Open for Business: The Normal Brand

The Normal Brand
An 8-year-old St. Louis-based company opened its first Queen City retail shop Sept. 15 at Battlefield Mall. The Springfield store of The Normal Brand was the fifth in Missouri and ninth overall, said Conrad Sansone, who co-owns the venture with brothers Lan and Jimmy Sansone through Normal Brand LLC. The shop sells men’s and women’s clothing, such as shirts, jeans, hoodies, dresses, sweaters, jackets and accessories, including bags, belts and hats. He said the company’s apparel can be found in roughly 500 retailers in the U.S. in addition to its own stores, the first of which opened four years ago in St. Louis. It recently opened its 10th location in Franklin, Tennessee, near Nashville, he said. Sansone declined to disclose startup costs for the Springfield store or lease terms with Battlefield Mall owner Simon Property Group. He said David Bockman manages the six-employee shop, which fills 1,246 square feet near Storming Crab. It replaced Garden Adventures, a Nixa-based plant nursery, which shuttered its mall location earlier this year.
Phone: 417-818-7613
Web: TheNormalBrand.com

Meridian Title Co.
Springfield-based Meridian Title Co. moved one of its offices Oct. 9 to the downtown Heer’s building. Owner Jeremy Burcham said the title company exited the Frisco Building at 3253 E. Chestnut Expressway to relocate last month to 138 Park Central Square, Ste. 102. He said the company occupies roughly 9,500 square feet on the building’s ground floor, adding there’s still new furniture and signage work needed. Burcham said relocation and renovation costs will be around $30,000 for office space previously occupied by health care information technology firm IntrinsiQ LLC, a division of the AmerisourceBergen Specialty Group. He said the title company signed a three-year lease with options to renew up to six years for an undisclosed rate with building owner Edgewood Real Estate Investment Trust. Meridian Title operates adjacent to BRP Architects, which moved at the end of October from its longtime downtown home at 319 N. Main Ave.
Phone: 417-886-4400
Web: MTC.llc

Tranquil Tides Pet Aquamation
A Nixa couple with over a quarter-century of experience in the pet industry embarked on a new venture with the Oct. 9 launch of Tranquil Tides Pet Aquamation LLC. Caroline Rose, who co-owns the home-based business with husband JD Tornow, said Tranquil Tides is the first pet “aquamation” service in the Springfield area. She said aquamation, also called alkaline hydrolysis, is an eco-friendly and water-based alternative to flame cremation that condenses bodily remains. As part of its packages for clients, Rose said Tranquil Tides engraves a picture of the pet on an urn, along with providing hair clippings and an ink paw print. Costs vary based on the pet’s weight, she said, adding prices start at $125. Rose said the couple previously owned Caroline’s Pet Parlor in Jefferson City from 1995-97, followed by Caroline’s Pampered Pet Motel in Ozark, which they started in 1999. They sold the pet boarding business in 2021, she said.
Phone: 417-830-4794
Web: TranquilTides.life