It's Your Business: Nutrition store is new mall tenant
One of the newest tenants planned for Market Place Mall in Champaign is a nutritional supplement store.
Complete Nutrition will sell weight-loss and sports medicine products and general health items such as vitamins.
It will be in the courtyard section of the mall near Sears. A building permit for $153,000 worth of work was issued recently, and the store will be built between Portrait Innovations, the portrait studio, and Coldwater Creek, the women's clothing store.
The store will open Nov. 15.
The store is not going into the former J. Jill space. The women's clothing store, also in the courtyard section, closed in July. Market Place Mall manager Dennis Robertson said the mall is in negotiations with a new tenant for that space, but no lease has been signed. We'll keep you posted.
Speaking of the mall, Zales recently reopened in its new space in the center court area. The jewelry store moved into space formerly occupied by Great American Cookies and extra space adjacent to that.
About a week ago, Hot Topic, the teen clothing store, debuted in its remodeled space in the Macy's wing, in the store previously occupied by Wilsons Leather.
New day care
A new day care is planning to open in the former Marujita's Small World School in Champaign.
Small Wonders Day Care, 1305 S. Mattis Ave., plans to offer care to children from 6 weeks to 12 years old, pending licensing from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
After the retirement of the owner of Marujita's over the summer, several women decided to open a child care center there. The owner is Gail Bishop, who has operated a home day care in the area for a number of years. The manager is Adrienne Hall, and the executive director is Anne Won.
Five different rooms are planned, including rooms for infants, toddlers, 2-year-olds, 3- to 5-year olds and a room for school-age children.
The organizers plan to continue to teach the children Spanish, which was practiced at Marujita's.
"We want to not only teach Spanish but other languages, possibly Chinese, Korean and sign language, too. We'd also like to have music lessons and acting classes," Hall said.
The school will be open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. It may extend hours and days in the future.
"We really want to do something different at an affordable price," Hall said.
Rates are $175 per week per child.
The school can be reached at 607-1453 or smallwondersdaycareinc@yahoo.com.
In the news
Here's a roundup of other business news and developments.
– Five Star, 701 N. Neil St., C, has opened in the newish shopping center across the street from and a little north of the downtown Champaign post office. It sells beer, liquor, some groceries, money orders and lottery tickets. A deli is also planned.
The store, which opened last week, is open 8 a.m. to midnight daily.
– It appears as though a Japanese steakhouse will be coming to the former Boston's building.
Boston's, a pizza, pasta and ribs restaurant at 2501 N. Prospect Ave., C, near Meijer, opened in the spring of 2007 and closed in September 2008. We hear the building has been leased and hope to have more information next week.
– Check out the new exterior to the Blind Pig Brewery at 120 N. Neil St., C.
– Work is progressing on the Quality Beer bar at 110 N. Neil St., C, the long-vacant downtown building that formerly housed Lox, Stock and Bagel.
– In case you've been wondering about that construction on West University Avenue in Urbana, a new law office building is being built at 108 W. University Ave., across the street from the new Windy City Express. The site used to be home to a Collins gas station.
Open house
Do Good Consulting of Urbana will host a database open house from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday for local nonprofits in the M2 building, 301 N. Neil St., C.
The open house will be on the fourth floor of M2. It's open to small and midsized nonprofits in East Central Illinois that are interested in learning more about the donor record-keeping system called GiftWorks.
The event will feature stations for attendees to learn about and test-drive the GiftWorks system. Free food and drinks will be served, and several information booths will be set up.
Attendees will receive a coupon for 10 percent off any GiftWorks purchase. Raffles for two free versions of GiftWorks and consulting services from do good and Singleton Law Firm also will be held.
More information is available at www.dogoodconsulting.org and www.missionresearch.com.
Anniversary noted
Beads N Botanicals in Urbana recently celebrated its one-year anniversary at its shop, 117 N. Broadway Ave. Owner Catherine Novak relocated the shop to downtown Urbana from Hoopeston.
Novak, an herbalist, perfumer and jewelry maker, sells beading supplies, herbs, handmade jewelry, teas, incense, fragrance oils, candles, bath salts, soaps and more. She also offers tarot card readings at the shop.
New classes start this month, including lunchtime classes. More information is available at 365-9355 or http://beadsnbotanicals.com.
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 mail at The News-Gazette, c/o It's Your Business column, P.O. Box 677, Champaign, IL 61824-0677.
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