Frogs & Fairies, a "new and nearly new" children's clothing store, is expected to open this September in Urbana.

The shop will sell infant through children's size 12 clothing, plus maternity clothes, in a storefront within The Pines shopping center at the southeast corner of Windsor and Philo roads.

The owners are Tracey Clayton of St. Joseph, Lisa Busey Cook of Urbana and Laura Weatherell of Champaign. Clayton is a former manager of Express Men, a store in Market Place Mall in Champaign.

"We're all friends and we're all stay-at-home mommies," Clayton said.

She said they've been thinking about launching the business for a while and wanted to do things a little differently from a traditional consignment store. The owners will pay cash on the spot or offer store credit for items they buy.

"It's going to be upscale resale," Clayton said.

The store will sell apparel such as clothes, coats, Halloween outfits and accessories such as hats, socks and jewelry.

They also will sell closeout apparel from the children's clothing store chain Gymboree, Clayton said.

Artwork in the store will be created by the owners' children and will feature, as the name suggests, frogs and fairies.

"We don't want it to feel like it's a used-clothing store," she said.

The owners are currently buying merchandise for the store. It should be clean, in fashion and in good shape (free of any smoke, stains and pet hair). They'll buy clothing from all seasons, year-round.

If you're interested in selling some items, Clayton can be reached at 469-9123, Cook at 367-6533 and Wetherell at 714-2938.

Or you can contact them via e-mail at frogsandfairies boutique<@>gmail.com.

Friday night pizzas

Since the Urbana Sweetcorn Festival last year, Matthew Kitzmiller has been perfecting his recipe for making fresh pizza dough and sauces.

Occasionally he has been selling the pizzas on Friday evenings at Mirabelle Fine Pastries, 124 W. Main St., U., the local bakery known for its pastries and oh-so-crusty breads.

Kitzmiller now is making pizzas as a regular gig on Fridays through the summer, and on some Saturdays during special events.

The pizzas are about 14 inches in diameter and start around $12 per pie.

You can order traditional toppings like pepperoni and sausage, but Kitzmiller also creates speciality pizzas such as Greek-style, blue cheese and steak, and barbecue chicken pizzas.

Pizza slices (which are actually about one-fourth of a pizza) are also available at the shop for $3.

You can order the freshly made pizzas by calling Kitzmiller at 202-1919. He'll sell them from about 6:30 to 9 p.m. Friday.

Design help

After working in insurance and securities, Elaine Lueth of Loda decided to switch gears professionally and turn her hobby into a career.

"I've enjoyed decorating for years and have done it for others. I've made my home a wonderful haven and I want others to enjoy their home as much I enjoy mine," she said.

Interiors by Elaine is her new business venture. She will suggest colors for clients, shop for them and can suggest contractors.

She will accept clients from Kankakee to the Champaign, Urbana and Savoy area.

Lueth can be reached at 369-2866 or www.interiors byelaine.com.

Borders

If you noticed a "For Lease" sign posted for a nearby property or some bare shelves at Borders Books and Music, 802 W. Town Center Blvd., C, there's no need to panic.

(Perhaps the C-U community is a little sensitive to the status of its bookstores, given the Pages For All Ages in Savoy and Berean Bookstore in Champaign closings from earlier this year.)

So we called Borders last week and wondered if anything was going on.

Turns out that the interior space is being reorganized a bit, and business is going great, according to the acting store manager.

Battery swap

U.S. Cellular recently launched a new battery swap program in which customers can change out a dead or dying battery for a fully charged one.

For free.

All you have to do is visit a U.S. Cellular store.

To extend the battery life of your cell phone, U.S. Cellular recommends turning it off while it's being charged and power cycling (turning the cell phone off and then on again).

If you get stuck on a screen or have problems texting, power cycling usually helps, according to the company.

Are you opening a new business or changing an existing business? Christine des Garennes can be reached by telephone 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.