A Dec. 7 opening is planned for Sweet Indulgence, the bakery in southwest Champaign.

Missy Holste of Champaign purchased the business in October from the previous owner, Sue Kirby, who closed the shop located in the Windsor Galleria shopping center.

"My dream has always been to own a bakery," said Holste, who most recently managed the cafe at the now-closed Pages for All Ages bookstore in Savoy. She's also worked at Great Harvest Bread Co. and English Hedgerow.

Years ago, Holste also worked as a cake baker at the original Sweet Indulgence when it was located in the Old Farm Shops at Kirby and Mattis avenues in Champaign.

"We're going to keep a lot of the items I heard were favorites – the sugar cookies, strawberry cream cake – but I'm also going to be bringing in original recipes from when the bakery was in Old Farm Shops," she said.

Those favorites include sour cream coffee cake, scones and raspberry frangipane cake. Other treats she plans to add are strawberry muffins made from her grandmother's recipes and made-from-scratch cinnamon rolls and Danish. She will have a selection of cakes for sale in a case, but she will also take custom orders. She's not planning on offering wedding cakes, at least not yet.

"I think our style is going to be more like an old-fashioned corner bakery," she said.

The space itself, she said, is "very bright and warm" and she's decorating it with some items from her family, such as an antique coffee grinder. There is a seating area with seven or eight tables.

Sweet Indulgence will also carry Columbia Street Roastery coffees, espresso drinks and smoothies. One featured drink will be a caramel latte made with homemade caramel, Holste said.

The bakery will be open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.

The store, at 1121 W. Windsor Road, can be reached at 352-2433.

Sushi on North Prospect

A Japanese restaurant called Kaiyo is planned for the former Boston's pizza and pasta restaurant at 2501 N. Prospect Ave., near Meijer in Champaign.

Owners Meng and Kelly Wang are planning to feature a sushi buffet in the restaurant, Kelly Wang said.

"We want to try to encourage people to try different stuff," she said. The buffet will also feature some salads, too.

The Wangs will also have hot food, such as grilled and stir-fried items made to order in the kitchen instead of in front of diners.

"You won't see the show, but you'll get the food," she said.

An opening date has not been set yet.

Hair and fashion show

H2O Salon in Urbana is organizing a hair and fashion show from 8 to 10 p.m. Dec. 6 to support the Hope Community Health Center in Champaign.

The event, which will raise money for the health center and three families, will be held at V. Picasso, the tapas bar and lounge in downtown Urbana. It will feature live music, a performance by the University of Illinois Dance Department, dinner and the fashion show.

There will be multiple clothing changes featuring clothing by Bella Mia boutique of Champaign, and H20 stylists will do the hair for the models, said one of the organizers, Ethan Madarieta, an H20 stylist. The flower shop Fleurish in Urbana is also donating its services.

Tickets are $50 and include two tapas, a drink and a dessert. Tickets can be purchased at the salon, Bella Mia or V. Picasso.

Store grand opening

C+Plus, Etc., 71 E. Chester St., C, will be closed for a few weeks while the owner prepares for a grand opening. The store sells new and consignment plus-size clothing and accessories and will be adding new services, such as alteration services for men and women of all sizes.

The grand opening will begin at 11 a.m. Dec. 1. We'll have more information in the column next week.

Contact owner Carrie Freeze if you have any items you're interested in consigning at 954-0877 or carrie@cplusetc.com.

Window decor

Artist Paige Price with the Art Vault, 106 S. Market St., Paxton, will be painting holiday scenes on area windows this Monday through Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

With washable paint, she can design anything from realistic to cartoon scenes on windows. Prices vary. You can reach her at 480-251-1827 or paige_price@rocketmail.com. Area artists interested in showcasing their work in her downtown Paxton gallery can also contact her via phone or e-mail.

Bank open

Freestar Bank has opened its new branch at the Meijer outlot in southeast Urbana. The bank is at 2510 S. Philo Road, U.

New insurance biz

Marsha Darling has opened a new insurance agency in Champaign. Darling, who previously worked in the mortgage business, said the Marsha Darling Insurance Agency will offer home, auto, health and life insurance.

She can be reached at 689-4991, and the office is located at 309 W. Clark St., Suite 2.

New Curves location

The Curves women's fitness center in Mahomet has a new address. It's now in the Conway Plaza, 1504 Patton Drive, Suite #3, and can be reached at 586-1440.

Mobile phone promo

U.S. Cellular recently launched its Calling All Communities program, in which the company gives out $1 million to schools.

Through Jan. 15, people can stop by any U.S. Cellular store and pick up a code that can be used to vote online for the school of their choice to win money. The top 10 vote-getting schools will win $100,000.

You don't need to buy anything, and you don't need to be a U.S. Cellular customer to vote. One of the winning schools last year was from Carrollton in western Illinois.

Are you opening a new business or changing an existing business? 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.