A Closer Look: October
Hockman Interior Design: Sherry Hockman spent years decorating homes for friends and family and will now apply that extensive experience professionally with her new interior design firm. Hockman Interior Design aims to help clients put together a space that fits their lifestyles and their budgets. Hockman’s work has been featured on HGTV’s House Hunters: Where Are They Now?, and she’s worked with clients in Columbia, St. Louis, Kansas City and other cities around the state. The new company takes residential and commercial clients and also operates a showroom showcasing boutique furniture and decorations in The Marketplace on Business Loop 70.
Proprietor: Sherry Hockman
Phone: 573-999-1994
Stir Fry 88: A new flavor is coming to Columbia Mall. Stir Fry 88, a quick-service Chinese restaurant, prides itself on offering high-quality and consistent dishes such as bourbon chicken and moo shu pork cooked in a traditional wok. Dishes are on the inexpensive end of the spectrum, and customers can choose how spicy they prefer their meals. The Columbia location will be the second store location in the state and 17th nationwide. Innovated Restaurant Group, the national chain that operates Stir Fry 88, also has Japanese, Thai, Chinese and Cajun restaurants in malls across America.
Proprietor: Stir Fry 88 of Columbia Inc.
Phone: 845-282-6174
Gunther’s Games: Now located at Broadway and 10th Street downtown, Gunther’s Games is bringing arcade fun back to Columbia after a six-year hiatus. The former Gunther’s was a Columbia landmark before closing in 2007. The arcade’s new owner, Wes Upchurch, has brought back the original location’s distinctive green and white color scheme and has packed the new location with everything from pinball and Pac-Man to Big Buck Hunt and Mortal Kombat. The games will regularly rotate as well. The business plans to appeal to families and, with beer service, pull in some of the weekend bar crowds as well.
Proprietor: TMU Entertainment LLC
Phone: 573-424-6139
Tiger Town Treasures: Columbia’s newest thrift store, Tiger Town Treasures, aims to carry something for everyone, according to Connie Furlong, who helps run the shop for her son Jeremy. After years of going to yard sales, the Furlongs decided to start their own store to sell goods year round. The store, which is located at 802 E. Business Loop 70 at the former location of Clover’s Natural Market, sells everything from baby clothing and DVDs to power tools and jewelry. At Tiger Town, which opened at the start of July, most items are priced below $25 to appeal to bargain hunters of all stripes.
Proprietor: Jeremy Furlong
Phone: 573-442-8567
Adelman Travel Group: After taking over Springfield-based Great Southern Travel last year in the company’s largest-ever acquisition, Adelman Travel Group has taken and rebranded over the agency’s Columbia location on West Broadway. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., the travel management company focuses on business travel services, including cost-saving measures such as teleconferencing and risk management products, and offers vacation travel services as well. Earlier this summer, Adelman was honored as one of the best 25 producers by Ensemble Travel Group, an organization representing some 850 travel agencies across North America.
Proprietor: Adelman Travel Systems Inc.
Phone: 414-410-8359
Weaver Boos Consultants LLC: Based out of Chicago, Weaver Boos Consultants is an environmental and geotechnical engineering firm offering a variety of environmental engineering services. Land surveying and environmental audits are specialties, as are natural wastewater treatment systems and ethanol production technology. Waste management is also a strength; Weaver Boos recently won awards for its landfill design and monitoring. The company, which opened in 1990, has 13 offices across the country with three locations in Missouri, including its new Columbia location, which opened in May. Notable previous clients include United States Steel, Waste Management Inc. and Chase Bank.
Proprietor: John W. Weaver II
Phone: 312-922-1030