Here's a touching Rochester story.

Healing Touch is moving its spa and massage business to two locations.

Owner Mary Jo Majerus explains that the 23-year-old business is moving completely out of its long-time home in the Kahler Hotel subway in downtown Rochester.

Chair massages in the subway under the downtown Rochester Marriott Hotel still will be offered.

The spa services are going to the second floor of the University Square Mall next week. The massage portion part will move in with the Massage & Spa Professional Academy at 17 13 1/2 St. N. on Monday.

While the University Square space will be long-term, Majerus says moving in with the school, which she also owns, is temporary.

Back in August, Majerus announced plans to move into the former Audibel Hearing Center on North Broadway between Taco Bell and Dairy Queen. That didn't work out, because it could not accommodate her salon business.

To stay open in the short term, she is splitting things up and dropping the salon for now.

She hopes to find a location or a partner to house the spa, salon and her school in one place.

Bank withdrawal

Changing needs of customers is spurringRochester's Premier Bank to make a withdrawal.

Expect the Premier branch in Walmart South on U.S 63 South to close permanently on Jan. 4, 2010. The branch in the North Walmart will remain open, as will its four other Rochester branches.

"We will consolidate those customers to the Green Meadows branch in southwest Rochester," says Premier President Cory Heimer. That branch's schedule will be extended to match the Walmart one.

Why close the South Walmart branch?

"Convenience today is different than it was ten years ago when we opened that branch," he says. "We've seen a dramatic increase of customers using online banking and online bill pay. Lobby traffic peaked out. It wasn't efficient."

Mavo on move

An accidental blaze in January ruined plans to expand its Rochester office, but Mavo Systems now has a new and much larger place to call home in Med City.

Mavo Systems, an environmental and mechanical systems contractor, closed on the purchase Friday of a 9,000-square-foot building at 3030 Prow Lane N.E., near Valleyhigh Drive Northwest.

Dana Krakowski, Mavo's director of sales, says the firm based in White Bear Lake, Minn., has about 50 on staff in Rochester. It has been working out of the ex-Mill's Fleet Farm store on U.S. 63 South since the fire at its 6844 10th Ave. S.W.

Why have such a large presence in Rochester?

"We do a lot of work for Mayo Clinic and IBM and Rochester Public Schools," she says.

The firm does environmental work like removing asbestos, lead and toxic flooring. It also does mechanical installation, flooring treatments like polishing concrete as well as other services.

Biz buzz

• It looks like a couple of Rochester convenience stores/gas stations will soon bulk up in size.

• Is that the pitter-patter of a new flooring store coming to Rochester I hear?

Maybe. The word floating around is that a local name is considering getting in on the ground floor of a new retail carpeting business.

You can bet your Berber that I'll keep my ear to the ground to track this one.

Jeff Kiger's Heard on the Street column runs twice weekly. He can be reached can be heard on Tracy in the Morning on Fox 102.5 on Mondays.

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