Comings and Goings: Dancer opening new studio

Yet another opportunity to take dance lessons - or just enjoy the dance experience - will be available to area residents of all ages with the opening of Arizona Classical Ballet at 1452 S. 4th Ave. (where Arizona Billiards previously was located).

Studio owner and artistic director Erika Farrar-Romanyuk said having her own dance studio has been a longtime dream. She has 22 years' professional dance experience and most recently was the artistic director of Yuma Ballet Theatre.

She hopes to start classes by Aug. 1 for ages 20 months and up. In addition to ballet, classes will include point, hip-hop, tap, tumbling, Mommy and Me, children's fitness and zumba. There will even be ballet and zumba classes for adults.

Starting Monday, the new studio will be open from 2 to 6 p.m. weekdays for registration - free for those who sign up before Aug. 1. For more information, call 782-3516.

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The July issue of Yuma Business Direct is now available online at businessinyuma.com.

In observance of the nation's birthday July 4, the issue features Col. Mark Werth, commanding officer of Marine Corps Air Station Yuma who joined the Marine Corps because he wanted to fly and found a career serving his country.

The issue also features DPE Construction, owned by Don Peterson, honored as the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce member of the month for the company's part in developing the community and providing many jobs over the years.

Dave Johnson, owner of Yuma River Tubing, answers questions about himself and his new - and very popular - business in the ongoing series spotlighting the local hospitality industry.

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Groundwork has begun on a 5,000-square-foot expansion of Penn Neon Sign Co., 707 W. 8th St., that will nearly double the existing space and provide room for new equipment.

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Little Sprouts Preschool Daycare, 2175 S. Arizona Ave., turned 25 last week and in celebration held a party with hot dogs, balloons and water slide fun.

The center, owned by Roy Puckett, provides care for children from 6 weeks to 12 years, including day care, preschool, kindergarten and after-school programs. For more information, call 782-3553.

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Just in case someone missed the article in Tuesday's issue of the Yuma Sun, the Foothills Walgreens is now open for business at 11420 S. Fortuna Road.

At 14,868 square feet, the new store has a drive-through pharmacy, one-hour photo and shelves stocked with such items as health-care and personal care items, some household items and basic groceries. a liquor license is pending for a future liquor department.

Store hours will be 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays. The pharmacy will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. The store can be reached at 342-1034.

Paul Weinkein transferred from Tucson to manage the store. Longtime Yuma pharmacist Ray Moore, who has been working at the Walgreens store on 4th Avenue, is the pharmacy manager for the new store.

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Las Palapas Taco Grill in the Big Curve Shopping Center is closed for kitchen renovations after a fire in the stove hood. The restaurant is expected to be closed at least a month.

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The Yuma Safety Center, 3143 E. 33rd Place, Suite A in the Ramster Industrial Park, has expanded its services and now offers a mobile safety program, announced owner Chris Williams.

The business has purchased two vans and outfitted them with large-screen TVs and other audiovisual equipment so the company's professional training programs can be presented at the workplace or jobsite. The SOS safety programs are available on a 24/7 basis anywhere in Yuma or Imperial counties. SOS customers also receive workplace inspections and safety consultations at no cost.

In addition, the SOS safety vans are stocked with the latest in safety and first aid products.

For more information, call 344-3898 or visit www.WorkSafeAZ.com.

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The Assistance League of Yuma, a nonprofit volunteer organization, will reopen its thrift shop Tuesday after being closed in June for cleaning and restocking.

Located at 1054 S. 4th Ave., the shop will be open only from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays during July and August. For more information or to donate merchandise, call 782-9314.

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NoitWorld.com (pronounced noyt) offers a consumer-friendly online marketplace for buying and selling new and used merchandise. The brainchild of Todd Foret and Sean Legros of Yuma, Noitworld’s advantage is the ability to cross into other “universes” across the Internet, they said.

The new Yuma-based online store allow you to repost listings (either that you list yourself or find while browsing) to your social media pages such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and LinkedIn.

Launched on June 1, NoitWorld currently has about 500 items posted for sale from CDs, boats, autos and jewelry to recreational vehicles and real estate. There are more than 100 categories of merchandise available to choose from, including an “Anything Goes” category featuring unusual or rare objects or other out-of-the-ordinary items.

For more information, call 287-6858 or 287-6605. To post listings for merchandise, log on to www.noitworld.com.

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Razors Edge, 2241 S. Avenue A in Palm Center Plaza, has just completed remodeling after seven years at that location. The beauty salon now has come up with a way to help hairstylists and working moms who can only work two or three days per week by offering the "booth buddy" system.

Booth buddies share a booth with someone else, setting their own hours and days they want to work. They also have a key to the shop so they can come and go as they please for their appointments.

"This gives a chance for these women to supplement their income and still take care of their children and family," noted owner Marcheta Hight. The salon also offers full booth rentals.

For more information, contact Marcheta at 246-4015.

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JB's Doll Houses and Miniatures, 168 S. 4th Ave., will be closed until Aug. 11 while owner Jackie Bruno is attending the National Association of Miniature Enthusiasts Convention in Indianapolis and shopping for collectible doll house treasures.

The business helps customers assemble, decorate and furnish doll houses, room boxes and vignettes. For more information, visit www.JBsDollHousesMiniatures.com.

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With the $1.7 million Pappy Boyington hangar nearing completion at Yuma International Airport, local contractor LoCoco-Pilkington Construction Co. owners Jerry LoCoco and Drew Pilkington decided the occasion was worth celebrating by cooking up a barbecue for the local subcontractors and their crews.

The 15,000-square-foot hangar, located on 40th Street and 4th Avenue extension, is the first in a series of new facilities to be located in the airport’s Defense Contractor Complex. The hangar will provide maintenance and technical space for defense contractors who support the Marines Corps Air Station Yuma, the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground and other Department of Defense programs.

Project completion and grand opening of the Pappy Boyington hangar is anticipated for late fall.

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Toppers nightclub at the corner of 8th Street and Magnolia Avenue is sporting a sign with the new name Stiletto's Gentlemen's Bar.

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Report Comings and Goings to jlobeck@yumasun.com or 539-6853.