A new candy shop called Retro Sweets has opened at the Stones River Town Centre near GNC and Chuck E. Cheese. Retro Sweets offers a variety of old-fashioned and hard-to-find snacks, and is locally-owned, family-owned and veteran-owned.

Some of the products offered include freeze-dried snacks, giant gummy bears, unique flavored sodas, pickle snacks and chamoy pickles, nostalgic and retro candy that guests will recognize from their childhood, theater box candies, a variety of cotton candy options, bulk options, and a pay-by-the-pound option. Retro Sweets offers more than 60 different bulk candy options to choose from. Hours are Tuesday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from 12 to 6 p.m. For more information, find Retro Sweets on Facebook.

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Dainty Dani’s recently celebrated its grand opening at 319 N. Front St. The new store offers a variety of plants and plant accessories, jewelry, wax melts, soaps, locally made vases, and apothecary, decor and clothing items. Dani’s also offers workshops, travel terrarium classes, space for birthday and work parties, kids events and assistance with plants and potting. Dani’s was previously known for its two booth locations in McMinnville, which have since closed to focus on the Murfreesboro store. Hours for the plant shop are Tuesday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The store currently shares a parking lot with Kwik Mart and recommends that guests park on the store’s side of the median. For more information, find Dainty Dani’s on Facebook.

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We Love Empanadas has opened at 452 N. Thompson Ln. near the Marble Slab and Jason’s Deli. The new restaurant offers authentic Latin food. Some of the more popular meals include the tequeños and empanadas, the cafe con leche, and an authentic Venezuelan queso de mano (a cheese that features its own rich flavor and texture commonly used as a filling in arepas and cachapas). Hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

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Donut franchise Daylight Donuts will take over the space located at 2898 S Church St. formerly occupied by Project Donuts. Daylight Donuts offers yeast and cake donuts, as well as a variety of kolaches, a type of sweet pastry with a portion of fruit in the middle, surrounded by a puffy yeast dough. Project Donuts’ popular coffee bar remains as part of the new business.

For more information on the new eatery, visit daylightdonuts.com.

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Owner of FatGuy BBQ, Ray Clark, recently announced that he has decided to move on from his location at the Kwik Sak on the corner of Broad Street and Medical Center. In a recent post on his Facebook page, he mentioned that it was a difficult decision but best for him and his family, as he has been busy with his Lascassas location.

“We’ve worked really hard to consistently serve up delicious award-winning food,” Clark posted. “On the flip side, I haven’t consistently stocked the convenience store side of the business. My heart and money have been devoted to keeping the food side of the business going, but at the expense of the convenience store. That’s on me and I know in my heart that someone else can do better.”

The location will soon house Gateway BBQ, according to Kwik Sak management, and will still include delicious food—some familiar recipes and some new ones.

“I began looking through offers and meeting folks hoping to find just the right people to take over this place I’ve called home for five years. I’m happy to share that I’ve found some folks that I believe have the same beliefs and more experience to hopefully take this spot to the next level,” Clark continued. “Together, we fed thousands of people that couldn’t afford a meal. Together, we showed first responders that they are in fact appreciated and loved by the community. Thanks for laughing at most of my jokes. Thanks for sitting down to share a meal, and thanks for coming along with me on this journey.”

FatGuy Southern Kitchen in Lascassas will remain open. For more information, visit fatguysouthernkitchen.com.

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The former Bar-B-Cutie building, located beside Fazoli’s at 805 Old Fort Pkwy., will house Maya Grill Mexican Restaurant, although an opening date has not yet been announced as work continues on the building.

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Bizee Mart, locally owned and operated out of Chapel Hill, will soon open its 10th location in Murfreesboro, with additional Bizee Marts located in Ardmore, Bell Buckle, Chapel Hill, Cornersville, Hendersonville, Memorial Boulevard, Shelbyville, Smithville and on West Northfield Boulevard. The location is just off I-24 in front of the Holiday Inn at 3127 Medical Center Pkwy. The new location will also include Exxon pumps, and the area will also currently house a Zenith Nail Studio.

Bizee Mart will be open Monday through Saturday 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The market will offer a variety of food and beverages including hot and hearty breakfast meals, donuts and pastries, handcrafted deli sandwiches, freshly brewed coffee, an assortment of teas, and a variety of cold drinks. Exxon pumps will be open 24 hours, seven days a week. For more information, visit bizeemart.com.

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Zenith Nail Studio celebrated its grand opening in mid-October and offers a variety of nail care options and spa services including manicures and pedicures, acrylic and gel nails, kids’ nail services, chrome nails, nail art design and more. The studio also offers face, arm and leg waxing, as well as eyelash and eyebrow services.

“At Zenith Nail Studio, we redefine nail care as an art form, blending creativity with relaxation to provide you with an unparalleled experience. Our commitment to excellence is reflected in every aspect of our studio.”

Hours are Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, visit zenithnailstudio.com.

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Rutherford Collegiate Prep has broken ground on its new kindergarten through 8th-grade charter school at 4420 Manson Pk. in anticipation of opening for the fall 2024 school semester.

“Charter schools are tuition-free public schools of choice that provide families an alternative option to their traditional neighborhood schools,” according to Rutherford Collegiate Prep. “They are state funded, but each charter school is independently operated by a governing board.”

There are no tuition fees, as RCP is a publicly-funded school.

For more information, visit rutherfordcollegiate.org.

