On Biz: Road House Grill, I Meditate

Swayze movie inspires new restaurant name

It remains to be seen if a picture of Patrick Swayze will adorn its walls.

But manager Jimmy Bekteshi said the actor did influence the name of a new Decatur restaurant that will open in the coming weeks.

"Road House is my favorite movie," Bekteshi said. He smiled when he hinted that he also considered calling it The Double Deuce, the name of the bar in the movie where Swayze worked as a professional "cooler."

The Road House Grill is located at 2805 N. Main St. in what originally was a Pizza Hut and most recently was home to a Solsa American Burrito Co. restaurant.

"It's been a passion of mine to open a restaurant," said Bekteshi, who spent time getting to know the area and what people like to eat while working at the Four Star Family Restaurant in Mount Zion.

The process began about six months ago, with the goal of finding a good building, in a good location with a drive through. He had to settle for two out of three, since the chosen location doesn't have the desired drive through.

He said it was more important to get the business going than to continue what could be a lengthy search for a building that met all three criteria.

"The time feels right" to make this dream a reality, he said.

The Road House Grill menu features items Bekteshi said will appeal to most everyone.

It includes sandwiches, wraps, horseshoes and salad bowls. There's open face toast, which is exactly what the name implies. For example, the ham toast features toast topped with grilled ham, mozzarella cheese and dices tomato.

The Rockstar meals include chicken strips, popcorn shrimp, a mac bowl and some Italian dishes like chicken parmesan and bourbon chicken and mostacciolli.

There also will be daily specials, like fried walleye on Fridays, he said.

The Road House Grill will offer dine-in and carry-out. Guests will order at the counter and will pick up their food when their number is called. It will be open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday.

I Meditate opens in downtown Decatur

A new downtown Decatur store is all about relaxation.

Kia Softley-Brummett is the owner of I Meditate, 219 N. Main St., in the new location in April.

The E-edition is available to you every morning and is updated throughout the day

She creates her own soy candles with stories behind a few of the titles.

"They all have flowers and herbs in them, and they all have a crystal," Softley-Brummett said. "You can light your candle with a purpose or you can light your candle for the smell."

Car fresheners, jewelry, mugs and other household decorations are also available. Beverages are offered to the customers.

The storefront holds the retail portion of the business. Behind the curtain is the meditation and candle-making party room. "For six to 10 people, they sit down and music's playing, with any request," Softley-Brummett said. "I show everybody what we’re doing as we go."

The meditation and candle-making sessions are scheduled in advance.

I Meditation candles are available in locations throughout the community, including pop-up markets and other retail stores. Before she opened the new location, Softley-Brummett sold her products in an obscure location among other professional offices. "But I needed a storefront," she said. "And I just fell in love with this one."

Although the flowers are not for sale, they do add another ambiance to the store. "If anybody wants to bring some, I’ll put them in here," Softley-Brummett said. "I just love flowers."

A Decatur School District employee, Softley-Brummett has standard hours during the summer. I Meditate is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday and Saturday.

The General Electric Co. announced in 1959 that they were going out of the plastics business, closing operations in Decatur.

1948: In the shipping room, Charles Freeman and Edwin Swam box the finished product. Mr. Swam is packing,s hipping and receiving foreman in the new plant.

Block & Kuhl occupied this building from August 1934 to May 1949.

Goldblatt Bros. announced in 1981 that they planned to close the Decatur store which opened at Fairview Plaza in 1958.

More from our archives:

• Godlbatt's close-out opens in 'madhouse'

Linn & Scruggs resided at 161. North Main St. from 1924 until Myers and Brothers purchased the Linn & Scruggs operation and moved the business to Water Street in 1970.

1930: This is the Linn & Scruggs building on the corner of North Main Street and Prairie Ave. in 1930. Linn & Scruggs moved to this building (the former Bachman Building) in 1924, having formerly been located in the "Court House Block," the southeast corner of East Main and Water streets. This location was plagued by fires, one in 1895 and the spectacular one in 1914. Linn's has stayed in this buildling almost half of its 100 years.

More from our archives:

• Linn's Is Old Friend

Borger-Warner Corp, which once employed more than 2,500 people at three facilities in Decatur, closed in 1989.

Borg-Warner Corp. announced in March of 1983 that they would close its Marvel-Schebler-Tillotson Division plant in Decatur about April 15.

1950: A general view of the interior of the v factory. Carburetors for 90 per cent of all makes of tractors are made here, as well as aircraft and automotive carburetors. Production began last month and will gradually increase until 70,000 are turned out monthly.

Undated: Decatur Brewing Co. rolled out barrels before prohibition about. The brewery was located at 604-611 E. Cantrell St and closed in 1934 as referenced in this 2013 article.

See a full gallery of the Decatur Brewing Co. here.

The Decatur Division plant of Houdaille Industries Inc., formerly known as the Houdaille-Hershey Corp. plant, stopped production in July of 1956. Houdaille's Macon Arms plant closed in 1957.

1950: In 1950, the first photo of the interior of the Houdaille-Hershey plant was permitted.

Kelly Food Products Co. factory shut down for good in 1996 after employees had started to see trouble in the company's operation about a year before.

1949: Thomas E. Austin watches carefully to see that each chip is the proper shade of brown when it leaves the cooker.

More from our archives:

• Bankruptcy frees Kelly's to sell assets

Firestone closed its doors in 2001 after 38 years of production in Decatur.

1970: Dean Hixon gives final inspection to one of the new Firestone Steel Belt 60 tires being made now at the Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. plant in Decatur. The product is a belted-bias tire with steel-wire belts and a polyester body.

The Decatur Signal Depot property was released by the House Armed Services Committee for disposal by the General Services Administration in 1961.

Contact Donnette Beckett at (217) 421-6983. Follow her on Twitter: @donnettebHR

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