Open for Business: Kuma Japanese Ramen LLC

Kuma Japanese Ramen LLC
Jay Jung launched his third restaurant venture Sept. 26 with the opening of Kuma Japanese Ramen LLC at 3405 E. Battlefield Road, Ste. 124. Kuma specializes in ramen, sushi and poke bowls. “It’s a Hawaiian-Japanese rice bowl or salad bowl,” Jung said of poke bowls. “In bigger cities, it’s a trend.” Startup costs for the 2,000-square-foot restaurant were $95,000, Jung said, and he signed a three-year lease for $2,700 per month with Greenleaf Holdings LLC. Kuma, which means bear in Japanese, employs four chefs and four servers, though Jung said he’s looking to hire more. Bears serve as inspiration for the restaurant’s logo, he added. Born in South Korea, Jung said he grew up around restaurants, with his parents and other family involved in the industry. He also owns OMO Japanese Soul Food in Chesterfield Village and MaMa’s Korean Grill, previously Jin’s, on South Campbell Avenue.
Hours: 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 4:30-9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and noon-9 p.m. Saturday
Phone: (417) 720-1126

SmileDirectClub LLC
SmileDirectClub LLC, a 4-year-old online dental business, opened a SmileShop on Oct. 10 at 1839 E. Independence St. in the James River Towne Center. At the SmileShop, customers get 3D scans of their teeth and then receive an email showing how their teeth can be straightened by wearing aligners, said company spokeswoman Randi Katzman. “We have our own labs where they’re personally crafted,” she said of the aligners SmileDirectClub sells. The company employs dentists and orthodontists who connect remotely with SmileDirectClub customers. Similar to the 140 locations the company currently operates, the SmileShop in Springfield leases space within a hair salon – in this case, Sola Salon Studios. Katzman declined to disclose lease terms or the company’s revenues. In an April 2017 Inc. magazine article, founders Alex Fenkell and Jordan Katzman said the company was valued at $275 million.
Hours: 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Saturday
Phone: (800) 688-4010
Web: SmileDirectClub.com

James Financial Partners LLC
With more than a decade in operation, James Financial Partners LLC opened a branch in Branson on Oct. 15. Mike Nangle, former owner and commercial insurance consultant with Branson-based Connell Insurance Inc., leads the new office in the Branson Financial Center, 500 W. Main St., Ste. 404, said President Tyler James. The office, James Financial’s second, has two employees. James said the financial planning firm signed a three-year lease for 1,000 square feet with Cushman Properties LLC. He declined to disclose the lease rate and startup costs. James Financial started in 2007 in Springfield, where it operates at 1531 E. Bradford Parkway, Ste. 320. The firm also provides wealth management, insurance consulting and estate planning services.
Hours: by appointment
Phone: (417) 829-2257
Web: JamesFinancialPartners.com