Daily Archives: May 7, 2009

Tax issue won’t keep new restaurant from opening

May 7, 20093:53 p.m.

michaelmugMetro Grill and 5-10 Gourmet owner Michael Gonzalez, who on Tuesday told Have You Heard? about a new sit-down restaurant he’s opening at Towne East Square, is almost $22,000 behind on taxes. But he says it’s no big deal.

“I was a little behind on my sales tax, but that’s taken care of,” Gonzalez says. “It’s not going to affect any opening of any restaurant.”

Gonzalez, who is still considering two Towne East entrance locations to open 5-10 by Metro Grill, says the amount he owes is more like $10,000 and that the state must have its figures wrong.

He says he got behind when he combined the billing for his two Towne East food court restaurants and didn’t have a good accountant to help him.

Now, Gonzalez says, he’s on a payment plan and has an accountant “that I can feel comfortable with.”

“She’s at the top of the game, so that’s good.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , Filed under Restaurants, Towne East Square | Comments (3)

Clark’s Fine Jewelry files Chapter 11

May 7, 20093:16 p.m.

Clark’s Fine Jewelry at 21st and Rock filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week. Court documents show $1,590,894 in assets and $1,037,437 in liabilities.

“For us to survive in a downturn economy we’ve had to reorganize our payments to pay our vendors in a fashion that is doable,” owner Gary Clark says. “That’s the purpose of reorganization.”

Clark says nothing has changed day to day at the business, which opened in 1946.

“Absolutely not,” he says. “We’re in business like we have always been.”

Clark says his problems began about a year and a half ago when gas prices went over $2.

He says the last several months have been good for business, though.

“It actually has turned quite a bit to a positive,” Clark says.

Last month, The Eagle reported that Legacy Bank filed suit to foreclose on the jewelry store.

Before that, Clark filed a lawsuit against a company that he says backed out of a deal to buy his property.

Clark says all legal action is stayed because of the bankruptcy.

He’s not sure of a repayment timetable yet, but Clark says, “It’s not a problem to carry it forward.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , Filed under Bankruptcy, Retail | Comments (3)

Former Mel Hambelton body shop sells

May 7, 200911:18 a.m.

Real estate developers George David and Bud Palmerbluebuilding, who have David and Palmer Properties, have purchased the former Mel Hambelton Ford body shop at 37th and Topeka.

They plan to renovate the 9,000-square-foot building and lease it.

“We’re going to dress it up real nice,” David says. “That area up there has really been updated.”

David and Palmer own several buildings near there.

At the new building, they plan to add brick to part of the facade and give the rest of it a paint job.

“They painted it Ford blue, which is hideous,” David says, laughing.

Palmer, who also has Bud Palmer Auction, plans to auction the contents of the building. That includes three paint booths and a number of other things Mel Hambelton Ford sold as part of the deal.

David expects renovations to take about 30 days. Once the deal closes, which will also probably be at least a month, look for details on the auction in Palmer’s weekly Sunday auction listing in The Eagle.

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , Filed under Automobile industry, Building sales, Leases | Comments (1)