Yancey's reborn, sans E

More restaurants are heading to downtown Raleigh, including a reinvented Yancey's.

Once a tenant of City Market and known for its jambalaya and jazz, it will open in the Hudson, the former Hudson Belk building on Fayetteville Street Mall being renovated into retail space and 64 condos.

Yancy's -- this time without an E -- will encompass about 10,600 square feet, in two separate storefronts on both sides of the WTVD studio on the Hudson's bottom floor.

On the larger side will be the restaurant, which will serve many favorites from the former Yancey's, including jambalaya and red beans and rice. On the other side of the TV studio, the smaller Yancy's Showcase will host private parties, banquets and the catering business. Both sides will feature live entertainment and a full bar. Yancy's is expected to open in late August or early September.

In the Progress Energy building at Wilmington and Davie streets in Raleigh, Fins signed a lease for a restaurant that will open in late 2006 or early 2007. In the same building, the former La Joy Coffee and Tea House is under new ownership. It closed last month for a 30- to 45-day renovation and will reopen as the Sosta Cafe, with homemade pastries, sandwiches, soups, coffee and tea.

Changes are coming on Person Street. Mordecai Bridal & Tuxedo is closing after 28 years of selling formal wear in Raleigh. The store at 707 N. Person St. started its clearance sale and will close at the end of March.

And, if you love Krispy Kreme doughnuts, you have just two more days to get your fix or grab a few of the special Valentine's heart-shaped variety. The Triangle's lone Krispy Kreme store at 549 N. Person St. is closing for eight days of renovations. It will close at 11 p.m. Sunday and reopen at 6 a.m. Monday, Feb. 20. Other stores will supply doughnuts to area merchants that normally carry prepackaged boxes, but the heart-shaped ones won't be available after Sunday.

There are a few new retailers at North Hills, in the part-residential, part-retail Alexan section. Gena Chandler, a women's fashion and accessories boutique, is now open. Also, Vivace, an Italian restaurant, will open the week of Feb. 27, with a menu including house-made pastas. Finally, The Curtain Exchange will open its first North Carolina store next to Babie Me this spring. The store will sell custom, ready-to-hang window treatments.

Other items of note: PostNet, a full-service packing and shipping chain similar to the UPS Store, is planning to add to its five Triangle stores. The company may add as many as 20 Triangle stores, though no sites have been picked. ... The Nutrition Shop opened in Clayton, off of U.S. 70, across from the Wal-Mart. The independent store sells vitamins plus dietary and weight management products, at wholesale prices.