Blues, the barbecue restaurant that has been in Campustown since 2005, plans to relocate to a new location in southwest Champaign.

Owner Darryl Cheeks said he is planning to move to the Village at the Crossing commercial center at Windsor and Duncan roads. He described the area as "a trendy, up-and-coming area."

He's shooting for a March 10 reopening.

"We'll still be serving campus, and we'll still have lunchbox catering available," said Cheeks, a 1990 University of Illinois graduate.

Blues opened in August 2005 at 701 S. Gregory St., U, a multistory development near Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. The restaurant drew a good lunch crowd, but the dinner-hour business "was not quite what we were looking for," Cheeks said.

He thinks a new location in southwest Champaign could capture business from both lunch and dinner crowds.

The Urbana space "had a jazz club, exclusive or bar feel to it," he said. Cheeks said the new place will be more "fast-casual."

The new restaurant will seek a liquor license, and the hours will be expanded, he said.

Blues features food such as pulled-pork and chicken sandwiches, rib tips, hot dogs and sides such as macaroni and cheese.

Blues, headquartered in the Chicago suburbs, also has a location in Columbus, Ohio, and the company is working on opening locations in West Lafayette, Ind., and in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, Cheeks said.

Blues will be posting more information and updates on its Web site, www.eatbluesbbq.com.

As for the Urbana restaurant, it is now closed. As of Dec. 18, the restaurant was no longer a tenant, confirmed Jill Guth, director of development with JSM Development.

Guth said the company is working with a regional restaurant chain about potentially moving into the space, but nothing has been finalized.

Closing note

The casual dining restaurant Skully's Chicken & Fish, at 805 S. Philo Road, U, has closed.

House calls for pets

Veterinarian Connie Brunkow has launched a new house-call service for pets.

Brunkow will work with dogs and cats and will make house calls in the Champaign-Urbana area, south to Tuscola and west to Mahomet.

"In the past, vets always made house calls, just like doctors," she said. "I'm trying to reinvent the process here."

She said the service may come in handy for home-bound seniors who have pets or for owners who have pets that don't travel well. Many pets, such as cats or large, older dogs, get upset while being taken to a vet, especially if the only time they ride in the car is to visit a vet, she said. "Then they don't think too fondly of traveling."

Brunkow will offer services such as basic illness care, "compassionate in-home euthanasia," vaccinations, behavior counseling, breeder services and more. "It's amazing what you can do in the home," she said.

A 1989 University of Illinois graduate, Brunkow has been a practicing veterinarian for about 18 years, most recently in the Danville area. She can be reached at 497-8973 or via e-mail at housecallvet@live.com.

Downtown Throwdown

Here's a reason to go shopping Feb. 6.

Many local businesses have pledged to donate a portion of their sales that day or a lump sum to the charity Coaches vs. Cancer as part of the new event, Downtown Throwdown.

Businesses will place signs in their windows advertising the event and their participation.

More than 40 area businesses have signed on to participate so far. Businesses have pledged from 5 percent to 15 percent of their sales.

Businesses, if you haven't signed up yet, contact the Campustown Business Group's Jill Guth at JSM Development at 359-8058, Susan Toalson at the Urbana Business Association at 344-3872 or Casey Loving of the Champaign Downtown Association at 352-2400.

This is the first time the event will be held, so organizers are not sure how much money they'll raise, Guth said.

"Hopefully it's an event that will continue," she said.

Support Haitian artisans

Another way to support Haiti is by purchasing work created by its artisans. The downtown Champaign fair-trade retailer Ten Thousand Villages, 105 N. Walnut St., C, is featuring the creations of two of its Haitian artist groups.

The shop has worked with two artisan groups in Haiti: Comite Artisanal Haitien and Caribbean Crafts, both of Port-au-Prince. The artisans have lost their homes and their workshops as a result of the earthquake. Check out the store's windows displaying some of their creations.

Christine des Garennes can be reached by phone at 351-5388 or 800-252-3346, or by e-mail at cgarenne@news-gazette.com.