Jenny Kincaid Boone covers retail and real estate.

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Jenny Kincaid Boone

Retail Roundup columns

• Readers, thanks for your support
• Bastians Bar-B-Q to reopen
• Woolworth's space is being renovated in downtown Roanoke

The Storefront blog

• More from Jenny's blog

Grace's Place expanding

Grace Niday has wanted to offer delivery through her local pizza restaurant, and by September, she'll get that chance.

Niday, co-owner of Grace's Place Pizzeria on Grandin Road in Roanoke, plans to open a second location for her pizza shop on Brambleton Avenue in Roanoke County.

It will offer largely the same menu of pizza and subs as her current shop, though the new space will have only carry-out and delivery services, not in-store dining.

Niday and her brother, Ruben Liendo, opened Grace's Place in 2003 in Grandin Village. Along with pizza and other foods, it has a salad bar.

And though it does not offer delivery, Grace's Place has grown into a popular neighborhood eatery.

"We've been blessed," Niday said. "We stay busy all the time."

That's why Niday and Liendo decided it was time to expand. The new Grace's Place location will land at 4321 Brambleton Ave., near Country Cookin. Liendo will manage it.

The owners are in the process of fitting the space with equipment. It will be open six days a week and closed on Mondays, the same as Grace's Place hours in Grandin Village.

Recently, Niday took a break from cleaning her Grandin Road shop to talk about the soon-to-open location.

"I'm excited about it, just a little overwhelmed," she said.

Rising gas prices could increase sales

High gas prices may not be bad news for everyone. Though the percentage of food sales at convenience stores is small, gas price increases may help to drive up these sales, according to a study by Chicago food industry firm, Technomic.

"A trip to the gas station may be unavoidable, but now consumers are more likely to also pick up a quick meal or a snack at a c-store [convenience store] and avoid another stop," said Tim Powell, convenience store food service program director at Technomic, in a news release.

News from the Storefront blog

• Puppy Love, Salon del Sol and Sleep Number by Select Comfort have opened at Valley View Mall and at the District at Valley View.

• Back-to-college spending is expected to be drop this year.

• New York Pizza in Vinton doesn't have immediate plans to expand, though a sign has been advertising this move for quite some time.