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On the Move

Kum & Go buys hundreds of properties throughout metro

3/31/2015

After purchasing a large space of real estate with plans to move its headquarters to downtown Des Moines, Kum & Go has begun acquiring several properties and spaces of land throughout the Des Moines metro. At the time of Kum & Go’s purchase of the Gas Lamp building in February, the company had spent about $14 million on land around the site of the proposed headquarters. Now, just a month later, Kum & Go has spent an addition $48.3 million on properties in Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny, Johnston and Grimes. Some of the properties include Legends, Joker’s and The Exchange bars downtown and the Grimes Post Office. Officials at those places said they are unsure of what will happen to their businesses at this time, but Joker’s owners stated that it was in the agreement that Kum & Go would have to keep the large, smoke-blowing clown fixtures regardless of what the company does with the space.

 

Dahl’s attempts to make early comeback

After filing for bankruptcy near the end of last year, seven Dahl’s locations were closed or sold in the Des Moines area. Now, just weeks after it was announced that Price Chopper and Cash Saver would take over most of the closing stores, Dahl’s has announced it will be building a brand-new grocery store in Urbandale. While many residents were surprised at the news, Dahl’s has not yet said how it intends to run the store following the bankruptcy announcement. However, a store representative did say the new grocery store would look exactly like all of the old stores and that nothing would change in terms of product offerings, prices, number of employees or employee salaries. Retirement plans are still in question.

 

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Bacon specialty store to open in Des Moines

A specialty meat store will open on April 16 in the space formerly owned by Campbell’s Nutrition. Called Bacon Bacon Bacon — a possible jab at Jethro’s BBQ and Bacon Bacon — the store will offer 24 different types of bacon, including a special section dedicated to various flavors of cat bacon. In addition to the large quantities of bacon, the store will sell seasonings, bacon cookbooks and cooking oils. Call 515-BACON or visit www.catbaconornobacon.com.

 

Reverse parking on downtown bridges to be eliminated

Following the test-driving of Apple’s new iCars in the metro, city officials have decided the reverse parking spots on the bridges downtown will not work for the driverless cars, which proved to have a hard time navigating the lines in reverse. While Des Moines officials said real people have absolutely no troubles backing into the slanted spots, especially in the midst of heavy traffic and pedestrians, the spots are not suited to automatic cars. The parking spaces will instead be changed to forward-slanting spaces. iCar test-drivers said the vehicles had no problems pulling forward into spaces. Several residents have voiced complaints, saying they shouldn’t have to sacrifice their favorite method of reverse parking for driverless cars.

 

Babies ‘n’ Beers opens in Johnston

A new bar and daycare combination service has opened in Johnston across from the middle school. Babies ‘n’ Beers features all the elements of a bar, but it also has an attached daycare area where parents can bring their children while they attend happy hour. Complete with “beer sitters,” the daycare accepts children up to 10 years old to babysit while their parents partake in the late-night fun. Non-alcoholic cocktails, also known as “mocktails,” are available for children to sip while guardians drink the hard stuff in the other room. iCars will soon be available for a safe ride home. Babies ‘n’ Beers is open Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 a.m., and Friday through Sunday, 6 a.m. to 3 a.m. Call 1-800-DAY-BEERS for more information.

 

Animal feed store opens to serve urban farmers

A new feed store has opened on Court Avenue in Des Moines to accommodate the growing number of urban farmers in the metro. City Fresh Feeds offers a variety of livestock feeds and care items, including seed mixtures and chicken coops. City Fresh boasts affordable prices and high-quality items suited for all sorts of animals, from chickens to goats. Open 24-hours. Call 515-GOAT-CHOW. APRIL FOOLS

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