Heading into the holiday shopping season, retailers are beginning their sprucing-up rituals. While some merchants put up lights, Christmas trees and menorahs by rote, others are going through it for the first time. And though Mary Mollen is one of those novices, preparing for the post-Thanksgiving rush will be easier after the three-month redesign of her store, The Toy Center.

Driving north on Chamberlayne Avenue from downtown, you’ll see a nondescript beige building that sits off to the left. From a distance, it looks like any warehouse in any urban area in America. But look a little closer and what you’ll find is a nearly 60-year-old building that has been gutted and renovated by its owners, brothers David and Tom Kern.

Opening a second store is challenging enough for a retailer looking to expand. But throw a troubled shopping center into the mix and stressed-filled nights are sure to follow. That is what has happened to business owner Anne Kennon, who owns the maternity fashion boutique It’s Hip to be Round. Ever since founding the Carytown shop in 2005, she has wanted to expand into western Henrico County to reach customers there.

ARichmond-based design firm is working to bridge the gap between old and new. Riggs Ward Design has created an educational, tourist-oriented iPhone applica tion called CuraTour. The app allows visitors to museums, attractions and heritage areas to access background and educational information on the sites. It also has a feature for tourists to build itineraries and share reviews.

One of the toughest parts about being an entrepreneur is dealing with the lack of sleep. Between working long hours, having the family’s financial future at stake and looking out for employees, there is enough going on to keep any business owner tossing and turning all night. David Ingram knows what they are going through and wants to help.

It’s been a busy year for paint entrepreneur Sally Fretwell. And, if things go as planned, it’ll only get busier.

As it looks to take its work to a global level, architecture and design firm Odell Associates has turned to designer Roger Soto. “I want to create a fresh new direction [at Odell]. To do work that’s recognized by the design and architecture world,“ said Soto, who is leading the effort from the firm’s Richmond office. Odell is based in Charlotte, N.C., and has offices in three other cities, including ones in the Lucky Strike power plant building in Tobacco Row in Richmond. The firm completely gutted and renovated the old plant, turning it into a state of the art office.

For most of us, lifting anything heavier than a chair is either considered moving or a workout. But to David Brown of Ashland, lifting things is a sport and a business. The 185-pound, 45-year old Brown is competitive Olympic-style weightlifter and owner of the Ashland Athletic Club. The club, which opened about two years ago, moved into a new location this month.

Columbus, Ohio-based Donatos is counting on people’s love for pizza as it looks to expand into the Richmond market. The chain, which opened in 1963, wants to open as many as 20 franchised-owned restaurants in the area. The company now has about 180 company-owned and franchised-owned restaurants in six states—Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina.

As gas prices climbed higher last year, alternative fuels became a much-discussed topic as companies and individuals began working on ways to ease the dependence on foreign oil. Whether it was electricity, ethanol or hydrogen, many saw the need to adjust. While gas prices have dropped back from those highs, many companies, wary of prices heading north again, are still looking for vehicles using alternative fuels.

With changing regulations, a market in flux and investors weary of deciding where to put their life savings, the job of an independent financial adviser is getting more difficult by the day. One Richmond man, however, is trying to make their lives just a bit easier. Stuart M. Porterfield owns Advisor PT, a coaching and consulting firm that helps independent financial advisers operate their businesses more effectively.

You would think the worlds of high-stakes financial markets and selling salsa wouldn’t have a lot in common. But in one man’s life, the two are interchangeable. Ernie Dettbarn is a senior vice president of fixed income at BB&T Capital Markets in Richmond. He also is the president of Ernie’s Epic Foods, a company that makes salsas.

While the economy has taken its toll on some area businesses, one local retailer is expanding because of the downturn. Norma Santamaria, who owns Baggio on Gayton Road near Quioccasin Road in Henrico County, has moved her store to accommodate the increase in traffic and inventory she’s seen since the economy began to sour last year. Baggio is a consignment shop that deals in high-end women’s clothing, bags, shoes and jewelry.

The next time you spring for a Slurpee at a 7-Eleven, you could be buying it from a neighbor. The Dallas-based convenience store chain is looking to sell its Richmond-area company-owned stores to franchisees. It began the process here in 2007 but is making a bigger push now by reaching out to possible store owners. Of the 96 stores in the Richmond/Petersburg market, the chain has sold about 11 to franchisees. In the Philadelphia market, only two of its 155 area stores remain company-owned. In the Baltimore market, all but nine of the 175 stores have been sold to franchisees. Both markets have been pushing to sell their stores to franchisees for several years.

With lighted columns in the lobby, a second-floor terrace complete with swimming pool, and high-end lighting in the halls, the new Hotel Sierra seems more like a boutique hotel in Manhattan than an extended-stay lodge backing up to a Dick’s Sporting Goods. But the latter is exactly what it is. The Hotel Sierra is at the rear of the Short Pump Town Center, across the walkway from the Baker’s Crust Café. The hotel, which opened about two months ago, will hold an invitation-only open house on Thursday.