Simply because a door closes for one, doesn’t mean it won’t open for another.
Kannika Vonghan closed Gon Thai, a local Thai restaurant located at 509 Main St., in late January after the passing of a family member.
Now, she is working with Columbus resident Mark Kenner to revitalize the restaurant while she continues to operate Gon Thai’s Columbus Air Force Base location.
“I kind of just gave up on that (Main Street location),” Vonghan said. “But I’m going to let (Kenner) take over and do what he needs to do. I am still open at the base and we are open for lunch.”
Vonghan told me she began speaking to Kenner about the idea in February, and he will reopen the restaurant within the next few months as he learns the trade and gets his bearings in the new space.
“He’s a good fit for the restaurant,” she said. “The Main Street location is, I feel, like my home. I’ve been doing that for 12 years. So, I don’t want to let it go to something else, and he wants it to continue as a Thai restaurant.”
Once reopened, Kenner will take it on for a three-month trial period as Gon Thai before potentially rebranding under a new name, Vonghan said.
In other news, Rook’s Wine Cellar, located at 2118 Hwy. 45 N., is having an inventory reduction sale, and owner Mike Rooker is looking to sell the business to an interested buyer.
“Right now, everything’s 15 percent off and I’m trying to sell as much as I can,” Rooker said. “I’m trying to get rid of as much inventory as possible. I don’t want to take it home.”
Rooker has operated the store since 2007. After about 16 years, he said he is finally ready to give up the business and focus more on his primary job as a financial adviser at Benjamin Edwards, an investment firm.
Rooker said he started looking into the idea of selling the business in early March and has had several inquiries from interested buyers, but nothing has come to term just yet, he said.
“I’m going to close but I just don’t know when,” he said.
Moving to West Point, Shaneshia Davidson is holding a grand reopening for her clothing and toy crafting business, I Candy Craft Bar, Friday at her new location at 463 Commerce St.
Davidson started the business out of her home in 2019 by making custom clothing designs for her friends and family, but moved into a brick-and-mortar location at 2308 N. Eshman Ave. in 2022 near the Old Aberdeen Road Church of Christ.
She decided to move to her current location in January and has been hauling over her merchandise while sprucing up the space. She also said she likes the new space because she wanted to be closer to downtown and have more window traffic for the store.
“It’s better as far as getting more business,” Davidson said. “Where it was located (before) wasn’t like a common area where people would just find me on their own. Where I am now has a higher traffic volume, especially being right next to the bank.”
Davidson also hopes to add embroidery machines and some classes to teach those interested in crafting clothes and novelties. I, for one, love a cool custom shirt.
Finally, my friends, in Starkville, the kind folks over at Buff City Soap at 661 Hwy. 12 W. are growing ever closer to their grand opening on April 16.
To celebrate the progress, manager Elizabeth Minchew and her team have been offering free samples of varied soaps outside the store’s future location, right next to Aldi, to help spread the clean word.
The team will be outside of their location this weekend on Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the afternoon to give out free samples and offer any soap wisdom you may be seeking.
Once open, the store will offer soaps for both men and women, from hand soaps to shampoos and laundry detergents. I am still trying to get my hands on the patchouli sandalwood soap.
Well, folks, that’s all for now. Make sure to check back in next week for more goings on in business.
Dispatch reporter Grant McLaughlin writes about business openings and closings, as well as other unique business news. Send business tips to [email protected].
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