KOKOMO TRIBUNE
•
SATURDAY, SEPT. 29, 2018
FROM STAFF REPORTS
W
ith the economy
booming, several new
stores and restaurants
have opened around
town in the last year
or have announced upcoming
openings.
They include:
GIASONE’S ITALIAN
RISTORANTE
At one of Kokomo’s newest
restaurants, you’ll find fine din-
ing and an intimate atmo-
sphere with prices to rival Ol-
ive Garden and Texas Road-
house.
Giasone’s Italian Ristorante
officially opened in September,
offering unique food, reason-
able prices, live music and an
elegant setting.
The restaurant, owned by Ja-
son Gray, is tucked away inside
a quiet courtyard at 2130 W.
Sycamore St. Suite 210. The
building once housed restau-
rants including The Quarry
and A. Michaels.
To make reservations for Gi-
asone’s Italian Ristorante, call
765-450-7353.
UPSCALE RESALE
WAREHOUSE
Kokomo has a new place to
find inexpensive furniture
thanks to one mother-daughter
duo.
Billie Laughman and her
mother, Sue Franklin, opened
Upscale Resale Warehouse at
the beginning of August at
1022 S. Main St., offering a va-
riety of new furniture at low
prices.
Some of the items they sell
were returned to stores for var-
ious reasons, like the color
didn’t match the buyer’s other
furniture or it turned out to be
too big, Laughman said. They
find most of their products
from places like Costco and
Wayfair.
For more information, call
the store at 765-450-3983 or
visit their Facebook page at
salewarehouseLLC.
PRODIGY BURGER
& BAR
While the Boozy Milkshakes
will likely be a draw, Jeremiah
Hamman is hoping his wide
selection of craft burgers will
entice Kokomo crowds to Mar-
kland Mall.
Prodigy Burger & Bar will of-
fer Kokomo residents and visi-
tors a fun atmosphere and di-
verse menu starting later this
year, Hamman said. He hopes
to open the location at the
Markland Mall by the start of
October.
The restaurant has seen suc-
cess over the last 10 months in
Carmel, where Hamman
opened the first Prodigy restau-
rant last year.
MO JOE COFFEE CO.
Robert Cox and Jeramie
Dodd opened a new coffee
shop in May in downtown
Kokomo called MO Joe Coffee
Co., located at 106 N. Main St.
While working overseas in
Dubai and Afghanistan, where
he trained law enforcement,
Cox said he fell in love with
the European coffee scene. He
described the scene as one less
centered on the commercialism
that’s so prevalent in chain
American cafés, and more fo-
cused on relaxation – or a
place that you can hunker
down and get some work done.
MO Joe Coffee Co. is on
Facebook.
THE HOBSON
Leslie Bolinger and her hus-
band D.J. wanted to honor the
historic roots of the old city
building, located at 110 N.
Washington St., and that’s ex-
actly what they did with The
Hobson, a classic yet modern
event venue on the second
floor of the building.
After hosting its first event in
January – the wedding of the
Bolingers’ son – Bolinger said
there are several upcoming
bookings for the venue, which
she described as intimate.
“It’s a nice, intimate yet airy
space,” said Bolinger.
With a full ballroom, bar and
two luxury suits, The Hobson is
meant for around 150 to 175 ca-
pacity. The entire space was re-
modeled to resemble the style
Richardsonian Romanesque –
the style popularized by 19th
century architect Henry Hobson
Richardson, who serves as The
Hobson’s namesake.
The Hobson can be contacted
at 765-457-8020.
MARKLAND MALL
Gravity Trampoline Park
opened earlier this year and is
a huge hit with families
around town.
Meanwhile, construction con-
tinues at Markland Mall and
new stores will include Aldi;
Party City; PetSmart; Ross
Dress for Less; and OshKosh
B’gosh, a children’s clothing
store associated with Carter’s.
The redevelopment project
will be fully operational by
2019.
Also coming to Markland
Mall is JBistro’s Pizza, a local
restaurant taking over the for-
mer home of Bella Pizzeria;
KnockerBall Kokomo, owner of
the inflatable bubbles that al-
low people to slam into each
other without injury; and Soul
Sisters boutique.
A bigger deal, perhaps, is the
evolution underway inside the
former home of Carson’s,
which closed in late August af-
ter its parent company, Bon-
Ton, filed for bankruptcy ear-
lier this year.
While Halloween City will
temporarily fill the space until
early November, Markland
Mall and Plaza General Man-
ager James Radabaugh, said
the mall is “all ears” when it
comes to another temporary or
possibly permanent solution.
He noted that Markland Mall
has been approached by both
national tenants interested in
the site and people who want
to divide the area and utilize
numerous, smaller spaces.
BELLE TIRE KOKOMO
Sirens sounded and lights
flashed, but there wasn’t an
emergency at Belle Tire
Kokomo in May. It was a grand
opening celebration.
Children of all ages were
able to participate in a free
Touch-a-Truck event with local
public safety officials as a part
of the grand opening. There
was also a flag raising, race
cars and a food truck at the
event.
Belle Tire President Don Bar-
nes III was in town for the
grand opening, which also
marked the business’s 100th lo-
cation. The full-service auto re-
pair company was founded in
1922 in Detroit, Michigan, and
has since opened 86 stores in
Michigan, four stores in Ohio
and 10 stores in Indiana.
The new Kokomo store is lo-
cated at 2333 E. Markland Ave.
TACO BELL
A new Taco Bell is headed
to an area just south of down-
town Kokomo.
Slated for property near the
intersection of South Union
Street and East Markland Ave-
nue, west of Home Avenue, the
project has started the journey
toward government approval.
If approved, the fast food
restaurant will be Kokomo’s
fourth Taco Bell. The other
three are located at 1310 N.
Reed Road; 2212 W. Sycamore
St.; and 3801 S. Reed Road.
CHECK OUT THE NEW BUSINESSES!
NEW RESTAURANTS, SHOPS WILL BOOST AREA
UPSCALE RESALE WAREHOUSE
GIASONE’S ITALIAN RISTORANTE
PRODIGY BURGER & BAR
BELLE TIRE KOKOMO
MO JOE COFFEE CO.
THE HOBSON
MARKLAND MALL
