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Taffy Massey, CrystallineVelvet
SBJ photo by Wes Hamilton
Taffy Massey, CrystallineVelvet

Open for Business: CrystallineVelvet

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CrystallineVelvet
For her second jewelry store venture, Taffy Massey opened CrystallineVelvet on July 5 at 210 E. Walnut St., Ste. 100. The shop sells artisan jewelry, much of it handmade by Massey, although she intends to add more local artists. Massey said she doesn’t do consignment but rents case space in the store to artists. “I want to support local artists serious about their jewelry making,” she said. With around $15,000 in startup costs, Massey is one of two employees at the roughly 2,500-square-foot shop, which is on a one-year lease for an undisclosed rate with Craig Wagoner of Ozcam LLC. T-shirt retailer Swagbot formerly occupied the space. Massey had operated a jewelry store of the same name for three years in Geneva, Illinois, before closing it in July 2015 to care for family health issues. She moved to Springfield in January 2016 and decided this year to reopen her jewelry store.
Hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Wednesday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Phone: (417) 319-5177
Web: CrystallineVelvet.com

Pitt Technology Group LLC
A year after forming Pitt Technology Group LLC, owners Doug Pitt and Kevin Waterland on Nov. 1 bought two technology firms: AVman & Associates Ltd. and ConceptiCode LLC. Financial terms were not disclosed. AVman, founded in 2001 by Jay Jones, provides audiovisual services to churches, missionaries, schools and businesses. ConceptiCode, a startup software development company, was formed in late 2017 by Will Vandergrift and Arik Griesse. Both AVman and ConceptiCode are moving to Pitt Technology’s Springfield Underground office, with operations slated to be fully merged by January 2019. Combined with its own growth, the acquisitions are expected to bring Pitt Technology’s revenue past $6 million in 2019. AVman is moving its five employees from 500 W. Battlefield Road, while ConceptiCode is relocating from its office in the efactory.
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday
Phone: (417) 831-7077
Web: PittTechnologyGroup.com

The Fat Cat Pizza Co.
Tom Muetzel
, the former owner of Ophelia’s, Sequiota Bike Shop and Finnegan’s Wake, launched a new restaurant in Strafford with the Oct. 15 opening of The Fat Cat Pizza Co. He signed a 10-year lease at 204 S. Highway 125 for undisclosed terms near O’Bannon Bank and Hurricane Bay Car Wash. It was formerly a Fox’s Pizza Den. Fat Cat specialty pizzas range in price from $6.75 for a small five-cheese option to $22.75 for a large with smoked duck, with the menu also featuring pastas, sandwiches, salads, beer and wine. Muetzel declined to disclose startup costs for Fat Cat but said it’s by far the lowest out of any restaurant he’s started. Sequiota Bike Shop closed in March amid a landlord dispute, while Muetzel scrapped plans in December 2017 to reopen Ophelia’s on Commercial Street due to the need for a lengthy remodel to address the discovery of an underground cellar. Muetzel said he sold his share of Finnegan’s Wake to business partner Anne Baker a couple of months after starting to develop the Fat Cat venture.
Hours: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. daily
Phone: (417) 736-0077

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