A new furniture store opened last Friday in Fairview Heights and occupies the space Circuit City vacated more than three years ago. The Dallas-based electronics and home entertainment chain closed the metro-east store and others in November after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Furniture Direct Homestore at 55 Ludwig Drive is the latest new store for the retail chain. You can also find Furniture Direct Homestore in Union, Mo., and another opening soon in Chesterfield, Mo.

The new store is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

Call the Fairview Heights store at 293-6662 to find out more.

Auto Zone is coming to O'Fallon. The chain of auto parts store has plans to build a new one on East U.S. 50. About four years ago McDonald's left that site and relocated to a new building across the street. Auto Zone has stores in Belleville, Fairview Heights, East St. Louis, Cahokia, Collinsville, Edwardsville and Granite City.

An Edwardsville bookstore is moving. Afterwords Books will soon relocate from its current spot at 231 N. Main St. in downtown Edwardsville to 232 S. Buchanan St., also in Edwardsville. Stay tuned.

Dennis Keck is looking to relocate his jewelry after five years at Belleville Crossing. Keck Jewelers opened within the then-new shopping center at 5761 Belleville Crossing in November 2007, but his lease is about to run out in the next two months. The business has been in Keck's family for more than 25 years. For the meantime, you can reach the store at 277-4444.

Ice cream stands are opening up in the metro-east. Dairy Freeze, at 250 St. Louis Road in Collinsville, opened last weekend and White Cottage, at 102 Lebanon Ave. in Belleville, will reopen for the season a week from today.

And finally, Rhutasel and Associates Inc. was awarded for excellence in engineering. Last month, the Freeburg-based firm was presented with the Annual Engineering Excellence Awards Competition of the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois. The metro-east company was recognized for its wastewater treatment plant improvement project.

Contact reporter Will Buss at wbuss@bnd.com or 239-2526.