Columbus’ newest hotel officially opened its doors to guests on Wednesday.
The La Quinta Inn, located at 1200 Highway 45 N., offers 103 rooms. Developer John Tampa extensively renovated the 40-year-old building to transform the former Ramada Inn, which closed in 2016.
A manager of Party and Paper at 411 Main St. said the store could officially close by the end of this month. In the meantime, it is running numerous sales to minimize its inventory.
Party and Paper, owned by Susan McKay, opened as a gift shop on Fifth Street in 1984. The store moved to its Main Street location in early 2017.
In Starkville, Gondolier Italian Restaurant and Pizza is preparing to open in early August at the new 550 Russell development on Russell Street.
The family-owned restaurant will serve nearly 50 dishes, ranging from Greek gyros to Italian manicotti. Since Old Venice closed downtown in 2016, Gondolier will be adding to the slim Italian scene in Starkville.
After immigrating to America from Greece, Vasilios Sioutis opened the first Gondolier in 1974 in Cleveland, Tennessee. With more than 40 years in business, the Sioutis family expanded to multiple cities in Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky and now, Mississippi.
Mugshots Grill and Bar, formerly located on Main Street, officially opened its new spot at 550 Russell last week. The new location offers more seating for patrons and even a dog-friendly patio area, according to Mark Castleberry, the developer for the 550 Russell project.
Lastly, Backstage Music, located at 115 MS-12, was recognized on June 30 during the Summer National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) show in Nashville, Tennessee, as one of the Top 100 Music Stores in the World. About 5,000 music stores were considered for spots on the Top 100 list.
Backstage Music, which offers musical instruments, audio/visual equipment and more, opened in 1978.
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