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The old Kroger building on Middle Tennessee Boulevard at Bradyville Pike will soon house a new gym—Tru Fit Athletic Club, which will offer a wide variety of workout options. Tru Fit recently opened two new gyms in Madison and Nashville in addition to more than 40 other locations in Texas.

The new gym will offer a seven-day free trial for those not sure about signing up for the membership, as well as a month-to-month membership plans.

Some of the options available at Tru Fit will include options for cardio, weights, machines, tire flipping and S-drive treadmills, a sauna, a kids’ section with supervised games, crafts and movies, a locker room for women, and daily classes dedicated to cardio, resistance, yoga and cycling.

Special workouts include Combo 6ix, which offers 33 minutes dedicated to boxing, kickboxing and strength training; Tru Power, which burns 1,000 calories in one hour on the treadmill and rower. The gym will also include space for massaging, basketball, swimming and personal training, as well as a turf space for other workouts. For more information, visit trufitathleticclubs.com/tennessee-coming-soon.

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The City of Murfreesboro recently conducted a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Transit Center to be located at the intersection of New Salem Highway and Bridge Avenue, at 324 New Salem Hwy.

Murfreesboro received an award for $9 million in Tennessee Improve Act funds from the Tennessee Department of Transportation for the new transit center, which will include three buildings on the 5.5-acre plot. The new buildings will be dedicated to maintenance, administration and a new passenger pavilion.

The city’s local required matching funds for the project from the 2019 and 2022 Capital Improvement Program is $2.8 million, and federal funding for the project is more than $5 million. The city received bids in August for the construction phase of the project, which was awarded to the Franklin-based Rock City Construction. The project will also include around 30 new Rover stop shelters around Murfreesboro.

In addition to the new center, Murfreesboro Transit has created a easy method for using the public transit service through the new “Murfreesboro Transit” app, available on Apple and Android devices. Mobile users can use the app to plan trips, view routes and identify bus times based on bus stop locations. The app also locates where the user is located on the map.

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Parker Brothers Window Tinting moved to the former OD’s Car Wash & Detail building, 1822 E. Northfield Blvd., in the summer and is currently open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 615-890-7400 or visit facebook.com/parkerbrotherswindowtinting.

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The Laboratory Smoke Shop has opened at 25 S. Public Sq. in downtown Murfreesboro, and is the company’s third Tennessee location in addition to the other locations in Kingsport and Johnson City. The new smoke shop considers itself a premium hemp dispensary, and offers full-service glass accessories and superior products, great customer service, knowledgeable staff, and a unique atmosphere. It features art from local artists including Ryan Frizzell. Hours are Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 12 a.m., Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 a.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. For more information, visit facebook.com/labsmokes.

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Murfreesboro Parks and Rec staff will relocate from Barfield Park to 2140 N. Thompson Lane, a much larger space that will accommodate the Parks and Rec Department’s exponential growth over the past years.

According to Parks Director Nate Williams, new parks are part of the fuel leading to the department’s growth. Current plans include a new park along Veterans Parkway, more walking trails, pavilions and passive spaces, as well as the previously planned skate park on Old Fort. Reports suggest the city may have plans to build another park along Highway 96 sometime in the future.

Murfreesboro Fire and Rescue will utilize a portion of the Thompson Lane building for its administrative offices as their previous admin office on Vine Street will soon be torn down to make way for a new mixed-use development in downtown Murfreesboro.

The Murfreesboro Water Department buildings will also be torn down and relocated as part of this mixed-use project known as the Keystone Project.

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Varsity Fieldhouse has unveiled plans for an 18,000-square-foot athletic training facility on Rideout Lane.

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CLOSINGS

After just a little over a year in business, Mamajuana 615 has closed. The restaurant’s Middle Tennessee Boulevard location is already being developed for a new restaurant, but further details are unavailable at this time.

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Applebee’s has closed its only Murfreesboro location, which was located on South Rutherford Boulevard, after struggling with staffing issues post-COVID. Applebee’s fans can still visit the Nashville, Tullahoma and Columbia locations. For more information, visit applebees.com.

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Murfreesboro’s last remaining O’Charley’s, located on Old Fort Parkway by Sam’s Club, has closed—just a few months after the Smyrna location announced its permanent closure. Now, the closest O’Charley’s is located in Franklin at 1202 Murfreesboro Rd. Locals suggest the quality of food may have gone down during the last few years, as the business peaked in the early 2000s and became less popular over time. For more information, visit ocharleys.com.

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Sports Seasons on North Thompson Lane recently announced its closure, with store closing sale signs on display in the store’s windows. Locals suggest it could be due to prices rising considerably over the last few years and the increase of shopping online.

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Project Donuts recently closed its Church Street location.

“Murfreesboro – It has been a tremendous honor serving you. We hope you enjoyed our creativity with donuts. With all the success we experienced, it was coming at the expense of family time and personal health. You can still find our donuts at our Manchester location. We thank you for all the Love and Support you’ve given us,” read a farewell post from Project Donuts.

Project Donuts will continue operating its Manchester location.

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On Target Shooting Sports recently announced that both of its gun store and shooting range locations have closed, leaving some customers who have pre-paid for shooting range membership upset and with few answers. Recent updates on the On Target Facebook page suggest that the business will be reaching out during the coming weeks via email to those with pending items on order and pre-paid memberships. For more information, visit facebook.com/ontargetshootingsports. The Outpost Armory, 1132 Beasie Rd., meanwhile, has offered anyone with an active On Target membership a free three-month membership to its range if they come in Outpost and redeem the offer by the end of November.