A new coffee shop with its roots in Northwest Arkansas is heading to South Range Line Road.

The city issued a $300,000 building permit to Seven Brews Coffee in September to construct a new drive-thru coffee shop at 3347 S. Range Line Road. This was the site of the former Zips convenience store, which was demolished last week. The property is sandwiched between a Sonic Drive-In and a Verizon storefront.

The company, according to its website, plans to open the shop in January. The company operates eight coffee shops in Northwest Arkansas. The first opened in February 2017 at Rogers, Arkansas.

About to open

Missouri Made Marijuana, a new medical marijuana dispensary at 1502 S. Range Line Road, hopes to open its doors in the second week of December. The storefront is a former Payless Shoe store.

A spokesman for the dispensary told me that a patients’ medical marijuana cards will be verified in the store’s lobby before they will be able to enter the dispensary to make their purchases.

Missouri’s medical marijuana amendment passed in 2018 with nearly 66% voter approval. It made marijuana legal for treatment of cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, intractable migraines and a host of other chronic debilitating medical conditions.

Thousands of potential patients have applied for licenses to purchase medical marijuana. The state approved more than 23,000 patients and caregivers in 2019. Since the beginning of 2020, applications for patient and caregiver cards have jumped. The state, as of September, had approved more than 61,540 patient and caregiver applications.

No longer offered

Joplin apparently no longer has a Mercedes-Benz dealership. A fellow I know who owns a Mercedes sent me an email that said he would be taking his car to Springfield for service because the local dealership had closed.

The local luxury-vehicle dealership was operated for years by Fletcher Mercedes at the northeast corner of 32nd Street and South Range Line Road.

I checked with a Fletcher salesman last week who confirmed the closure.

Getting ready

It’s that time of year when downtown businesses brighten their storefront windows with holiday-themed displays. Those displays will be judged in the Downtown Joplin Alliance’s annual window competition, which kicked off this past Thursday with the annual tree lighting in Spiva Park.

The theme for this year is “Winter Wonderland” and offers three categories on which to vote: Best Use of Theme, Best Use of Lights and Most Original. Awards will be handed out to winners at City Hall on Dec. 22.

The competition this year will see the return of past competitors and winners, including Blue Moon Boutique and Urban Art Gallery. Voting will be done digitally with the use of QR codes; participating businesses will have posters in their windows designating them as a competitor.

This sets the stage for the Joplin Christmas parade from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 1. The theme for this year’s parade is “Cruisin’ to Christmas.” It reflects a twist on the traditional parade format. In order to allow for social distancing, residents will view from their vehicles the floats and entries that line the sides of Main Street north from 15th Street to Third Street. The parade route starts with drivers entering at 20th and Main. No candy or handouts will be permitted.

If you have news about something that’s happening on Range Line Road or Main Street, call 417-623-3480, ext. 7250; or send an email to wkennedy@joplinglobe.com; or send a fax to Wally Kennedy at 417-623-8598.