Fong’s Pizza opens second location in Ankeny
4/22/2015The second Fong’s Pizza location opened on April 21 at 1450 S. W. Vintage Parkway, Suite 120, in Ankeny. The spin-off of the original location in downtown Des Moines will seat 155 and feature 88 beers on tap. The new Fong’s will have the popular pizza specialties such as crab rangoon, egg roll, Hunan pork and bacon cheeseburger, as well as some new additions including pasta and rice dishes. Hours are 11 a.m. to midnight, Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Friday; 10 a.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday; and 10 a.m. to midnight, Sunday. Call 243-8888 or find it on Facebook.
New barbershop opens in Des Moines
Platinum Kutz II Barbershop has opened at 5729 Urbandale Ave. in Des Moines. It is owned by Robert Presswood and Martavious Clayton. The original Platinum Kutz was opened by Presswood in 2001 at 2301 University Ave. Call 515-276-1446.
Furnishing store replaces former Clive Kmart
Home furnishing retailer At Home has moved into the empty former Kmart building at 10331 University Ave. The Plano, Texas-based store will spend approximately $3.9 million to renovate the 80,000-square-foot space. Renovations will include the interior, entryway, adding landscaping and making improvements to the parking lot. At Home opened on April 10, and it sells home furnishings including wall art, decorative accents, rugs, housewares and seasonal décor. Hours are 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday. Call 528-6218 or visit www.athome.com.
Holistic pet store opens in Ankeny
Bob Leavens opened Wholesome Pet Essentials in Ankeny’s Campus Crossing Center at 2005 S. Ankeny Boulevard, Suite 200. Leavens combined his love of animals and business to open the natural, holistic pet store. Wholesome Pet Essentials sells natural pet food from safe sources as well as providing a comfortable grooming environment for pets and a self-service pet bathing area. Hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 289-2006 or visit wholesomepetessentials.com.
Bianchi’s Hilltop Restaurant expands hours
Bianchi’s Hilltop Restaurant, located at 2820 Hubbell Ave., Des Moines, has expanded its hours to include lunch. The restaurant offers pizza, salads, soups and sandwiches along with weekly specials. Bianchi’s new hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday. It is open for dinner from 4:30-9:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday; and 4:30-10:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday. Call 265-2746, visit www.bianchishilltoprestaurant.com or find it on Facebook.
Natural grocery market expanding in metro
Three new natural and organic food companies have plans to open in West Des Moines and Clive. Fresh Thyme Farmers Market is planned to move into the former OfficeMax space in West Des Moines’ Clocktower Square, and Fresh Market will open in West Des Moines’ Mills Crossing at 60th Street and Mills Civic Parkway. Denver-based natural food company Natural Grocers announced plans to build a new store in the parking lot of the former Dahl’s location at 86th and Hickman in Clive. Founded in 1955, Natural Grocers has expanded to 95 stores in 16 states and plans to build a 15,000-square-foot space that sells organic produce, prepackaged meats, supplements and body care products. The growing natural foods market has caused New City Market to close. Owner Jim Raife said the new competition has made it hard to compete, and he has decided to retire at the end of April.
Urban Grill owners to open new restaurant in the fall
Dave and Jean Thompson, the owners of the Urban Grill in Urbandale, will open a 6,000-square-foot, yet-unnamed restaurant in the Prairie Trail development of Ankeny this fall. The eatery will be located on Main Street in The District area and will overlook Promenade Lake, a man-made feature in the development. The Thompsons said the new restaurant will be similar to Urban Grill, but it will offer more steak and seafood, a wine bar and a large outdoor patio. Dave Thompson was previously the manager of Skip’s restaurant in Des Moines and Nick’s Bar and Grill in Clive. CV
