Main Street in Columbus has a new tenant.
The law firm of Crowell Gillis & Cooper is now located at 322 Main St. The firm, whose attorneys have been practicing in the Golden Triangle for more than four decades, moved to the new spot from the Regions Bank building at 710 Main St. Attorney John Crowell said the firm made the move to give clients better access and because it is a better location.
The building — between the old Masonic Lodge and the Tennessee Williams Welcome Center — was home to Rex’s Rentals for eight years. Late last year, Rex’s Rentals moved to Second Avenue North.
Meanwhile, a group of local investors purchased the building and began renovations on its 5,000 square feet. The interior was gutted, the first and second floor were reorganized, a new storefront was installed and new technology was brought in, according to Crowell. It all took seven months. Now it’s ready. The firm’s attorneys are Crowell, William F. Gillis, Will T. Cooper and Elizabeth Jones.
More changes are in store for that end of Main Street. Remember — $200,000 worth of work is being put toward the restoration of two alleyways between Catfish Alley and the Tennessee Williams Home and Welcome Center. The Mississippi Department of Transportation, the city and the Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau are footing the bill on the project, which officials say should be complete by early next year.
Staying in Columbus, Leigh Mall has had two businesses close in the last month.
One is Seys Sports Bar and Grill. The watering hole and restaurant had been located in the mall since 2006. Neither Seys management or Leigh Mall management would comment on the record about the reasons behind the closing.
Deep South Sports, which opened in the mall in April, is also closed. All that appears to be left of the sports merchandise store is the sign above its doorway. The lights were off, the doors were closed and locked, and no merchandise appeared to be inside the store Wednesday. Its owners did not respond to messages seeking comment.
Lastly, a few weeks ago we reported that Ceco Building Systems had placed a “We’re Moving” sign in front of its Highway 45 North offices. At the time, we were unable to get a rundown of the company’s plans. Now we have.
Ceco officials tell The Dispatch they have decided to sell their property in Columbus and move into a new facility. They did not say where the new facility will be located, but Tara Self, a marketing coordinator with Ceco, said they plan to stay in the Columbus area. The company is actively looking for a location, she said.
The current facility is nearly 50 years old.
“We will take this opportunity to upgrade our office to provide a state of the art facility for our talented employees to work as well as one that can showcase our vast product offerings,” Ceco President Tim Schrock said in a statement.
Ceco employs 76 people in Columbus.
The company was founded here in 1947. It is one of the nation’s largest designers and builders of steel buildings.
William Browning was managing editor for The Dispatch until June 2016.
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