Shops at McLaughlin – one space leftCrews have broken ground on the Shops at McLaughlin, south of the Walgreen’s off McLaughlin Road. Mike Thibault, president of T-Bone Construction, said the project should be completed by Sept. 1. One confirmed tenant is a full-service dry cleaning business.And Leigh Steinert of Magnum Commercial released the name of a second tenant. “Snap Fitness will be occupying 2,600 square feet,” she said. “That leaves one space remaining over there.”Falcon Safeway Phase III signs two moreSteinert also confirmed two more businesses that will open in Falcon Safeway Phase III. She said Unique Hair Salon has signed a lease to occupy 1,200 square feet. Express Cash is the other business recently signed. “We have a few restaurants that are also looking at the final space,” she said. Even though Falcon Family Eye Clinic has opened its doors, Steinert said she expects that other tenants should be ready for business in the next six weeks. “It really all depends on their contractors,” she said. The other businesses already confirmed are Falcon Grill, Sweet Tooth Ice Cream and Candy store and Town and Country Preschool.Hope Montessori SchoolHope Montessori is expanding to the eastern plains. Carrie Olesen, executive director for Hope Montessori, said she expects the school to open sometime in August. It’s a stand-alone building located just south of Frankie’s Too. The Falcon location will be the fourth facility for Hope Montessori, which is open to children age six weeks to 12. They offer private kindergarten classes along with before-and-after-school programs. Olesen said the school is capable of enrolling up to 178 students.Woodmen Hills Plaza looking for replacement tenantMancino’s has closed its doors, but it may not be long before another restaurant reopens them. Woodmen Hills Plaza Building Manager Gene Rolle said he has had many interested parties inquiring about leasing the available space. “We have had a lot of interested parties, mostly restaurants,” he said. “They are all in the preliminary stages right now, but since the space was already designed for a restaurant that is the most likely fit.” He said they are encouraging restaurants that are already established in Colorado Springs and looking to expand to Falcon. “It’s those restaurants (that) are looking to add a No. 2 or 3 restaurant that we are encouraging to come up to the surface,” Rolle said. “They will make it.”Rolle said it was the previous leasers’ choice to close their doors. “They just decided to discontinue business,” he said. “It was their choice. There was no negativity.”Do pigs have wings?New Falcon restaurant introduces unique productChicken wings: Move over. There’s a new wing on the block, made of the “other” meat. They’re pig wings, and they’re coming to Falcon.Art Wilson had planned to open a Wild Wings franchise in Falcon, but he said it didn’t work out. However, he is finishing the same space originally designated for Wild Wings in the Falcon Safeway Phase III building and opening his own restaurant, Falcon Grill.And he will introduce a brand-new product to this area – pig wings.”Pig wings are 10 times better than chicken wings,” Wilson said.Wilson is the first person in a five-state area to offer pig wings, he said. Colorado Springs was the first to try them. Wilson started serving the pig wings at his recently opened restaurant at the corner of Galley Road and Circle Avenue.The pig wings come from Kansas City. “I found them by accident,” he said. They are deep fried like chicken wings, only Wilson said the pig wings are bigger and tender. “The meat just comes off the bone,” he said. “They taste like ham – it’s a chunk of ham on the bone.” Wilson offers 10 different dipping sauces, from buttermilk ranch to honey barbecue to a hot/hot sauce “and everything in between,” he said.The Falcon Grill will open for breakfast, lunch and take-home dinners the fourth week in June, Wilson said. The grill seats about 40 people, and he’ll offer cafÈ type seating outside. The menu consists of “foods I grew up with in the South,” he said, like steaks, hamburgers, French fries and a “breakfast burrito to die for.” Beer and wine will be available, as well as wireless Internet capability.Wilson is familiar with Falcon – he and his wife, Melody, have lived in Falcon since 1999. His daughter and two grandchildren live in the Springs.Wilson said he plans to schedule a grand opening later in the summer. Meanwhile, he hopes the Falcon Grill will fly on pigs’ wings!
