ERIN EDGEMON, Post Contributor
Posted: Sunday, May 30, 2010 4:52 am

A new sit-down restaurant offering Greek and Italian cuisine is now open in Murfreesboro.

Pisghetti’s Greek & Italian Café has opened in the former location of Goodness Gracious Café & Catering at 352 W. Northfield Blvd.

The restaurant serves everything from gyros and kabobs to meatball sandwiches and pizza, hummus and falafel.

“There is no other Greek sit-down restaurant in Murfreesboro,” said Owner Sam Abualrob, of why he decided to open the restaurant. Also, there aren’t many non-franchised Italian restaurants in the city.

He said people should come try Pisghetti’s simply because they serve “good food.”

Abualrob previously owned Cedar’s restaurant in Smyrna and Courtyard Café in Antioch. He sold both restaurants to open Pisghetti’s.

Abualrob said he decided to put all of his time into a Murfreesboro restaurant because the city has more residents and a better economy.

A native of Kuwait, Abualrob moved to Nashville in 1985 and attended Tennessee State University. During college, he worked in the restaurant business and learned from Italian chefs.

One particular chef shared his recipes with Abualrob and really taught him about the business. Following college, Abualrob jumped right in the fire and opened his first restaurant.

Pisghetti’s is open seven days a week from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Call the restaurant at 216-6568.

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Magnolia House Gift & Garden is closing its storefront in early-to-late July. Everything in the home décor, garden and gift store is up to 40 percent off.

Lisa Booten has owned and operated the store located at 2122 N. Thompson Lane for five years.

“I am not going out of business,” she said. “I am just closing the storefront.”

With the economy being down and all of the retail growth in Murfreesboro, Booten said it was either time to move the business or close it.

She plans to start a website to continue to sell merchandise sometime in the future but no timeline has been set.

“It seems like everything is moving to the internet because you have less overhead,” she said.

Booten said she also wanted more time to work with her decorating clients. She will likely take on more clients once the store is closed.

Booten originally planned to close her store last year after the Good Friday Tornado, but her loyal customers convinced her to keep the store open.

Call Magnolia House Gift & Garden at 893-0475.

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Interested in having your new business featured in The Edge? Send an e-mail to eedgemon@murfreesboropost.com.