Ankeny Noodles & Company has closed

The latest business changes in the greater Des Moines area.

Ankeny Noodles & Company has closed

The Noodles & Company restaurant at 2325 S.E. Delaware Ave. in Ankeny has closed.

The store’s last day was April 5, said Danielle Moore, a company spokeswoman, in an email.

“As previously announced, we made the difficult decision to close selected underperforming restaurants, positioning us to focus exclusively … on the many restaurants that are doing very well,” she said.

Some of the employees from the Ankeny store have been offered jobs at other Noodles stores. Others received severance benefits.

No other restaurants are expected to close, Moore said. There are two Noodle & Company locations in Des Moines and two in West Des Moines.

From ink to drink: Cocktail lounge opens Wednesday in former Register building

Hello, Marjorie, a downtown cocktail lounge, will open Wednesday in the former Des Moines Register & Tribune building, 717 Locust St.

Greeting customers is a large portrait of owner Nick Tillinghast’s late grandmother Marjorie Anderson, his inspiration for the new bar.

“The concept is about the way she lived in the 1950s and 60s,” he said of Anderson, who enjoyed sloe gin and an occasional cigarette. “I wanted to pay tribute to the time when people would go out and have a good time at the high-end cocktail bars.”

The bar’s 10 cocktail menu will range in price from $8 to $13. There also will be a selection of domestic and Midwest beers.

Tillinghast’s partners in the venture are Kyle McClain and Ryan Hutchison.

Find out what Hello, Marjorie has in store for cocktails

Hello, Marjorie isn’t serving food, save for some snack mix, but will offer a catered menu on the first Sunday of each month from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tillinghast said.

Housed above the lounge in the former newspaper building are 164 market-rate apartments that TWG, an Indianapolis-based company, is leasing now with occupancy June 1. R&T Lofts consists of studio, one and two-bedroom units.

Hello, Marjorie will be open 4 p.m. to midnight Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

For more information, find it on Facebook.

Golf Headquarters opens new store in West Des Moines

After more than an 18-month hiatus, Gary Updegraff has reopened Golf Headquarters.

His new location, 2900 University Ave. in the Clocktower Square in West Des Moines, was a long time coming, said Updegraff. His golf business and others were ousted in the fall of 2015 from the Apple Valley Shopping Center in Windsor Heights after center owners said they planned to raze the building to make way for an Aldi grocery store. A Windsor Heights committee rejected Aldi’s request for a conditional use permit after the businesses had moved.

Updegraff said he couldn’t find the right spot for his business until he landed on the former Tuesday Morning location in Clocktower Square. His 10,000-square-foot shop sits next to Fresh Thyme Farmers Market. He has operated Golf Headquarters for 28 years, some of those years as Nevada Bob's. He also operated a store in Cedar Rapids, which he closed last fall.

The store, which Updegraff describes as bright and cheerful, features three hitting areas and a selection of Ping, Titlest, TayorMade, Calloway and other brands of golf equipment. The store offers custom fitting for clubs along with shoes and apparel for men and women.

The shop is open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Call 515-255-4433, visit www.golfhqdm.com or find it on Facebook.

Noodle Zoo in Ankeny has closed

The Noodle Zoo Cafe and Catering in Ankeny has closed. Owner Kim Rushing had operated the restaurant at 2785 N. Ankeny Blvd., Suite 12, for 10 years.

“With the added competition and an increase in rent, we were unable to continue operating,” Rushing posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page.

Two other Noodle Zoo restaurants, 601 E. Locust, Suite 101, in downtown Des Moines and 8705 Chambery Blvd., Suite 700, in Johnston, continue to operate and offering catering. Joe and Kara Meints bought both locations last year.

Call 515-988-2893.

Downtown food court restaurant to close

Trish Myers is ending her run with Moar Tacos in the Local Bites food court in downtown Des Moines.

Myers said she will close the taco stand on Friday in the lower level food court located in Partnership Building, 700 Locust St. She said traffic was slow in the food court and she wasn't getting enough customers to sustain the business there.

"People still don't know about this area. There is not as much foot traffic there as I thought there would be," she said.

Five other restaurants are located in the food court.

Myers offers Korean/gourmet street-style beef, pork, chicken and tofu tacos along with sliders and some sides.

