Wally Kennedy: New Metro Appliances & More boasts doubled space
Feb. 17—Metro Appliances & More, a retail fixture on North Main Street Road since 1995, reopened last week in a new store at 3124 N. Range Line Road. It's directly north of Joplin Pool & Spa.
The 85,000-square-foot structure, with its huge showroom, is more than twice the size of the first store.
The store offers more than 60 major brands of appliances, including refrigerators, gas and electric stoves, washers and dryers, water heaters and freezers. Several brands are displayed with kitchen cabinets.
The store also has sections dedicated to small appliances, like air fryers and toasters, and to outdoor grilling.
Metro Appliances & More was founded in 1974 at Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is employee owned with eight showrooms in four Midwestern states.
Hours are from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
A store clerk told me the former storefront on North Main could become storage units.
Opening
A baby and children's clothing store, Haelyn & Co., has opened in a small storefront at 905 S. Main St. This storefront is part of the ongoing redevelopment that is transforming the 900 block of South Main into a retail district with specialty shops.
Haelyn & Co. is owned by Makayla Jones. The store, named after her daughter, offers boys and girls clothing and accessories for newborns through size 5T. Brands include Mushie, Medie Baby and Dreamland, among others. With new arrivals, the store is shifting its inventory from winter wear to spring and summer. The website is Haelynandco.com.
Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
The shop first opened a year ago in a storefront at 2242 Coyote Drive.
News to me
The lunch buffet, served from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, has returned to the Pizza Hut at 1901 S. Range Line Road.
The reopening of the buffet and the dining area, a cashier told me, happened a couple of months ago. How did I miss that?
The restaurant became a carryout business when the pandemic hit. Visiting the buffet this week — for the first time in years — was a real treat.
The buffet, which includes a salad bar with fresh ingredients, now costs $10.99.
Generally speaking, there's a balance between thin crust and thick crust choices. You can also order things like sandwiches from the menu, which you couldn't get before.
This restaurant is frequented by people who often work outside or in construction because it's hot food that is fast and filling.
I'm sure they're excited about the reopening of the dining area. While I was there, a bunch of guys in work clothes and yellow hard hats came in. I'm glad I got my pizza when I did because there wasn't much left after they descended on the buffet.
Hours are from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Something happening?Could something be happening at the site where Whataburger plans to build a restaurant at 2014 S. Range Line Road?
A large excavator has been moved onto the west side of the property along Highview Avenue. Whataburger received approval from the City Council in October to build a restaurant there with an access road connecting to Highview.
The company's website says an opening is planned for this year.
Contact Wally Kennedy at wkennedy@joplinglobe.com.
