Irene&squo;s offers homemade and diner-style fare to Landrum and the surrounding areas. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, and a wide variety of dishes including steak, seafood, and take-out.

Irene&squo;s is owned and operated by Tim and Cynthia James, whose previous restaurant experience includes Jerry&squo;s Caf´, formerly of Tryon, and The Black Angus in Florida.

The new restaurant sports a flat screen television over the diner&squo;s counter, fresh paint and new furnishings.

The restaurant is named for the James&squo; daughter, Samantha Irene James, and Tim&squo;s mother. Samantha and the James&squo; son, Timothy Richard, both work with their parents at the restaurant. &dquo;It is a place you can bring your whole family,&dquo; said owner Cynthia James.

Irene&squo;s Restaurant is open Monday through Thursday, 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, call 864-457-4052.

* * *

Isadora&squo;s Closet consignment shop in downtown Tryon closed recently, after 20 years in business.

Owner Jody Vermont said, &dquo;The economy has forced me into bankruptcy. Tryon has become so very near and dear to my heart. It is so sad to see so many struggling financially here but my business is just one of many that are stressed. I hope folks will realize the importance of shopping locally as much as possible. I truly appreciate all who have supported Isadora&squo;s Closet. This year is 20 years that it has operated. I have had it for eight.&dquo;

Vermont said she did not have time to return items to over 2,000 consigners, and all items were donated to local thrift stores.

&dquo;I am so sorry but I had a very short time before my power was cut off. I literally had to pack, clean and leave. I have filed bankruptcy. Isadora&39;s contents were donated,&dquo; she said. &dquo;With no phone or electricity, I did the best I could. I hope folks will realize I did the best I could in this economy.&dquo;

Local thrift stores had regularly received from Isadora&squo;s items which were past their 90-day return contracts as Isadora&squo;s restocked at season changes.

Still, at least one local thrift store was planning to segregate recent donations from Isadora&squo;s in case consigners should want to retrieve items consigned for less than 90 days, items which may still legally be theirs under contract.

* * *

White Oak Manor, Tryon, will celebrate the formal opening of its new rehabilitation wing Sept. 24 from 3 to 7 p.m.

* * *

The North Carolina Horse Council will hold a town hall meeting to hear the report on the findings and recommendations of the equine economic impact study Monday, Sept. 28, 6:30 p.m. at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center in Fletcher. Light refreshments will be served. Copies of the report will be available for those who attend. For more information call 919 854-1990 or 1-800-529-9206.

* * *

Roadrunner Markets is rebranding its Landrum and Columbus stores to Shell gasoline stations from BP gasoline stations. Corporate officers this week said they wanted both stores to tie-in with the Bi-Lo &dquo;fuelperks&dquo; program. The program allows customers to build up credits on their Bi-Lo cards and use those at Shell station pumps (and Spinx and Sunoco) for instant savings of between 5 and 20 cents per gallon.

* * *

Perkins & Wills, an Atlanta based international architectural firm, has recognized Ed Lettelier&squo;s Craftsman Services for exceptional design and execution of a residential kitchen remodel, recently completed in the Marietta township.

The project was a substantial &dquo;gutted to the walls&dquo; affair involving all new electric, plumbing, tile, hardwood, sheet rock and custom trim work. A custom crafted island and Silestone countertops rounded out the project. The lighting design incorporated recessed tracks conceived and executed by Craftsman Services.

Craftsman Services was awarded the contract following a personal referral from one of its clients.

* * *

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today announced a $3 million Economic Development Administration (EDA) grant to the Clemson University Real Estate Foundation, Clemson University, and the city of Greenville, S.C., to help expand the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research to provide office and lab space for entrepreneurs developing new technologies in the automotive, mobility, and energy fields.

Locke said, &dquo;This grant will create jobs as automotive start-up companies get the space and technical assistance they need to prosper.&dquo;

&bsp;* * *

David Napoli, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon with Blue Ridge Bone and Joint, will discuss the causes and treatment options for osteoarthritis of the hand in a free presentation at the Pardee Health Education Center on Tue., Sept. 29, from noon until 1 p.m. &bsp;

* * *

Pardee Hospital has announced that Anna Hicks, M.D., recently joined its medical staff and is serving patients at Four Seasons in Hendersonville.

Dr. Hicks received her medical degree from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Columbia, and completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis. She completed fellowships in geriatric medicine at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville and in hospice and palliative medicine at Methodist Health Alliance in Memphis, Tenn.