It's showtime for Top of the Kress
It's showtime at the Top of the Kress, with the rhythm and blues lounge, banquet room and rooftop lounge now open seven days a week in the former Kress building at 284 S. Main St. The building has undergone extensive renovations and improvements by owner Frank Ruiz to create the new entertainment center in downtown Yuma.
Last week, DaBoyz Italian Cuisine opened on the ground floor of the building.
The rhythm and blues lounge will feature comedy hour, followed by live out-of-town entertainment for sophisticated adults on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, said Mark Ruiz, general manager. Wednesdays will be salsa night with dance lessons and entertainment. Sundays through Tuesdays, music for a younger crowd will be provided.
Ruiz said a dress code will be enforced.
The banquet room will seat 150 for special events and conferences, with an in-house catering staff. To reserve the room, call 7782-1998.
The rooftop lounge offers a full bar and great view of the surrounding area, Ruiz said.
Access to the third floor and rooftop is either by stairs in front or a four-story elevator in back.
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Plans have been submitted for the grading work and site preparation for a new produce cooler to be developed by 4E Investments on the southeast corner of 32nd Street and Avenue 3-1/2E, reported Alan Kircher, deputy city of Yuma building official.
The property currently is outside the city but is being annexed. The Yuma City Council and Yuma County Board of Supervisors recently each approved an intergovernmental agreement to expedite the development process. The developer hopes to have the cooler, Greengate Fresh Produce, open by November for the next produce season.
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In other city of Yuma building activity, Kircher reported:
• The building permits have been issued for the new Arizona Department of Economic Security office building to be constructed on Redondo Center Drive just south of Home Depot. Site preparation work is already under way for the 40,000-square-foot building.
• Permits have been issued for a new office and warehouse for Arizona Land and Construction at 4592 E. 30th Place in the Curtis Industrial Complex.
• Plans are under review for tenant improvements for Best Nails and Spa No. 3 at 340 W. 24th St.
• Plans have been submitted for tenant improvements for an 8,600-square-foot space for Westbred Seeds at 3016 E. 33rd Place in Ramster. Essco of Arizona also occupies a portion of that building.
• The Yuma International Airport has submitted plans to convert the former Bet Ko hangar at 3081 S. Burch Way on the west side of the airport into a reception area and lounge for private pilots and their clients.
• About the tenant improvement plans announced last week for Old Navy, the store will undergo a complete change in its layout for a fresh, new look.
• Demolition is well under way of the strip center at 1660 S. 4th Ave. where Pets Plus and some other businesses previously were located.
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A reader called Friday to report some sign activity at FedEx Kinko's at 1890 S. 4th Ave. this morning.
People can rest assured the business is the same company offering the same services, said Matthew Smith, who was recently made the store's general manager. "We just have a brand-new name and brand-new signs."
Smith explained that FedEx had bought out Kinko's about seven years ago and the stores had been going by FedEx. Now the stores are being called FedEx Office.
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Nouveau Beauty Cosmetic Center, 2144 W. 24th St., Suite B, is now offering a variety of medical skin care treatments such as Botox, peels, facials, microdermabrasion and laser hair removal. A variety of cosmetic product lines also are available.
The business is open seven days a week and can be reached at 782-0554. Call for an appointments; walk-ins are welcome. For more information, visit www.nouveaubeauty.com.
Service provider will be Maria Bueno, a certified nurse practitioner and part owner of the business. She graduated from the University of Phoenix and has training in clinical aesthetics, facial rejuvenation with laser and phototherapy. She is a member of American Academy of Medical Esthetic Professionals and International Association for Physicians in Aesthetic Medicine.
Other owners include medical director Dr. Henry Florez, marketing director Amanda Barton, and Oscar and Procoro Bueno.
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With the closure of Full Circle, readers have been asking where they can buy the healthier items they had purchased there in the past.
In response, Nature's Express, a healthier fast food restaurant, has begun retailing many of the hard-to-find healthier items that Full Circle used to carry, announced owner Dr. Carl Myers. Some of these items are nondairy cheese and sour cream, tempeh, baked tofu, whole wheat pastry flour, red lentils, quinoa, soy yogurt, organic herbs and spices and gluten-free items.
An order sheet can be picked up at Nature's Express, 2905 S. 4th Ave. Orders placed by 5 p.m. Wednesday will be available for pick up by 8 a.m. Saturday. Online ordering will be available after April 1. Special requests can be filled on a case-by-case basis.
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The April issue of Arizona Highways magazine features its picks of the top 25 restaurants in the state. Among them is Los Manjares de Pepe of Yuma.
The mission of the magazine is to promote travel in Arizona, and the annual restaurant listing provides another reason for people to visit other communities, said editor Robert Stieve.
The highlighted restaurants are picked by the editorial board from suggestions around the state that staff has checked out, trying to encourage people to try something different, Stieve said.
Los Manjares de Pepe, 2187 W. 8th St., stood out in a state that's filled with Mexican restaurants, he said.
Last year, the magazine featured Julieanna's Patio Cafe in Yuma.
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Rick and Lynn Hibbard, owners of Rick's Auto Solution Service have purchased the property they had been leasing for their business at 4615 E. 30th Place.
The Hibbards had taken over the business, formerly known as Auto Solution, last year.
The shop provides auto body and painting, collision and frame service. Call 920-4734.
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Pancrazi-Schofield Family Insurance, 333 W. 8th St., will have its annual customer appreciation day on Saturday in the parking lot, with food and gifts for the agency's customers from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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Texas Roadhouse restaurants throughout Arizona raised $6,168 for the families of Officer Chris Marano and Lt. Eric Shuhandler, who were both killed in the line of duty.
Of that total, Yuma's Texas Roadhouse raised $963 by donating 10 percent of all dinner proceeds on the evening of Feb. 22.
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Report Comings and Goings to jlobeck@yumasun.com or 539-6853.
