MilkShake Factory has opened a new location of its ice cream parlor and confectionery shop at The Avenue, 2615 Medical Center Pkwy., Suite 2390, in between Bar Louie and Paris Baguette.
The shop specializes in premium handspun milkshakes made with homemade ice cream. In addition to milkshake classics like vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, MilkShake Factory serves signature creations topped with cookies, candy bars, brownies, whipped cream and sauces, as well as sundaes, floats, specialty chocolates, as well as dairy-free options made with soy, coconut and almond milk.
Tracing its roots to a family-owned Pittsburgh shop that opened in 1914, the Murfreesboro location joins a growing footprint for the brand, which has expanded rapidly across the Southeast and Midwest in recent years. Current MilkShake Factory Murfreesboro hours are noon to 10 p.m., seven days a week. For more information, visit milkshakefactory.com.
___
Cavender’s Boot City recently celebrated the grand opening of its Murfreesboro store—its fifth Tennessee location—at 1979 Old Fort Pkwy., with hours from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Known for its wide selection of handcrafted western boots, the 12,000-square-foot store provides space for its full line of men’s, women’s, and children’s hats, shirts, jeans, dresses, belts, and western accent accessories, as well as work boots and apparel.
Well-known brands offered include Ariat, Wrangler and Resistol. Cavender also offers its own brands including Rockin’ C, Rafter C, and JRC & Sons brands.
The new store offers personalized services including boot fitting, hat shaping, boot stretching and more. As a special perk, customers can join My Cavender’s, the brand’s loyalty program, where guests can enjoy exclusive offers, early access to sales and promotions, hassle-free returns, invites to special events, and other bonuses. For more information, visit cavenders.com.
___
Bibles and Coffee—The Cafe, has announced that it will open at 214 W. Main St. in downtown Murfreesboro.
“What began as Bibles and Coffee online is becoming a physical place in downtown Murfreesboro. After 10 years and over 13,000 Bibles shipped worldwide, we’re creating a space where faith feels approachable, coffee invites you to slow down, and community happens naturally,” according to a post from the company.
The cafe is expected to open in April, although an official date has not been set. Visit biblesandcoffee.com for more information and updates.
___
Waldo’s Chicken & Beer will host its ribbon cutting and grand opening on Tuesday, March 3, at 10 a.m. at its new Murfreesboro location at 4310 Veterans Pkwy., Suite A.
Waldo’s scratch-made menu features signature Southern-fried and rotisserie chicken, served on the bone, on a bun, in a bowl, or in a basket, with fresh ingredients prepared daily, including house-made sauces and dressings, and cheddar biscuits made with hand-grated cheese. Sides include mac and cheese, fries, tomato cucumber salad, white beans and collard greens, with fresh-baked cookies or banana pudding for dessert.
Family meals, buckets of chicken, and the “feed-the-flock” special are available for dine-in or takeout.
The Murfreesboro location features 91 seats, 9 indoor TVs, an expansive patio, fast-lane drive-thru and a full bar. Guests can enjoy a selection of 16 draft beers, cocktails, wine, spiked slushies and margaritas, along with daily happy hour from 3–6 p.m. and all day Tuesdays and Sundays.
Waldo’s now operates 29 locations across nine states. The Murfreesboro restaurant is the brand’s eighth location in Middle Tennessee. For more, visit waldoschicken.com.
___
Miss B’s Thai and Sushi has opened at The Fountains at Gateway, 1440 Medical Center Pkwy., in the space formerly occupied by Love Thai Sushi.
In addition to a variety of curry, sushi and fried rice selections, menu options include Japanese appetizers like takoyaki and gyoza, soups, salads and egg rolls.
Miss B’s shares owners with Honey Bie’s Thai and Sushi in Smyrna.
Visit online.skytab.com/s/missbsthaiandsushi to order
___
Chef Alex Belew, a Murfreesboro native, has joined forces with Nashville pitmaster and restaurateur Shane Nasby to bring a new restaurant concept to Murfreesboro. The eatery, called Chinwag, will be located at The Fountains at Gateway, at 1440 Medical Center Pkwy. in the space formerly occupied by Burger Republic.
Chinwag will offer combinations that blend smoke and fire along with ingredients and techniques from all over, as well as a robust cocktail, beer, and wine program.
“Getting together to eat delicious food with people you like should be a joyful experience,” Belew said. “We’re serving everyday food prepared with a little extra thought and attention to detail, but without pretension.”
Nasby and Belew bring their respective culinary experience and inspirations to the table in this partnership. Belew is an award-winning chef and the winner of Hell’s Kitchen season 21, while Nasby is a Grand Champion BBQ pitmaster and World Burger Competition winner.
Chinwag’s name was a moment of inspiration for Nasby while watching the hit show Schitt’s Creek.
“Moira Rose mentioned having a ‘chinwag’ with another character, and it caught my attention, so I looked it up,” said Nasby. “It’s a great old British term that means a long chat between friends. When we were developing this concept, we knew we wanted to create a place for people to socialize and catch up over a great meal, so Chinwag seemed like the perfect name.”
