Lazy L Safari Park to open June 19

Parakeet Jungle inside West Park Mall has closed for the summer as its owners prepare to open Lazy L Safari Park this month.

Owner Vicki Lantz said the birds on exhibit at Parakeet Jungle are now part of an exhibit on tour at summer fairs in Michigan.

Parakeet Jungle will operate at the mall from November through March 2011.

Lantz's newest venture, Lazy L. Safari Park, is scheduled to open June 19 at 2763 County Road 618 in Cape Girardeau. Visitors can take a walking tour through the park grounds to see more than 25 species of exotic animals including alpacas, antelope, birds, camels, deer, donkeys, emu, goats, kangaroos, llamas, ostriches, porcupines, tortoises, wallabies and zebras.

The park also features a petting zoo, picnic area and gift shop.

Admission will be $5 per person. There is no charge for children under age 2.

To learn more, people may visit www.lazylsafari.com.

* Rust & Martin moving to Regent's Parc: After 20 years on William Street, Rust & Martin Inc. is moving to the Regent's Parc building at 1610 N. Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau.

Regent's Parc also is home to Saffron, Primo Vino and Salon Brielle.

The new store, on the second floor of the Regent's Parc building, has its entrance at the back of the building.

Its new 6,600-square-foot space will be about the same size as its existing showroom, but the area will be arranged differently, said owner Michael Rust.

The new space will allow more room for samples to meet growing demands for special-order furniture purchases.

"Our business has continued to morph and change," Rust said. "Everybody wants something different."

Major renovations will soon be underway at Regents Parc to prepare for the move. Much of the area is currently unfinished space, Rust said. New signage will be placed on the building as well.

Buyers will find some deals this summer as Rust liquidates his entire inventory. He said he intends to buy all new pieces for the new location with a more cutting-edge look.

Rust hopes to open at the new location in Regent's Parc in late summer or early September. Since his grandfather opened Rust & Martin in 1933, he said, the business has moved every 20 to 25 years.

Rust also owns Ashley Bailey Custom Cabinetry, which will remain open at 127 N. Main St.

* New office for Bowen Engineering: Bowen Engineering and Surveying Inc. broke ground last week on a new 7,100-square-foot facility on lot 4 of the Boulder Crest Subdivision off Kingshighway. This tract of land is adjacent to Cape County Park South. Bowen Engineering, which provides land surveying and civil engineering services, is the first company to build in the developing commercial subdivision. The company was founded in 1979 by the late Richard I. Bowen and is currently under the leadership of his son, Chris Bowen. The new building is scheduled for completion in late October or early November.

* Kerasotes changes to AMC Theatres: AMC Theatres assumed ownership of the majority of the Kerasotes theaters May 25, including the Kerasotes theater in the Town Plaza Shopping Center on William Street.

General manager T.J. McKinney said the theater is still in the process of switching to the new AMC Theatres system. They also may add some new concession items in the near future, he said.

For show times, people may call 1-888-AMC-4 FUN.

* Volunteers, donations needed at new thrift store: Shelter of Hope Thrift Store, which recently opened at 733 Broadway, is in need of donations as well as volunteers.

The store needs donations of clothing, furniture and canned food, said Shelter of Hope chaplain Terry Wildman. The store also is operating a soup kitchen on a daily basis to serve area homeless. Those in need are provided with clothing, hygiene supplies and meals free of charge.

The thrift store is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

Shelter of Hope is a not-for-profit group in the process of transforming a building at 320 S. Sprigg St. into a homeless outreach center. All proceeds from the sale of items at the thrift store will go toward the new shelter building, Wildman said.

For more information, call 651-6005.

* New banking center planned in Perryville: The Bank of Missouri will hold a groundbreaking ceremony Friday as construction begins on a new operations center in Perryville, Mo. The ceremony will take place at 8:30 a.m. at 916 N. Kingshighway in Perryville. The new operations center will be adjacent to the current branch at the same address. The entrance of the existing bank branch will undergo changes to move it farther from the stoplight for better access.

The new building will be three stories tall, with each floor measuring about 17,000 square feet. Fifty to 60 employees will occupy the top two floors.

"This state-of-the-art facility will allow us to continue serving our clients with the latest technology and convenience," said David Crader, CEO of The Bank of Missouri.

The building contractor is Zoellner Construction Co. of Perryville.

The Bank of Missouri's other Perryville branch, at 18 W. Ste. Maries St. on the square, will continue to serve as an office building for bank staff and the drive-through will remain open to bank customers.

The Bank of Missouri is an independent community bank locally owned and operated with more than $800 million in assets. The bank has branches in Perryville, Jackson, Cape Girardeau, Marble Hill, Springfield, Ozark, Republic and Columbia. Fore more information, visit www.bankofmissouri.com.

* New home inspection business opens: A Cape Girardeau couple have opened a local AmeriSpec office, a branch of the largest home inspection company in North America. The new office will serve Cape Girardeau, Perry, Bollinger, Scott and Stoddard counties, said owners Tony and Tamara Smee of Cape Girardeau.

AmeriSpec Inc. has more than 300 franchise territories across the U.S. and Canada. It provides professional home inspection services to homebuyers and sellers, construction-phase inspections for lenders and reinspections for insurance carriers. Before purchasing the AmeriSpec franchise, Tony Smee spent 12 years with ServiceMaster Disaster Restoration Services and KMC Construction, the last 10 of those as vice president of operations and general manager.

"AmeriSpec is the leader in the home inspection business, and is also a member of the ServiceMaster family of companies," Tony Smee said. For more information, call 651-5444.

* Endoscopy Center receives accreditation: GA Endoscopy Center, 1429 N. Mount Auburn Road in Cape Girardeau, recently was accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC).

"This is an important milestone in the continuing growth and success of our health care organization," said Robyn Crocetti, administrator of the GA Endoscopy Center. "Accreditation shows our commitment to providing the highest levels of quality care to our patients, and the same high level of conduct in our business practices."

The AAAHC accreditation is for a three-year period.

* Tanning salon upgrades equipment: Tans R Us, 91 N. Plaza Way in Cape Girardeau, recently added the Versaspa sunless skin care system. In addition to a bronzing spray, the sunless tanning system also includes an anti-aging skin-firming hydration spray and a blow-dry session, said owner Patti Davis. For more information, call 651-0082.

* IRS office open Saturday: The Internal Revenue Service office at 137 S. Broadview St. in Cape Girardeau will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday to provide help to individual taxpayers dealing with notices and payments, return preparation and other tax issues. It is one of 300 branches across the country with extended Saturday hours.

Southeast Missourian business reporter Melissa Miller may be contacted at 388-3646 or mmiller@semissourian.com.<I>