Heart of Grace Boutique
A former employee in the food service industry transitioned into a first-time business owner with the Sept. 8 opening of Heart of Grace Boutique in Ozark. Tisha Wade said she invested around $5,000 to start her roughly 450-square-foot store at 202 E. Elm St., Ste. C. She declined to disclose lease terms with landlord Kyle Estes. The two-employee shop sells a full line of women’s clothing in sizes small to 3X but also has fashion options for men and children. The boutique’s other products include home decor, shoes, purses and soaps – generally priced $3-$55, she said. Wade said she most recently worked in the nutrition and food service department with the Ozark R-6 School District but had long desired to own a boutique.
Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday
Phone: 417-337-4861
Web: OzarkBoutique.com
Aldi
Grocery chain Aldi made its Branson debut with the Nov. 4 opening of a store at 1231 Branson Hills Parkway. Aldi purchased a 2.2-acre vacant lot for undisclosed terms in 2019 to build the roughly 12,000-square-foot store at The Shoppes at Branson Hills, according to Columbia-based Lindler Properties President Jay Lindner, who represented seller Branson Shoppes Group LLC in the deal. Mark Bersted, a divisional vice president for Aldi, said the Branson store employs around 20. He said the company operates more than 2,000 stores in 36 states and has doubled its store count over the past decade. Aldi also is investing more than $5 billion to remodel 1,300 of its existing stores and add hundreds more to its roster by the end of 2022, he said. A year ago, the company spent roughly $1.2 million to convert part of the old Ruby’s Market on East Sunshine Street into its third Springfield store, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting. Aldi also operates in Bolivar, Nixa and Republic, according to its website.
Hours: 9 a.m.-8 p.m. daily
Phone: 855-955-2534
Web: Aldi.us
Garde’n Gate Provisions
Ozark-based nonprofit Garde’n Gate Provisions opened a thrift store and donation center Aug. 1 at 1142 W. Jackson St. The store is located across from Ozark Junior High School and serves as the fundraising arm for the 501(c)(3) organization started in 2019 by Marcia Bell, who also owns resale shop The Avant Garde’n LLC. Anna Hogue, who is co-CEO of the nonprofit with Bell, said the thrift store fills roughly 3,000 square feet formerly occupied by Family Pharmacy, which shuttered earlier this year. The adjacent donation center is around 1,500 square feet, she said, declining to disclose lease terms or startup costs. Furniture, kitchenware, linens, shoes and tools are among products sold at the thrift store, which accepts donations of most every item except for box televisions and soiled mattresses, Hogue said. Since starting, the nonprofit has provided community necessities to other groups, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks and Foster Adopt Connect, she said.
Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday
Phone: 417-485-0312
Web: GardenGateProvisions.org
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TLC Properties’ family-owned and operated 55 plus living communities are built for active adults living the best years of their lives.
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Annually 8 million work days are lost due to intimate partner violence. That is the equivalent of 35,000 full time jobs. This four-part series provided by Harmony House offers training, downloadable resources and community resources available to help owners, managers and workplace colleagues learn how to recognize and respond if an employee is experiencing intimate partner violence. This first session explains what intimate partner violence is and is not, as well as describes the seven forms of abuse: physical, sexual, psychological, emotional, spiritual, legal and financial/economic. Also download helpful information and tools to address intimate partner violence in your company.
Part 2 of the Harmony House workplace training series delves into intimate partner violence risks and costs in the workplace. Rachel Carter, prevention education coordinator at Harmony House, shares local stories from a business owner and victim to illustrate some of the signs, symptoms and appropriate ways to address intimate partner violence in the workplace. Also download helpful information and tools to address intimate partner violence in your company.
Part 3 of the Harmony House workplace training series examines red flags you should look for if you suspect somebody is the victim of intimate partner violence and provides useful information about what to say and what not to say. Also download helpful information and tools to address intimate partner violence in your company.
Part 4 of the Harmony House workplace training series connects you with local and national resources and organizations to share with employees. Download model company policies that address everything from prevention to emergency response plans in the case that a perpetrator brings intimate partner violence to your workplace.
This complete employer toolkit includes four training videos totaling less than 30 minutes, access to model company policies, downloadable informational posters, links to national and local resources and much more. Learn how to prevent and address intimate partner violence to not only support your employees but also protect and improve your business
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