Colorado Springs Real Estate Briefs: September 19, 2008

Colorado Springs Business Journal, Sep 19, 2008 by Scott Prater

King's Chef Diner has expanded, and while regular customers can still go to the old castle abode on Costilla Street, they'll also have lots more room to enjoy the restaurant's entrees on the southwest corner of Nevada Avenue and Bijou Street.

"We decided we needed to grow because of our increased market share and the fact that we're producing green chili for Whole Foods Market daily," said owner Gary Geiser. "It's been phenomenal -- we've had a lot of support from people downtown."

Geiser also said he's in the process of finalizing a deal that will allow Colorado College students to use their gold cards at King's Chef, as they do at the campus cafeteria.

Custom ear phones

Local entrepreneur Aaron Quinlisk has launched EarFuze, a company that sells do-it-yourself custom-fit earphones.

The draw? Customers can create custom-fit earphones in minutes, and for a fraction of the cost of audiologists' products.

As MP3 players have become some of the best-selling consumer electronics devices, the headphone market has followed suit. Many users find the poor fit of headphones to be a major problem that interferes with the listening experience.

Visits to an ear doctor and purchasing the resulting product can cost upward of $300, according to EarFuze.

The company's do-it-yourself fitting system allows users to create a custom fit in less than 15 minutes for between $24 and $44.

IKEA eyes Centennial

Swedish retailer IKEA has submitted plans to the City of Centennial to open a 400,000 square foot store.

The store will feature 50 room settings, three model home interiors, a children's play area and a 350-seat restaurant.

Pending approval, construction is expected to create 500 jobs. Once the store opens, IKEA expects to employ 400 retail workers.

IKEA operates 280 stores in 36 countries. Including locations in Draper, Utah, and Tempe, Ariz., the retailer has 35 stores in the United States.

August retail sales down

The Commerce Department reported that advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales declined for the second consecutive month during August.

Sales fell 0.3 percent compared to July. However, compared to August 2007, sales were up 1.6 percent, and total sales from June through August were up 2.3 percent compared to the same three-month time frame a year ago.

Outdoor goods hot

Despite a weak economy, core outdoor retailers reported a 10 percent rise in sales for July compared to the same month last year, according to a report by the Leisure Trends Group.

Sales in specialty, chain and Internet channels totaled $372 million.

Items connected to camping drove the increase.

Tents, sleeping bags, packs and climbing gear each made double- digit gains. Equipment accessories also sold well, bringing in $123 million.

Top equipment accessory categories included hands-on hydration, camp accessories, instruments and sunglasses.