The restaurant is expected to open this summer. Visit chinwagsocial.com for updates and more information.
___
Chipotle will open another Murfreesboro location, this one set for Veterans Parkway near Blackman Road.
In addition to its existing restaurants located on Thompson Lane, Memorial Boulevard and South Church Street, Chipotle has also begun construction on its South Rutherford building, near MTSU.
___
Seven Brew Coffee plans to build another location of its drive-thru coffee concept. Located on Memorial Boulevard, the new Seven Brew will sit beside the Leech Family Dentistry building, nearby Andy’s Frozen Custard and Sports*Com.
___
Banners for both Jamba Juice and Moe’s Southwest Grill have been hung outside of the former Bojangles building at the corner of Memorial and Irongate.
___
Che Taqueria has opened at 1813 Memorial Blvd. It offers a variety of authentic flavors from Jalisco, Mexico.
“We specialize in traditional Mexican street-style tacos made with fresh ingredients,” according to Che Taqueria’s social media.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
___
Scoopy’s is now open at 2458 Old Fort Pkwy., near Middle Ground Brewing Co. and Sam’s Club, after the ice cream and paletas shop closed at Jackson Heights to make room for the AutoZone taking over much of that space.
___
K&G African/Caribbean Market has opened at 2705 Old Fort Pkwy., near NexGen Barbershop.
___
A plant store selling vases, floral arrangements and plants will soon open next to the Golden Lanzhou Bowls on Lascassas Pike. A doorway has been cut out connecting the interior of the two spaces.
___
Perkins Automotive has announced its plans to build the Perkins Motor Plex auto dealership along Beasie Road, just off of I-24.
___
The Lambda Mu Sigma Alumni Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. in Rutherford County, has launched its Little Library initiative at Parc of Murfreesboro after two years of work on the project. The project is part of the fraternity’s commitment to promote literacy, encourage a love for reading, and expand access to books for children and families in the community.
The grand opening took place on Feb. 21, intending to build excitement heading into March, Reading in the Schools Month.
___
The Middle Point Landfill’s vertical expansion request has been denied after the City of Murfreesboro expressed concerns regarding environmental safety and what the landfill’s impact on Rutherford County’s citizens could be.
The Chancery Court of Davidson County granted the City of Murfreesboro a writ of mandamus, directing that the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation must cease processing BFI’s application for a vertical expansion of the Middle Point Landfill. According to the City of Murfreesboro, BFI tried to circumvent the normal statutory regional board review, but ended up filing an application with TDEC for a vertical expansion that would place a 70-foot-high landfill on top of the existing landfill, adding an estimated 19 million tons of waste to Middle Point.
The City of Murfreesboro filed a lawsuit in December to halt TDEC’s review of the application until BFI complied with the Solid Waste Management Act. The city asked the court to stop TDEC from processing BFI’s vertical expansion application until BFI first submits its application to the regional board for local review, including a public hearing where citizens must be afforded an opportunity for public comment. After reviewing the city’s complaint, the court directed TDEC to halt the review process.
BFI’s proposed expansion plan comes after the city has expressed numerous concerns regarding the environmental safety of the landfill and its impact on Rutherford County. In the pending federal lawsuit against Republic and BFI, the city recently sent notices of additional and continued violations of the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act due to test results showing continued discharges of landfill leachate into the East Fork Stones River, which provides drinking water for Rutherford County and City of Murfreesboro residents.
Find the complaint for injunctive relief and writ of mandamus at murfreesborotn.gov/landfill.
___
CLOSED
The Peach Cobbler Factory has closed its Medical Center Parkway location after just over two years in the space.
The Smyrna Peach Cobbler Factory location at 547 Almaville Rd. remains open.
___
Rion Flowers and Gifts has closed its 117 S. Academy St. shop. Established in 1937 by Mattie Rion, Rion’s has operated in the downtown area for decades.
“There have been some days over the years that were busy with people drinking coffee, shopping and getting flowers,” according to a February letter from Jenny and Chuck Harrison, who acquired the shop in 2018. It was a happy time.
However, Jenny has experienced some serious health struggles over the past few years.
“It’s been a difficult five years trying to work or function in daily life,” the Rion owners wrote in the letter, addressed to its “Customers, Suppliers & Associates.”
“We were hoping to keep the shop going, but in this economy it doesn’t appear that is going to happen.”
___
CLOSING
Lanes, Trains and Automobiles will close its Murfreesboro bowling and entertainment complex after more than 15 years of operation.
“The owner of the building has elected to sell the property, and the new owner plans to occupy the space,” according to a letter released in February by LTA ownership. “As a result, Lanes, Trains and Automobiles has reached a mutual agreement to conclude its tenancy and begin the process of closing operations at this location.”
The final day of operations at the Murfreesboro location will be April 4, the release continued, and LTA will continue normal business hours until closure.
