It's your business: New owners of pie shop cooking up additions

There are more than 40 kinds of pie made at Pies by Inge in Monticello.

But the new owners, Jennifer Johns and her mother, Redda Lively, can think of a few more kinds they'd like to add to the menu, starting with buttermilk and raisin cream pie.

The Monticello mother-and-daughter team bought the pie business from JoAnne Wade last week, but they've been in training with Wade for about a month now to make sure the pies continue to be made the way the customers like them, Johns said.

They plan to keep all the pies Wade was offering, add some new varieties and carry a wider variety of cookies and brownies.

"We figure with both of us in there, we can do more," Johns said.

This is the first professional baking venture for her and her mother. Johns is a former Monticello school teacher who has also worked part time for Champaign schools, and her mother formerly owned a gift shop, she said.

Of the two, her mother has been more the pie-maker over the years, Johns said, but she did a lot of baking herself – especially cookies and brownies – during the years she was at home with her three children.

The new owners will also continue baking cakes at Pies by Inge, using Wade's recipes, and will continue selling slices of pie at the Brown Bag Deli in downtown Monticello. They'll also take special orders for their baked goods, Johns said.

For information, call 419-2409.

More discount prescriptions

The pharmacies at Schnucks supermarkets have expanded their discount drug program to offer more than 300 kinds of commonly used generics for $4 per one-month supply.

The generics include drugs to treat such conditions as high blood pressure, arthritis, asthma, high cholesterol, diabetes and allergies. Customers can opt for a 90-day supply for $10, the company says.

Schnucks launched a free generic oral antibiotic program last October.

Stay for free gasoline

The Park Inn in Urbana and other Park Inn properties have a gift for any of their guests staying two consecutive nights or longer: a $20 gas check rebate, according to Carlson Hotels, which include the Park Inn brand.

For more information, you can call the Park Inn in Urbana at 344-8000 or on the Web you can go to www.parkinn.com.

Open house

Dr. Patience Adesida, an obstetrics/gynecology physician, will have an open house Wednesday from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at her new building at 2008 N. Market St., C.

Her office requests a call (239-6667) from anyone planning to attend.

Looking for C-U location

Debi Allhands, who has operated 4 Health's Sake in Danville for five years, is looking for a location to expand her diet services to Champaign-Urbana, she said.

Allhands creates diet plans for her clients based on a breathing test that measures their resting metabolic rate and determines how many calories they need to lose or maintain weight.

She also holds optional meetings to coach her clients, she said.

She's keeping her base in Danville, but would like an office and conference room in Champaign-Urbana because she tests so many people in that community, she said.

Closing note

Wil E Makit Antiques in Gibson City will close at the end of this month because longtime owner Sandy Reynolds is retiring. The building is for sale, she said.

Reynolds said she wants a break after 22 years' worth of six-day weeks and is selling out the merchandise from her store at 40 percent to 50 percent off most items.

For this closing sale, the store will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, with the last day of business July 31, she said.

Are you opening a new business or changing something at your existing one? Debra Pressey can be reached by phone at 351-5229 or 800-252-3346; by e-mail at dpressey@news-gazette.com; or by regular mail at The News-Gazette, c/o It's Your Business column, P.O. Box 677, Champaign, IL 61824-0677.

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