The Wheelhouse plans move downtown

Last edited 9:55 a.m., March 20, 2025 [Editor's note: Information on a building permit has been added.]

Following an ownership change last year, The Wheelhouse restaurant is planning a move downtown.

Lijah Sparlin, who owns the business with wife Madison and brother Logan, said the relocation from the Vib hotel, where the restaurant has operated since 2018, is targeted in the next three to five months. The location downtown has not yet been finalized, Sparlin said.

"We see it as a great opportunity to serve the community better; we will have better exposure and will be able to be a part of the shift that downtown is about to experience," Sparlin said via email, declining to estimate moving expenses. "We are very excited!"

Sparlin said The Wheelhouse aims to occupy 1,500-2,000 square feet downtown. The business currently operates in the lobby of Vib at 1845 E. Sunshine St.

"Our square footage now is much too big," he said.

A building permit on file with the city of Springfield from RJ2 Investments LLC points to commercial infill work for The Wheelhouse at 408 W. Walnut St. However, Sparlin said that location fell through, and the restaurant owners were able to find a new spot downtown where they plan to sign a lease.

The Sparlin family last year bought The Wheelhouse, a Mexican-Thai fusion restaurant, from founders Zach and Melissa Smallwood, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting. The Wheelhouse started as a food truck in 2012 before expanding in 2018 to its brick-and-mortar space in the Vib.

The Springfield Daily Citizen was first to report on The Wheelhouse’s planned move.