The beloved, quaint metal Quonset hut downtown that housed the historic Springfield restaurant Casper's for nearly four decades is home to a new business.
The Chubby Wizard, a smoke and skateboard shop located in the downtown hut at 601 W. Walnut St., had a soft opening Oct. 3, owner Matthew McBrayer said. The skate shop, specializing in southwest Missouri brands like McBrayer's own “Thicc Crew,” hopes to get some construction issues resolved to host a grand opening Halloween weekend.
McBrayer and his business partner, Anthony Lippilo, signed a lease on the revered downtown Springfield hut in July, he said. They chose the spot because it's close to a number of popular skating destinations in the city's oldest corridor.
“We just wanted a cool skate hub because there's so many skate spots around,” McBrayer said. Many Springfield skaters “already hang out down here.”
Springfield lacks skateboarding shops, McBrayer said. He hopes the Chubby Wizard will be a fresh spin to give the community a place to exist and grow, he said.
“We grew up nerds,” McBrayer said, referring to himself and his business partner. “We wanted to give a new twist” the skate shop experience in the Queen City.
The building's kitchen, currently covered in grease and inoperable, will be repurposed, McBrayer said. The Chubby Wizard eventually wants to offer plant-based, quick-bite snacks, he said. The kitchen needs some serious work, however.
“I've never seen more grease in my life,” McBrayer said. “It's actually a problem.”
Casper's restaurant moved to the old Anton's Coffee Shop building on Glenstone Ave. earlier this year.
The Chubby Wizard will also sell a number of smoking accessories like vapes, papers, pipes and wraps. The split business model is partly due to an effort to offset costs, McBrayer said.
“Most skate shops are afraid to get a shop downtown because of the overhead price,” he said. “Which is why we made our business model smoke shop, skate shop.”