She plans to continuing her catering business and hopes to have an occasional pop-up restaurant featuring her tacos this summer.

Moar Tacos will be open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Friday.

Call 515-428-6627, visit www.moartacos.com or find it on Facebook.

Urbandale gift shop to close in May

Denny’s Gift Den in Urbandale will close by the middle of May, said owner Denny Danford.

The shop, known for its selection of Precious Moments, Willow Tree, Department 56 and other collectibles, has been in business at 3257 100th St. since 2001.

Danford said he has been battling cancer in the last year, which affected his ability to operate the business.

“It’s been a good business and so many customers have become good friends,” he said.

Danford retired as assistant fire chief for the Urbandale Fire Department in 2011. He and his wife Vickie decided to open the shop after the man who killed their son Brian in 1998 was sentenced three years later. "We agreed that I needed a new focus to keep my mind busy and off the death of my son," Danford told the Register in 2012.

Business at the shop has been good but in recent years has been affected by an increase in online shopping, he said.

Denny's Gift Den sells gifts, collectibles and other items, which are now discounted to help clear out inventory.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. The shop is closed on Sunday.

Call 515-276-3599 or find it on Facebook.

Women's clothing store to open in Merle Hay Mall

Torrid, a plus-sized women’s clothing store, will open this spring in Merle Hay Mall in Des Moines.

The store will occupy 3,000 square feet in the Sears wing and be located across from the new Ross Dress for Less, which is expected to open this fall.

Torrid also has a store in The Village at Jordan Creek Town Center in West Des Moines.

The store sells fashion apparel and accessories for young women and women who wear sizes 10 to 30. It operates more than 450 stores across the United States and Canada.

Visit www.torrid.com or find it on Facebook.

West Des Moines T.J. Maxx reopens after fire

The West Des Moines T.J. Maxx store at 6305 Mills Civic Parkway is set to reopen March 15 after being closed for more than two weeks due to smoke damage from a small fire.

Company officials had said March 9  that it would be several weeks before the discount store would reopen. The repair work "went faster than anticipated," said Erika Tower, company spokeswoman.

Firefighters were called to the store just before it opened Feb. 25 to put out a blaze coming from the bottom of a drink cooler near the checkout stations at the front of the store. No one was injured.

Fire temporarily shutters West Des Moines retailer

A T.J. Maxx store in West Des Moines is closed after a smoke from a small fire damaged the store and its contents.

The shop at 6305 Mills Civic Parkway is expected to reopen in a couple of weeks, the company said.

West Des Moines fire officials said they were called to the store at 8:45 a.m. Feb. 25 shortly before it opened. Flames were coming from the bottom of a drink cooler near the checkout stations at the front of the store, said Mike Whitsell, West Des Moines fire marshal. The fire was extinguished quickly but smoke filled the store, he said.

Workers were safely evacuated, said Erika Tower, T.J. Maxx spokeswoman.

"We are assessing the damage and will determine a re-opening date once the process is complete," she said.

No reopening date has been determined but the store likely will be closed for several weeks, she said. There are two other T.J. Maxx stores in the metro.

Vintage goods and interior design shop opens in Cityville

Vintage and handmade home store CK Design Co. has opened at 550 S.W. Ninth St. in the mixed-use development called Cityville. CK Design is next to Chicago Dog.

Owner Courtney Ghee, a Des Moines native, offers vintage furniture and accessories along with local handmade products. Ghee, an interior designer, also offers interior decorating, styling, rentals and home staging.

She described the feel of the shop as “refined mid-century and bohemian aesthetic.”

Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; noon to 4 p.m. Sunday; and Monday, Wednesday and Friday by appointment.

Visit etsy.com/shop/CKDesignCo or find it on Facebook.

Sully's is moving to a new location in West Des Moines

Sully’s Irish Pub in West Des Moines is moving about a block east of its existing location this spring.

The 40-year-old tavern at 110 Grand Ave. is being displaced by a storm-sewer improvement project that is part of West Des Moines’ Grand Avenue redevelopment project. Sully’s new home will be at 860 First St., which most recently was Blue Tomato Kitchen. The True Value Hardware store sits between the new and old locations.

