Jun. 15—A popular neighborhood bar was almost a pizzeria.

Pia's co-owner Eric Meyer said that Leo Furla and Stacy Pomonis had originally envisioned the building at 1609 W. Springfield Ave. as a pizza parlor.

However, they didn't want to compete with the nearby Village Inn, so Furla opened a bar alongside Ed Novak and Paul Piaskowy. Pomonis, who was more interested in the restaurant industry, bought the building and was the trio's landlord.

The bar, which opened in July 1975, took its name from Piaskowy's nickname. It was first known as Pia's Lounge, then Pia's Finish Line and finally Pia's Sports Bar and Grill.

Along with its different names, the business has seen its fair share of changes over the years — from renovations to new owners — but it's still open at the same spot near Springfield and Mattis Avenue and will mark 50 years this summer.

"It's really a neighborhood bar that's stood through the times with a sports twist," Meyer said.

Pia's will hold a parking lot party on July 19 to celebrate the milestone. Festivities will include bands and DJ's, anniversary merchandise, giveaways and a mayoral proclamation.

Additionally, the business has invited back employees from all five decades and some will serve as "celebrity bartenders" during the day.

"I wish Pia could have been here," Meyer said. "Like I said, he passed just a year ago."

Meyer had previously known Piaskowy as his middle school counselor and later worked for Furla at KAMS during college.

Furla then offered him a position as comptroller for KAMS, Pia's, and Alley Cat and promised to bring him in as a partner in a couple years if things went well.

"Well, I didn't expect four months after college to get the offer of Jon Buerkett and Tom Fiedler wanted to buy Leo out and Pia, and they needed an operating partner," Meyer said. The three men bought the business in 1984.

Meyer and his father, Carl, later bought out Fiedler and Buerkett in 1992. Chad Pitcher joined as a partner in 2000, buying part of Carl Meyer's shares.

Pitcher had previously worked at Pia's and KAMS and also grew up with Piaskowy as his neighbor.

In addition to its longstanding Champaign location, Pia's once had bars in Rantoul and Monticello, but both spots closed several years ago.

In reflecting on changes to the Champaign bar over the years, Meyer and Pitcher noted that video gambling has largely replaced other pastimes such as shuffleboard, foosball, darts and pinball.

Meyer also estimated that about 70% of their patrons smoked at one point, prior to the state's indoor ban.

Still, some things remain the same. Meyer and Pitcher said the bar still sees a morning crowd of third-shift employees from Kraft, along with medical professionals and construction workers.

When asked how Pia's has stayed in business for so long, Meyer replied, "We've been a neighborhood tavern that is kind of good for everybody. All walks of life come here."

"It's a place for people to come and just let their worries out," Pitcher said. "...That's all I can remember, standing back behind there, that you would just wait. And that's what you're there for. You're not there to tell your problems."

He said that a bartender's job is to listen — and perhaps offer advice or another shot.

The Main Scoop's new Paxton location inside State Street Mall is set to open at noon today.

"We're so excited to be part of the Paxton community," said co-owners Nick and Jessica Hanson. "This location will be the perfect spot to grab a cone, connect with friends, and enjoy the small-town charm that makes this area so special."

The Paxton shop's opening comes just a few days after The Main Scoop opened its new Urbana location atThe Yard on Broadway, 401 N. Broadway Ave.

The ice cream parlor was one of three restaurants to open at the new food hall on Tuesday; the others were Smith Burger Co. and Public House 1833.

The Main Scoop also has shops in Mahomet, Monticello, West Main Street in Urbana and Rantoul.

El Toro's South Neil Street location, which opened in spring of 2021, is now listed as available for lease, though the restaurant was still doing business as of Monday evening.

According to a listing by Guth and Associates at , the 3,200 square-foot space at 1005 S. Neil Street, Suite 3 can seat over 100 guests.

"Most furniture, fixtures, and equipment can be included in the lease (excluding the dishwasher), making it easy to hit the ground running without the upfront cost of build-out," the firm wrote.

The Scratching Post shared on social media that it has begun moving cats into its location at 114 E. University Ave. and plans to open to the public on Wednesday.

The Champaign-based business said that, if all goes according to plan, online reservations will open Monday.

The Scratching Post will include a cat lounge and a board game café that are completely separate from each other, per its website.

More information is available at .

Perfectionist Laundry Services, formerly at 1205 S. Mattis Ave., is now located at 310 Tiffany Court, near the corner of West Springfield Avenue and South Staley Road.

Owner Meghan Price said she made the move in early May and noted that there are some differences with the new location.

"We don't have the laundromat part anymore; there's no machines for customers to just come in and do their clothes," she said. "We just offer wash and fold, so if people drop their clothes off, we will wash them and then they can pick them back up. We still do dry cleaning."

Price added that she is focusing more on specialty cleaning for items such as shoes, car seats, leather, strollers, pillows and couch cushions. She is also focusing more on the household cleaning side of her business.

In some ways, the move is a homecoming, as Price previously worked at this location up until a fire in August of 2023.

She then bought the Denny's laundromat business at Mattis Avenue, but not the property itself, from Grace and Novel Hong in early 2024.

She recently decided to return ownership to the Hongs, and the laundromat is currently operating as Denny's. A sign in the window states that the business is once again for sale.