Fashion Bug goes out of business across the metro-east

The women’s clothing retailer already closed its Granite City store last Saturday and will go out of business at its Belleville store, located at 656 Carlyle Ave., after today.

The store at 1112 Collinsville Crossing in Collinsville expects to close after business on Wednesday, and the location at 2637 N. Illinois St. in Swansea will close after business this Saturday.

Last June, Suffern, N.Y.-based Ascena Retail Group announced a $890 million acquisition of Fashion Bug owner Charming Shoppes, which is headquartered in the Philadelphia suburb of Bensalem, Pa. The move includes shuttering all 300 Fashion Bug stores, which had reportedly been struggling for business.

A Belleville restaurant and bar is changing its name and making a few other changes. By Thursday, the owners of the seafood restaurant known as Catch 22 Gastrolounge at 22 Mascoutah Ave. will officially change their name to Taps N Corks. Also new will be an expanded lounge, expanded spirits and 75 draft beer lines. The new business will serve dinner and be open from 4-10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Call 233-8822 for more information.

A new gym opened in Belleville. Trainer Josh Nimmo opened CrossFit Metro-East at 1925 S. Illinois St., Suite B. The gym was initially established in 2010 and is the first metro-east locale for the chain. Nimmo moved the business and opened during the fall. He has been a CrossFit trainer for more than four years and an established personal trainer in the area for the past decade. You can reach him at 978-6665.

An new store in Collinsville sells name brand and mostly used office furniture. Absolute Commercial Interiors at 9500 Collinsville Road sells new, re-manufactured, and pre-owned desks, chairs, filing cabinets and more. Call the store at 344-9811 to find out more.

A new pediatrician practice opened in Shiloh. Dr. Daniel Mora is seeing patients at Right From the Start Pediatrics in the Prudential building at 1941 Frank Scott Parkway, Suite A. The practice has another location at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Breese. Call 526-8850 or visit www.drmorra  .com   to learn more.

And finally, a Swansea veterinarian and kennel service has joined other area animal welfare groups that list homeless pets online via Petfinder. Best Friends Animal Hospital and Pet Resort has tapped into Petfinder, www.petfinder.com  , the oldest and largest database where pet lovers can find animals to adopt. The site currently has more than 375,000 pets available and is constantly updated.