Published: October 17, 2009 10:56 am      

Several new businesses dot downtown Jeffersonville

Restaurant, gift shops, salons open up shop

JEFFERSONVILLE — Chad Sprigler wants his new restaurant to be the kind of place you visit and feel as though you’re on vacation.

There’s an island theme; the head chef comes straight from Hawaii; and each weekend will bring a different, fresh seafood option, such as oysters, tuna, mahi-mahi.

Sonny’s Island Grill & The Bamboo Lounge, located on the corner of Spring Street and Riverside Drive, had a soft opening last week.

“I think, in our location, people want a different thing,” Sprigler said. “Good food at a good price.”

Sonny’s grill is on the lower level of the building.

The Bamboo Lounge — more of a sports bar atmosphere with couches and a pool table — is located upstairs. Live music is planned there on weekends and karaoke night is on Wednesday.

The spot has been other restaurants and bars over the last few years. It was Jimmy’s on the River; then Jerry’s on the River; then the Menu most recently.

However, Sprigler said his goal is to get residents to come in and take a look at how much $40,000 in renovations can change a place.

TWO CHICK AND CO. JEWELRY & GIFTS

Two Chicks and Co. Jewelry & Gifts — a store selling everything from jewelry and purses to home décor such as rugs and lamps — opens Friday.

The small chain is Kentucky-based, with its original location in Lexington. There’s another store on Shelbyville Road in Louisville.

“We just decided we really needed a store like it [in Indiana,]” said Donna Coots, one of the two chicks opening the Jeffersonville location.

She said she plans to sell “all kinds of unique gift items” popular for weddings and showers. The store also does gift wrapping — not just with prefab boxes and paper but with bows and bags.

“People love getting a Two Chicks gift,” Coots said.

Additionally, she said, the company plans to get involved with the community by partnering with local charities. The business has already been getting its name out, setting up a booth at New Albany’s Harvest Homecoming Festival last week.



BIG HAIR PEACE

Big Hair Peace, a new salon, opened a few weeks ago on Spring Street in the location previously occupied by Baby Chic.

Owner Lisa Carvis encourages customers to come in for what she promises will be “the best hair cut of their lives.”

The business offers hair-styling, scalp massages and other beauty services. There’s also merchandise such as purses, wallets, sheet sets and other items for sale.



STUDIO GLAM

Studio Glam has been open for about three months in what’s known as the Triangle Building, 130 W. Court Ave.

“It’s getting busy,” Owner Tonya DaValos said.

Aside from being a full-service salon, she also works with photographers who offer what she calls “glam shots.” It’s a service she offers as customers call for an appointment. Additionally, she teaches hair and makeup classes for interested customers.

She said she decided to move into the Triangle Building for a couple of reasons.

“I always drove by and I like how it’s visible,” DaValos said. “I like anything that’s so unique.”

HOT ON SPRING

Hot on Spring — an oxygen bar and tanning salon — opened on Spring Street in Jeffersonville over the summer. Customers pay to breathe 95 percent pure, fragranced oxygen, which is dispensed through disposable nostril tubes.

In an interview right after opening, owner Stephanie Garner noted that such establishments have gained popularity in Europe.

The business makes no claim of any health benefits from breathing purified oxygen. It’s for recreational purposes only, she said. The business also doubles as a tanning salon and sells lotions, tanning products and “little black dresses,” she said.

FOREVERMORE II

ForeverMore II — an antiques, jewelry, furniture and etceteras store — opened in June.

Debbie Stevens, who handles estate sales for families in the area, decided that a storefront could help sell items.

She had previously owned a business in Louisville, called ForeverMore, which closed in 2000. More recently, she owned a business called Bargain Cottage, on the corner of 10th and Penn streets.

BABY CHIC

Baby Chic — which bills itself as a store for “trendy babies and their mommies” — has moved to 426 Spring St., the space previously occupied by Gatherings.