Three new Mt. Vernon businesses open, one closes

While small shops crop up in town, one big business hits the real estate market after closing
 
Recently, three new businesses have opened their doors in Mt. Vernon, while another one closed. The following is a quick look at coming and going commerce in Mt. Vernon.
Ida Mae’s Foods:
Ida Mae’s Foods is operated by Mt. Vernon native Shari Linder Copenhaver. Copenhaver, the former owner of Red Barn Café, opened Ida Mae’s earlier this year after deciding she wanted to have her business in Mt. Vernon again.
“The opportunity came up, and I was glad to come home,” she said.
Named for Copenhaver’s grandmother, Ida Mae’s offers several baked goods, including pies, cakes, and other pastries, all baked from scratch on site.
Ida Mae’s is located at 929 S. McCanse Street in Mt. Vernon and is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday. For more information, or to place an order, call (417) 461-0301 or go online at www.idamaefoods. com.
Hodgepodge Paisley by Nancy:
Located next to Ida Mae’s, Hodgepodge Paisley by Nancy offers sewing classes, custom sewing, and minor alterations. Owner Nancy Venable said she originally offered the sewing classes from home, but eventually ran out of space.
“I had been giving sewing classes in the summer to young girls here in my home near Halltown for the last few years,” she said, “and I had kind of outgrown my kitchen table. So, my husband and I decided that either I had reached my potential here, or we would have to open a studio somewhere.” Hodgepodge also has open sewing available, which offers a workspace for people who want to do their own sewing. Gift shop items made by Venable and other local vendors are also available.
Hodgepodge Paisley by Nancy is located at 933 S. McCanse Street. For more information, call (417) 773-8171 or visit the studio’s Facebook page.

Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless has returned to Mt. Vernon, after leaving town more than a year ago. Verizon opened their doors on a new Mt. Vernon Boulevard location Saturday, June 15. The store offers a complete line of Verizon phones and accessories, plus other services.
Store associate Ryan England said customers who want to get a new phone or switch over from an old phone have a wide range of options with Verizon.
The store will have a ribbon cutting on Monday, July 1. Details are still being hammered out, but England said he believes the event will include food and some prizes.
Verizon Wireless is located on the Loop at 318 W. Mt. Vernon Blvd. A phone number is still in the process of being set up; in the meantime, more information can be found at the store’s Facebook page. England also said customers can e-mail him at rengland@ep-wireless.com.

Timberlakes Products
Timberlakes Products appears to be going out of business. The plant is now for sale through Reece Nichols; the asking price for the 9,600 square foot building is $6 million.
The Record reported the plant ceased operations in March. At the time, Dr. Phillip Yang, of Timberlakes, blamed the closure on steel tariffs between China and the United States, but had also promised that the plant would reopen when conditions were more favorable.
President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese goods last year, citing theft of United States intellectual property by China. He also said the tariffs would make the United States “a much stronger, a much richer nation.” China retaliated by imposing a 15-percent tariff on 120 products it imports from the United States, and a 25-precent tariff on eight other products.