While walking downtown on Tuesday afternoon, I found childhood memories on the unfinished shelves of Foxhole Comics and Games, a comic book and fantasy game store located at 109 Fifth Street S.
Owner Daniel Criddle named the business after his 22 years in the military, in which he currently serves as a member of the Army National Guard. He moved into the space earlier this month and plans to open the store in mid-September.
“In the military, you learn how to dig (fox holes) when you first come in and it’s just a safe haven,” Criddle said.
Criddle said he wanted to open his store in Columbus because he saw a lack of businesses like his in the area. The store will also provide a space for customers to play games such as Pokemon, Magic the Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons.
“This is something that the city does not have. There is no gaming culture anywhere in the city,” Criddle said. “We have Comic-Con maybe once every two years, but it hasn’t been very consistent.”
Dispatch leases the Foxhole Building.
If gaming just isn’t your thing, maybe seafood is! Fish Basket, a new seafood restaurant, is also making its way to Columbus in September at the old Little Dooey’s at 928 Alabama St. in East Columbus.
The new venture’s owner, Lamont Paige, told me he expects to open in the coming weeks as he finishes renovating the space and begins the process of hiring up to nine employees.
“I thought if we could bring something new to the table or do something different, it would be something that someone would want to see here,” Paige said.
While we’re on the subject of food, a local Thai food restaurant, Gon Thai, located at 509 Main St., started opening again for lunch last week.
Owner Kannika Vonghan told me she stopped serving lunch shortly after opening her second location at Columbus Air Force Base in October 2021. At the time, she couldn’t find enough people to work while running the second location. She can now resume lunch hours after hiring a new chef.
“It’s hard to find people to work with,” Vonghan said. “It’s been a struggle for a long time and COVID didn’t help us.”
Vonghan also said business has grown slowly but steadily since reopening for lunch. Last week the business saw about 25 customers.
“This week has been better. We’ve had more DoorDash,” she said.
Elsewhere in Columbus, Munson and Brothers, a local pharmacy, retail store and beer garden, is partnering with the Columbus-Lowndes Humane Society to celebrate International Dog Day with dog baths, bratwurst, hotdogs and live music from 5 to 22:00 on Friday.
Finally, we move to the Crawford area. The owners of Wildlife Dominion Management LLC, a wireless wildlife camera company, have stepped away from the camera lens and danced to the venue and boutique motel floor at the old Moor High School located in 1699 Moor High Road.
The owners would name the new venture The Hill and Moor after the old school. When they decided to add an 18-room motel, they remembered the tangerine-colored tin that once surrounded the old building, so they settled on the Tangerine Motel, event specialist Gabby Morgan said.
Wildlife Dominion acquired the school in August 2021 after the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors approved a land swap agreement with the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District to trade 199.7 acres of timberland for the property.
Morgan told me that owners Robert Taylor and Jack Robertson decided to build the business to provide a fun and exciting new space for events like weddings and conferences in the Golden Triangle. Renovations began in March and are expected to be completed in December. They hope to officially open in the spring of 2023.
“Our venue will be perfect for weddings, conferences, formals, galas,” Morgan said. “The space extends from our large Ballroom (basketball gym that can also double as a basketball court for travel ball tournaments) through the Great Hall (the old cafeteria area) and out into an outdoor pavilion and kitchen commercial.”
Well folks, that’s all for now. Check back next week for more business happenings!
Dispatch reporter Grant McLaughlin writes about business openings and closings, as well as other unique business news. Send business tips to [email protected].
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