Popular Mexican eatery El Toro 2 will relocate to a few blocks north of its current location in south Champaign on Wednesday.

El Toro 2 is moving from 1805 S. Neil St. to the 1920s-era White Line Laundry Building at 723 S. Neil St., C.

"I think they will do wonderful," said building owner Janet Bubin, who bought the building, formerly home to the JBJ gift shop, in 2007.

The building underwent a complete remodel, with a portion of it converted to apartments and another portion made available for retail and office space.

"It looks completely different inside from JBJ. People won't even recognize the place," said Victor Fuentes, co-owner of the El Toro regional chain. The restaurant also has locations in west Champaign, Urbana, Rantoul, Monticello and other central Illinois towns.

The new space has two banquet rooms, a brand-new kitchen and patio, Fuentes said. Other features include a fireplace, vaulted ceilings, exposed brick and natural sunlight streaming in from above.

Once the move is complete, the restaurant will have slightly different hours from the old location. It will be open later. The restaurant opens daily at 11 a.m. but will remain open until 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and close at midnight on Friday and Saturday evenings. El Toro 2 can be reached at 378-7807.

The menu will be similar, with a few additional features, such as different salsa flavors featured weekly, Fuentes said.

Bubin's building still has about 10,000 square feet of commercial space available. Discussions with some prospective tenants are ongoing, but no leases have been signed yet, she said. Last fall, document imaging company Scanics relocated to the building.

Now open

Dollar Java, 51 E. Green St., C, is now open in The Refinery's former Campustown location. There you can help yourself to a variety of coffee drinks for $1. Tea, soda and other beverages also are available.

The coffee shop rents iPads by the hour. It's open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Painting and more

Mike Traver recently launched a painting business in Champaign called Custom Coatings Interiors.

Traver, who has more than 30 years of experience in painting and decorating, said he can do interior commercial or residential jobs. He specializes in high-end, faux-finish wood graining and marbling work.

"I've done everything from exterior suspended scaffolding work to stripping wood and wallpaper," he said.

His jobs have ranged from painting a 40-story building on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago to converting a "popcorn ceiling" to a smooth one in Mahomet.

Traver recently relocated to Champaign from Chicago. He can be reached at 819-9050.

New location

Country Financial representative Tom Lessaris has moved into a new location in Urbana.

He is now at 608 N. Cunningham Ave., in the former Arrow Glass building along with the Champaign Urbana Theatre Company. He previously was at 701 N. Country Fair Drive, C.

Lessaris' family (which owned and operated the Elite Diner in Urbana) has owned the former Arrow Glass building since the 1950s, and Lessaris called the move to the new location "a bit like coming home for me."

"We tried to retain some of the retro style of the building when designing the remodel and are happy with the results," he said.

Lessaris has been a Country Financial representative for 14 years. He offers auto, home and life insurance, financial investment and planning services. The phone number for the new office remains the same, at 363-4425. He may also be reached at http://www.countryfinancial.com./thomas.lessaris.

Are you opening a new business or changing an existing one? Christine des Garennes can be reached by phone at 351-5388 or 800-252-3346; by e-mail at cgarenne@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.