Illinois
It’s Your Business | Martinelli’s Market in Champaign is much more than that
Dec. 25—The brand new Martinelli’s Market in downtown Champaign is an Italian-inspired deli, a bakery, a restaurant and a retail store all rolled into one.
And if you happen to ask co-owner Lauren Brokish what a few of the signature sandwiches are, the primary three she names are the turkey, pastrami and corned-beef rubens.
These sandwiches are “large” and huge sufficient to share, she stated.
Martinelli’s Market at 500 N. Walnut St. is the latest enterprise of Lauren and Jeffrey Brokish, additionally the house owners of Central Illinois Bakehouse and Pekara Bakery and Bistro.
The primary Martinelli’s was opened by Jeffrey Brokish’s grandfather in Wisconsin within the Nineteen Forties, and it closed within the Nineties, Lauren Brokish stated.
The brand new Martinelli’s is constant the household custom, she stated.
The restaurant/store options Central Illinois Bakehouse’s fresh-baked breads, a deli case, cheeses, two pastry instances, distinctive specialty gadgets and a few grocery staples for the downtown group.
The idea is you may are available in and get what you want for a meal, Lauren Brokish stated.
Along with sandwiches — each meat and veggie choices — the menu consists of selfmade matzo-ball soup, salads, small bites and charcuterie. A number of the day by day specials embrace focaccia pizza and spanakopita.
That is the second Brokish-operated Martinelli’s Market location. The primary one to open is in Bloomington.
There’s a big free adjoining parking zone out there for Champaign prospects, Lauren Brokish stated.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday by means of Saturday.
Danville bar bought
Nichole Lesko, who operates Mimi’s Kitchen and Catering Service in Danville, can also be the brand new proprietor of Iron Mike’s Bar & Grill at 2511 Georgetown Highway.
Lesko stated she purchased the bar in October, however has been conserving that information beneath wraps till she might get some issues accomplished — together with modifications to the menu with new day by day specials.
She’s conserving the title the identical. (Mike was her late father’s title, she stated.)
Hours at Iron Mike’s are 10 a.m. to midnight seven days per week.
Integrity awards
Two native companies have been given Higher Enterprise Bureau Torch Awards for enterprise ethics.
They embrace Millikan Masonry in Urbana, and Credit score Union 1 in Rantoul.
The Central Illinois Higher Enterprise Bureau, which serves 36 counties, obtained 70 nominations for these awards.
As well as, Chris Manning of Millikan Masonry was awarded a Higher Enterprise Bureau customer support award.
Change in management
Downtown undertaking within the works
The town of Champaign has issued a constructing allow for the previous Spritz Jewelers retailer at 205 N. Neil St.
The property proprietor, Champaign-based Hamilton Walker Actual Property Holdings, purchased the constructing in 2019.
The undertaking features a transforming for business house on the primary flooring and flats on the second story, in response to the allow.
Spritz Jewelers moved to a unique downtown location at 205 W. Park Ave., C.
Residence gross sales replace
A restricted stock of houses in the marketplace saved gross sales costs larger in November than they had been a yr in the past, at the same time as rates of interest have doubled, in response to the Champaign County Affiliation of Realtors.
The median home-sale worth within the Champaign County space rose 10 p.c in November to $192,500, in contrast with $175,000 in November 2021.
The typical sale worth within the space for November was $227,034, a virtually 8.7 p.c improve over the identical month final yr.
“Whereas mortgage charges in November had been double from the place they had been a yr in the past, dwelling costs proceed to be larger than the earlier yr on account of restricted stock,” stated Realtors affiliation President P.J. Trautman. “November dwelling gross sales are again to pre-COVID ranges, which is regular for our market space.”
Whereas costs are up, the variety of dwelling gross sales within the Champaign County space had been nonetheless down for November and for the yr up to now.
November dwelling gross sales had been down simply over 20 p.c in in contrast with November 2021, whereas the full houses bought for the yr by means of November was down simply over 9 p.c in contrast with the primary 11 months of final yr.