Dahl’s stores remain open under different name

Kansas-based Associated Wholesale Grocers Inc. bought seven of the 10 remaining Dahl’s stores for $2.45 million at a bankruptcy auction in January. Those stores will remain open in the metro but under a new name that will likely be announced sometime this spring. The other Dahl’s locations will be closed by the middle of March. Associated Wholesale Grocers will remodel and rebrand the stores during the next 18 months as it recovers from filing for bankruptcy back in November 2014.

More than 1,500 apartments set for western suburbs

Des Moines’ western suburbs will test the demand for the area’s rental market by adding more than 1,500 new apartments in the next year. Developers say they are confident that continued growth in jobs and retail around Jordan Creek Town Center will attract new tenants. Six out of nine projects to be developed are located near Jordan Creek, while one is in Clive and two will be in Waukee.

Workwear retailer to open in Ankeny

Duluth Trading Co. is set to open its first Iowa location in spring or summer at 2732 S.E. Delaware Ave., Suite 210, in Ankeny’s Crossroads Shopping Center. The store will be 12,250 square feet and located in the former Phillips Floor. Duluth sells men’s and women’s clothing, gear and accessories. The company will hold a job fair Feb. 19-22 at the Fairfield Inn & Suites, 215 N.E. Delaware Ave., Ankeny. Interested applicants may also apply online at www.duluthtrading.com.

Jimmy John’s adds three metro locations

Three new Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwich shops were opened in the metro between January and February. S. Ahmed Merchant, a franchisee and chief executive of Merchant Investments Inc., opened a store on Jan. 1 at 1315 S.W. Oralabor Road in Ankeny and another on Jan. 20 at 12711 Meredith Drive in Urbandale. He added another location at 3918 Fleur Drive in Des Moines early in February. Merchant Investments operates 32 Jimmy John’s locations in Iowa, all of which are open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Call the Ankeny store at 515-289-0007; Urbandale at 515-331-6634; and Fleur Drive at 515-287-2773.

Keller’s deli closes downtown

Keller’s has closed the doors to its downtown restaurant at 623 Grand Ave., citing a shortage of business to maintain profits. Cameron Keller opened the deli, bakery and café in October 2011 after selling homemade breads at the Downtown Farmers Markets. The building is owned by the city of Des Moines and is scheduled to be demolished in order to make room for a new parking ramp.

Mexican restaurant to open in Ankeny

Abelardo’s will open its sixth metro location at 209 S. Ankeny Blvd., in March. It will fill the space of the former Long John Silver’s restaurant, which was closed in June 2014. The new restaurant will offer new menu items such as chicken wings, salads and a Mexican dog, which is a hot dog topped with whole beans, bacon and pico de gallo. The Ankeny Abelardo’s will seat about 30 people and use the drive-thru window. Abelardo Gonzalez opened his first restaurants in the metro four years ago, and he has locations in Des Moines at 2510 Ingersoll Ave. and 5525 Douglas Ave. and in West Des Moines at 300 Grand Ave. and 5525 Mills Civic Parkway. Abelardo’s is an Omaha-based company, but Gonzalez announced plans to open a couple more restaurants in the Des Moines metro, naming Altoona, Pleasant Hill and Waukee as possible sites. The Ankeny location will be open 6 a.m. to 2 a.m., Monday through Thursday, and 6 a.m. to 4 a.m., Friday through Sunday. Visit www.abelardosmexicanfood.com or find it on Facebook.

Des Moines City Council endorses housing projects

The Des Moines City Council endorsed 18 housing projects all seeking tax credits in January. In total, the projects could bring in about $210 million in construction and more than 1,000 new housing units to the city within the next two years. About $21 million was issued, mostly through tax abatements, and the projects are vying for approximately $11.8 million in state workforce housing tax credits to be issued by the Iowa Economic Development Authority. CV