The Uptown BoutiqueSarah Schaeffer renamed her women’s clothing store to The Uptown Boutique on Aug. 29 and relocated it to 1326 E. Battlefield Road. Schaeffer bought Uptown Angels in April 2011 and operated it at 1314 E. Battlefield Road before doubling its retail space four doors down in the Fremont Center. She signed a five-year lease for undisclosed terms to occupy the 3,200-square-foot former Charlie’s Fine Ladies Apparel space. Uptown Boutique sells contemporary clothing, casual tops, shoes, handbags and jewelry, Schaeffer said. In the move, she doubled the store’s inventory and added two denim lines – Just USA Black and Dear John – as well as a display for Piko slouchy tees. She also hired two part-time employees. Hours: 10:30 a.m.–6 p.m. Monday, Friday and Saturday, and 10:30 a.m.–7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. Phone: (417) 882-2645.
Crossroads Eagle StopEdward and
Jenna House opened their third Eagle Stop convenience store and 37th in the Missouri chain Sept. 4 at 2785 W. Highway O. Crossroads Eagle Stop, owned by House Convenience LLC, sells Cenex gasoline and diesel fuel, and Edward House said the store offers a deli with hot food items, including Hunt Brothers pizza. He and his wife signed a lease of the vacant property with Lloyd Bruce this summer and invested an undisclosed amount to renovate the building. The Houses own two Eagle Stop stores under G&H Ventures in Edgar Springs and Lebanon. Edward House said Eldon-based Gier Oil Co. is parent company and founder of the Eagle Stop chain. Along Highway 13 near McDaniel Lake, Crossroads Eagle Stop employs seven, managed by area supervisor Ruthann Dobson. Hours: 24/7. Phone: (417) 883-9716. Web:
EagleStopStores.comMissouri American WaterTri-States Utility Inc. sold its Branson-area assets Aug. 30 to Joplin-based Missouri American Water (NYSE: AWK). The $3.4 million acquisition, comprising Tri-States’ water distribution system and wells, as well as treatment and booster systems serving some 3,500 customers, more than doubles Missouri American Water’s Branson-area customer base to 6,000, said External Affairs Manager
Christie Barnhart. She said two of Tri-States’ six employees were retained, and Missouri American Water already had six employees serving the market. The company first entered the Branson utility sector by purchasing Aqua-Missouri districts in 2011 and later that year invested $1.6 million to buy Roark Water & Sewer, which serves StoneBridge Village near Silver Dollar City. The company, an investor-owned subsidiary of New Jersey-based American Water Works Co. Inc., provides water or wastewater services to roughly 1.5 million Missourians. Hours: 24/7. Phone: (417) 334-4189. Web:
AmWater.com/moawSend new business info to sbj@sbj.net.
