Open for Business: Around Town Mascots

Around Town Mascots
Professional entertainer Spangle The Clown opened Around Town Mascots on June 18 at 2127 W. College St. Spangle The Clown, who legally changed his name in 2010, said he created the business to bring in extra revenues outside of his professional clowning business, Spangle & Co. Around Town Mascots provides businesses with street advertising in the form of people in costumes – mascots – standing on the side of the road advertising the clients’ products. Around Town Mascots currently has a pizza slice mascot advertising for Incredible Pizza and a cell phone mascot promoting Boost Mobile. He said mascots are $25 an hour with a two-hour booking minimum. Around Town Mascots also can work with businesses to create unique mascots, he said. Hours: 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Phone: (417) 619-3209.

Phone Phixers
Phone Phixers, owned by Byron Pearson’s PearsoNet LLC, opened a storefront April 1 at 3648 S. Campbell Ave. in the Kickapoo Corners. The business repairs cell phones and other electronic devices such as iPods, tablets and e-readers, and has been in operation since December 2011, according to Vice President Lisa Pearson. In leasing the 1,900-square-foot space, the Pearsons combined all three of their businesses – Phone Phixers, PearsoNet and Lisa’s Bookkeeping and Office Training – under one roof, she said. Byron Pearson is the only technician repairing devices at the store. He has a bachelor’s degree in electronics from Drury and a cellular master technician level III certification from WildPCS, a cellular repair training school in Atlanta. Phone Phixers offers screen, button and liquid damage repairs, battery replacement and other services for electronic devices. Hours: 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Saturday. Phone: (417) 881-7449.

Mobile Solutions of Springfield LLC
After 18 years at Springfield’s Car-Fi as a custom installation manager, Jay Enge opened Mobile Solutions of Springfield LLC on July 16. Run out of Enge’s home with his wife Jackie assisting with bookkeeping, Mobile Solutions performs on-site sales and installation of add-on electronics for vehicles, including GPS systems, mobile video, remote-start systems, iPod integration and custom jobs, Enge said. Mobile Solutions stocks electronics that clients purchase, and Enge installs them at an agreed upon location. Enge said if the company doesn’t carry a specific electronic, he will order it and have it shipped to his home office. Prices can range from $100 to more than $2,000 depending on the electronic being installed and the model of the vehicle, Enge said. Mileage and labor fees also are applied, he said. Hours: 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment. Phone: (417) 838-7545.

Send new business info to sbj@sbj.net.