Owner Bill Boggs, who with his wife, Amy Boggs, has owned the business for four years, said the new location gives the bar better street visibility. Its current building is tucked behind Grand Avenue Veterinary Hospital on Grand. The new spot sits on busy First Street.

“And we’ll have windows in this place along with a new patio,” he said. He’s also adding bar food and appetizers.

He hopes to complete the move by June 1.

Sully’s hours are 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Thursday; noon to 2 a.m. Friday; and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Call 515-255-9970, visit www.sullysdesmoines.com or find it on Facebook.

Storage equipment company opens Des Moines office

Midwest Storage Solutions has opened a sales office in Des Moines.

The Omaha-based company sells high-density mobile shelving, storage equipment and cabinets, along with consultation and design services for health care, libraries, public safety, museums, government, industrial, military and general offices.

The sales office at 4225 Fleur Drive, Suite 274, has 14 employees. Matt Jones is the manager.

Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Call 515-897-0700, visit mss-1.com or find it on Facebook.

Ankeny Plato's Closet opens Friday

Plato’s Closet, the resale shop geared toward teens and young adults, is opening a second metro location.

The newest store will open at 10 a.m. March 3 at 1605 S.E. Delaware Ave. in Ankeny.

The shop sells gently-used brand name clothing, purses, jewelry, shoes and accessories that it buys from consumers. Clothing from all seasons is accepted. No appointment is necessary to sell clothing.

The franchise owners are Eric Tesslar and Kyle Schuhmacher, who are from the Chicago area.

The metro’s first Plato’s Closet opened in 2005 in West Glen Town Center in West Des Moines and has recently expanded.

The Ankeny store hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.

Call 515-963-7651, visit platosclosetankeny.com or find it on Facebook.

Pancheros opens in Grimes

Pancheros Mexican Grill opens Feb. 28 at 2250 E. First St. in Grimes. This is the Coralville-based company’s 25th Iowa location. The store is in a new retail building that sits in front of the Wal-Mart.

The fast casual restaurant serves made-to-order burritos, quesadillas, burrito bowls (burritos minus the tortilla), salads, and tacos. A seasonal shrimp taco will be featured through April.

Rodney Anderson opened his first Pancheros stores in Iowa City and East Lansing, Mich., 25 years ago. There are now 70 stores in 19 states.

Pancheros will be selling $1 burritos from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. March 7 at the Grimes store.

Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

Call 515-986-4433, visit www.pancheros.com or find it on Facebook.

Quill & Nib changes locations in Valley Junction

Rob Beers has moved his Quill & Nib pen shop to a new location in Valley Junction in West Des Moines.

The new shop at 133 Fifth St. is in a portion of the former Kavanaugh Art Gallery building, which was divided into three retail spaces when Dan Kavanaugh sold the building and moved his business to 2020 Grand Ave., Suite 800, West Des Moines.

Beers’ new space is more than three times the size of his former shop across the street at 130 Fifth St. He plans to add more inventory and move his pen assembly shop to the back of the new store.

Beers opened Quill & Nib in 2006 in Valley West Mall in West Des Moines. He relocated to Valley Junction in 2013.

His shop sells fountain, rollerball and ballpoint pens and related supplies such as ink and stationery.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The shop is closed Sunday and Monday.

Call 515-223-6299, visit www.quillandnib.com or find it on Facebook.

Ingersoll Avenue women's shop has a new owner

Longtime women’s clothing boutique Silver Fox is under new ownership.

Mary Langen recently bought the business at 2725 Ingersoll Ave. from Alan Zuckert, whose late wife Janice Zuckert started the shop in 1981. Langen has served as assistant manager and manager of Silver Fox since 2014. Janice Zuckert died in 2013.

The shop offers contemporary and classic clothing and accessories, along with personalized styling services.

Store hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday

Call 515-283-2725 or find it on Facebook.

Jewelry store coming to Valley West Mall

Zales jewelry store will open this spring in Valley West Mall in West Des Moines.

The 1,900-square-foot shop will be on the upper level of the mall near center court next to Chocolaterie Stam. It is expected to open in May.

Other jewelry stores at Valley West include Greenberg's Jewelers, Kay Jewelers and Helzberg Diamonds.

Kay Jewelers and Zales are owned by the same company, Signet Jewelers Ltd.