Sno Biz is coming back to Columbus.
You will recall that late last year the popular snow cone stand, which stood for a decade near the intersection of 18th Avenue North and Old Aberdeen Road, was bulldozed to make room for an Ulta Beauty and Mattress Firm currently being constructed.
The owner, Rhonda Shoemaker, said at the time that she hoped to find another location. She has.
Sno Biz will be located at 809 Alabama St., beside Ranch House restaurant. Shoemaker has been working at the new site this week and will soon bring her Starkville stand to the spot. (She was forced to close the Starkville location last year, too, to make room for a drive-thru at Penns Restaurant along Avenue of Patriots Streets.)
She will have plumbing and electrical services installed, get proper permits from the city and hopes to be open “within a couple weeks,” she told The Dispatch on Wednesday.
Sno Biz will employ three to four people.
Speaking of Ulta Beauty and Mattress Firm, the city received plans for Phase 2 of the construction project Wednesday, according to Kenny Wiegel, city building official. The building being constructed will be roughly 13,000 square feet. Ulta, the largest beauty retailer in the U.S., will occupy roughly 8,200 square feet. Mattress Firm, one of the biggest sellers of Sealy and Serta mattresses in the country, will occupy the rest.
While we’re in the area, Juva has opened at 502 18th Ave. It is the fifth Juva to open in Mississippi.
Justin Mitchener, a Starkville native, began the juice and smoothie bar business in early 2013 when he opened a location in his hometown on Highway 12. A second location followed on Mississippi State’s campus, a third spot opened in Tupelo and another inside the Tupelo hospital.
Juva — the name is inspired by the word “rejuvenate” — offers smoothies made with real fruit and juices from real vegetables the moment you order them, according to Mitchener.
The Columbus location, which has a drive-thru, is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday; from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday; and from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday.
Lastly, a note on pimento cheese. In the South, everyone’s grandmother has the best recipe. However, if you sometimes do not have time for the homemade route, there is a new option on Golden Triangle shelves.
Tom’s Tiny Kitchen began selling its pimento cheese at Kroger’s in Columbus and Starkville on March 13.
The Memphis-based and family-run business began in 2012, when Tom Flournoy and his family began offering their pimento cheese in local grocery stores in Memphis. By the end of 2014, the stuff was for sale in all Kroger stores and one Whole Foods in the Memphis area. The venture began when Flournoy began selling his pimento cheese — which is based on his mother’s recipe — at farmer’s markets in 2011 after being laid off from a job in the automotive industry.
Browning on Business is a weekly column that runs each Thursday. We want your input. Send items and tips to news@cdispatch.com or wbrowning@cdispatch.com.
William Browning was managing editor for The Dispatch until June 2016.
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