Electric scooter? He'll fix it

Raleigh resident Rich Sathoff discovered his love of electric scooters when a friend loaned him one during a European vacation. He liked it so much that he bought one of his own, but then had trouble finding a place to service it.

So he opened Electric Scooter City three years ago to sell and service electric vehicles.

Although the business started with his own interests, Sathoff had good timing.

Sales of all electric vehicles -- from scooters to bikes to cars -- are taking off as consumers become more environmentally conscious and sensitive to gas prices.

Electric Scooter City expanded this week into a larger space at 3801 Hillsborough St. in Raleigh, in the former Royal Bakery building.

And though it's one independent shop, it seems likely that Sathoff's business will continue to benefit from the overall trend toward electric transportation.

No one keeps data on electric scooter sales. But the Electric Drive Transportation Association in Washington, D.C., reports that the number of hybrid cars sold jumped from 83,000 in 2004 to almost 190,000 in 2005.

A New York company plans to open three nightclubs in The Depot, the former Southern Railway station on Davie Street in Raleigh that's being turned into an entertainment complex.

Hoping to finally turn the area into a bustling nightspot, RDG Inc. will open a country and rock saloon called Blazin' Saddles, a sports bar and restaurant called The Hurricane and a New York-style martini bar called Soho East.

The bars will take up all of the remaining 14,000 square feet at The Depot, joining Ess Lounge, which opened this summer, and Nana's Chophouse, which has been open across the street since 2004.

The opening of all three bars is slated for May 3.

Savor Hospitality opened last week in the Cary building that used to house A Southern Star restaurant. At 815 W. Chatham St., Savor is a four-year-old business that's half cooking school and half catering and special-events business.

Also, Cuisines Catering of Cary opened a retail outlet, Cuisines on the Go, in Morrisville's Perimeter Park office complex. The store, located at 1100 Perimeter Park Drive, offers home-style lunches.

In Durham, Blast Wellness opened this week in the Oak Creek Village shopping center, near the intersection of U.S. 15-501 and Garrett Road. Blast is a fitness and wellness center for children 8 to 18.

Other items: Stonehaven Jewelry Gallery is open in Stone Creek Village shopping center, at Davis Drive and High House Road in Cary. ... Lowes Foods will anchor Middle Creek Commons, which is starting construction at N.C. 50 and N.C. 42 in Cleveland. It will open in the fall. ... Bushiban Coffee opened a second location, at 8109 Fayetteville Road in King's Grant Commons in Fuquay-Varina.