Elegant Touch Linens LLCMargaret Calliotte opened Elegant Touch Linens LLC on March 17 after 17 years assisting friend Jill Webb with wedding and event rentals at Artistry in Bloom. Calliotte and Webb share office space at 1842 E. Commercial St., and Elegant Touch Linens leases 1,600 square feet of warehouse space a few doors down. With over $100,000 in inventory, Elegant Touch Linens offers 40 styles of tablecloths, 10,000 napkins and four styles of chargers, as well as chair covers, table runners and overlays in sheer, beaded and lace designs. Calliotte said some inventory was purchased from an undisclosed linens company that closed. She rents for barn weddings to luxury events for up to 500 people and has handled linens for Springfield Catholic Schools’ Dancing With Our Stars fundraiser the last several years. Tablecloths rent for $12-$20 each, chair covers are $3 and napkins range around $1, she said. Calliotte, the lone employee and currently the Catholic schools’ accounting manager, handles roughly seven events a week and expects up to 10 weddings on summer weekends. She plans to retire from the private school system in August. Hours: By appointment. Phone: (417) 840-5804. Web:
ElegantTouchLinens.comChina WokThree-year China Wok employee
Jason Nichols partnered with owner
Son Tran to open a second restaurant April 28 under the same banner. The business partners signed a two-year lease with options at 334 N. West Bypass Ave., a former Taco Bueno. A division of New York-based American Realty Capital owns the 2,500-square-foot Chestnut Crossing building, which had been vacant several years, according to Greene County assessor records. Nichols, a 2005 Missouri State University business management graduate, said the partners invested about $125,000 for kitchen equipment and cosmetic upgrades, and the building owner pitched in. With seating for 92, Nichols said the restaurant is double the size of the original at 4153 S. Scenic Ave. China Wok sells general, cashew and lemon chicken, with prices ranging from $5.50 to $11 for a seafood combo, Nichols said. Tran started China Wok about 15 years ago. Hours: 11 a.m.–10 p.m. daily. Phone: (417) 862-2965. Web:
ChinaWokSpringfield.comMissouri Association of Manufacturers In its 21st year, the Missouri Association of Manufacturers moved its office to 1335 E. Republic Road, Ste. K. CEO
Kim Inman said the not-for-profit association signed a three-year lease for 2,400 square feet in Copperstone Square for undisclosed terms. The move comes six months into the job for Inman, who succeeded the retiring Rita Needham. Relocation costs were kept to a minimum – just over $3,000 – Inman said, with cabinetry, signage and furniture donated by members for the larger space. With a mission to represent the economic, political, educational and social interests of manufacturers statewide, MAM charges member dues based on employee counts. Annual membership ranges from $500 to $3,150, Inman said. She said MAM has about 180 members, slightly above membership levels in late 2010 when the southwest Missouri group expanded statewide. Hours: 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Phone: (417) 863-7262. Web:
MissouriManufacturers.orgSend new business info to sbj@sbj.net.
