Open for Business: Village Meeple Board Game Cafe

Village Meeple Board Game Cafe
A few months after Bricks & Minifigs, a shop focused on Legos, opened in the Galleria Shopping Center, Village Meeple Board Game Cafe launched next door at 1570 E. Battlefield Road, Ste. F, on June 17. Via Village Meeple LLC, first-time business owner Jess Hamlet said the venture is Springfield’s lone board game cafe, which occupies 2,500 square feet. Village Meeple charges a $5 per person admission fee to access over 420 board games, and it also offers snacks and drinks, including alcohol, according to its website. Startup costs were $40,000, Hamlet said, though she declined to disclose the two-year lease rate she signed with Warren Davis Properties LLC. She said Village Meeple also sells board games and accessories, and the business takes reservations for its private party room, with prices ranging $8-$10 per person for two-hour rentals. In addition to operating the cafe, Hamlet also works part time with CoxHealth as an athletic trainer. The cafe’s website says “meeple” refers to a small figure that’s used as a playing piece in board games.
Phone: 417-324-4563
Web: VillageMeeple.com

Rogersville Insurance Agency
Nearly 30-year-old Rogersville Insurance Agency Inc. closed on the acquisition of Lair Insurance Agency, owned by Jordan Lair, on March 1. Ryne Armstrong, who co-owns Rogersville Insurance Agency with wife Haley, declined to disclose the transaction’s financial terms, but added that Lair joined his four-employee staff as part of the merger. Armstrong said having Lair on board makes the agency better equipped to meet current and future client needs. The independent insurance agency, located in a 980-square-foot office at 129 Johnstown Drive near U.S. Highway 60, offers property and casualty insurance options, including auto, home, commercial, farm and life, as well as workers’ compensation, according to its website. Armstrong said he and his wife purchased 1994-founded Rogersville Insurance Company from longtime owner Joyce Stevenson for an undisclosed price in November 2022.
Phone: 417-753-7454
Web: RogersvilleIns.com

Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream
Iowa-based restaurant chain Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream put down roots in the Ozarks with the June 19 opening of a shop at 1420 W. 76 Country Blvd. in Branson. Satish Pardeshi is franchisee of the Branson store, as well as one in St. Peters, the other Happy Joe’s location in the state, according to officials. The store fills 3,000 square feet inside a Red Lion & Suites complex, also owned by Pardeshi, according to Happy Joe’s spokesperson Mario Zavala. While Zavala declined to disclose startup costs, franchisees are expected to pay an initial investment of up to $1.2 million, along with a 6% royalty fee, according to its website. Manager Ajay Pardeshi leads a staff of 50 at the 7,000-square-foot eatery, Zavala said. Aside from pizzas, its menu includes pastas, sandwiches and salads, along with a weekday lunch buffet priced at $15. Owned and operated by Dynamic Restaurant Holdings Inc., Happy Joe’s has 44 locations, Zavala said, adding a St. Louis store is under development.
Phone: 417-332-0210
Web: HappyJoes.com