provide our display window designs."

OFMCO, headquartered at Sikeston, is one of the nation's largest buyers and sellers of new and used office furniture. It opened a retail operation in downtown Cape Girardeau within the past year. Don Lowe of Sikeston, owner of the building, is also owner of the OFMCO business.

Laura Younghouse is president of Midwest Energy, which operates Ye Ole House, a collectibles and gift shop at 120 Broadway.

"We have porcelain and Santa Claus dolls in our collectible line," said Younghouse. "Among the gift items are music carousels, all types of figurines, jewelry, western wear and unique sweatshirts and holiday jackets."

The Body Shoppe has moved to downtown Cape Girardeau within the past year. The business, which had been at West Park Mall since August 1988, is now at 118 N. Main in an 1,800-square-foot ground-level area.

"We're a contemporary store that specializes in career, evening and daytime wear for women," said Marsha Edwards, who is involved in three Body Shoppe operations at Cape Girardeau, Dexter and Poplar Bluff.