It's Your Business: Clybourne reopens after remake
Campus bar The Clybourne, 706 S. Sixth St., C, opened last week after a remodeling and reinvention of the space.
The front of the building now holds a coffee bar called the Toasted Bean. In addition to espresso drinks, the shop will feature breakfast sandwiches and goodies like butter horns, said owner Scott Cochrane.
"I've been to Starbucks and Espresso (Royale), but I felt no one offered a great space with great ambience to hang out in," said Cochrane, who described the design as "contemporary with lots of straight lines." The building also offers a similar "open-air" atmosphere like Firehaus, which Cochrane also owns, next door.
The Clybourne will also start serving food such as panini, pastas, personal pizzas and sides like goat cheese dip throughout the day.
In the afternoon, the coffee bar will transition into more of an evening destination.
Going out of business
Midwest Galleries, the furniture dealer in Tuscola, will close in July.
Steve and Simone Jackson, both in their early 60s, are retiring after 30 years. When the economy started slowing, business also slowed and the two decided it was time to retire, Simone Jackson said.
The Jacksons sell solid-wood furniture from Indonesia. Much of it is hand-painted, hand-carved pieces made from mahogany. They also have accents such as stained-glass lamps and windows.
It's a mostly wholesale business; the Jacksons sell to interior designers and furniture stores. But they also sell directly to the public. The store, at 100 N. Main St., has been open in Tuscola since 2001. Before relocating to Tuscola, the Jacksons were in Sullivan for 20 years.
The two have sold the building, and it will be converted to office space on the first floor and apartments above, Simone Jackson said.
From now until July 6, the store is holding a going-out-of-business sale. All items are 30 percent off.
"We're still clearing our warehouse, and a lot of new merchandise is still coming in," Jackson said.
The store will be open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
New Bradley businesses
Three new tenants have opened up space in the Neves Group-owned building at 801 W. Bradley Ave., C, just east of Prospect Avenue.
Waukesha Carroll launched T&K Urban Fashions last month. She started selling urban clothing online a few years ago and decided to open a retail space specializing in clothes and a variety of hip-hop-related magazines and DVDs. Her store is usually open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday.
The new In Stitches shop offers classes in the needle arts, such as sewing, knitting, quilting and other areas. Owner Sharon Ortner said it's a space for beginners to experts. Classes meet at various times during the day and throughout the week. Ortner can be reached at 778-3690.
Also new to the building is Rim City Rentals, a rent-to-own rims shop that opened last week.
Local food, local farmers
The food service company Sysco Central Illinois in Lincoln has launched an initiative called BuyLocal, which the company is marketing as a virtual farmer's market.
Sysco provides food to local businesses like Jim Gould's restaurant in Champaign, Hendrick House in Urbana and Yoder's Kitchen in Arthur. All three of those businesses so far have signed up for the BuyLocal program.
Sysco has pledged to buy food produced and processed within 100 miles of Lincoln, where it is headquartered. Farmers will supply everything from free-range eggs to fresh greens and meat.
"I'm thrilled about it," said Robbie Robert, president of Sysco Central Illinois.
"We've got the distribution figured all out. Now we're trying to tackle the other side of the equation," Roberts said.
Several farms are involved, and Sysco Central Illinois will be seeking additional farmers to provide products.
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.
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