Jackson Free Press

Crazy Cat Closing in Fondren, Starting Dinner Service

After six months in Fondren, Crazy Cat Bakers is refocusing its efforts on its Highland Village location, which will be opening for dinner next week. Owner Jon Lansdale closed the Fondren location last Friday, and he plans to begin serving dinner at the Highland Village location on Wednesday, June 2.

"As everything does, we're trying to make a little more money," Lansdale said. "Fondren didn't pan out the way that we thought it would. We've had a lot of people ask if we're open (for dinner), and a lot of people expressed interest in it. So we're going to give that a whirl."

Crazy Cat opened a small satellite location in the Fondren Corner building in November 2009. The store served pre-made lunches and baked goods, all prepared at the Highland Village location. Lansdale said that Crazy Cat's dinner menu will incorporate daily specials from the Fondren menu, including artichoke and mushroom lasagna, chicken enchiladas and a Bulgarian beef stew.

Crazy Cat will start serving dinner Wednesday through Friday, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., but Lansdale said he may adjust those days to meet demand. The restaurant will take advantage of cooler temperatures at night, offering outdoor seating in addition to indoor tables.

UMC Turning Dirt

The University of Mississippi Medical Center is currently constructing a new, separate building for its School of Pharmacy, which has never had its own facility. Construction on the 29,500-square-foot structure is expected to wrap up by summer 2011.

The pharmacy building is just one part of $106 million in planned construction projects for the Medical Center, Dr. David Powe, associate vice chancellor for administrative affairs, said.
UMC also has plans to construct a biotechnology research park on the site of the old Farmer's Market at Woodrow Wilson Avenue and West Street. The park would be mixed-use, with university-run research spaces and rental locations for private companies. Construction could begin on the project "soon," Powe said.

"We're still in the development phase, the programming phase," Powe said. "We're working very hard to get that ready."

Powe also currently serves as vice chairman of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce and will take over as Chairman in January 2010.

Small Business Workshop

The Mississippi Small Business Administration is currently registering attendees for a June 8 small-business development workshop. The event will introduce business owners to federal and non-federal procurement programs. The SBA is hosting the free event at 1 p.m. in its conference room, Suite 1000 of the Regions Plaza, at 210 East Capitol Street. Call 601-965-4378, ext. 13, 14 or 19, to register.