Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, January 21, 1995                   TAG: 9501230045
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

IN BUSINESS

CFW Communications Co. of Waynesboro announced this week that Virginia MetroTel, a long-distance access company in Richmond that it partially owned, has been sold to MFS Communications of Omaha, Neb.

The terms of the sale were not announced. CFW owned 26 percent of MetroTel and realized a 47 percent annualized return on its sale, CFW said.

CFW is the parent company of the Clifton Forge-Waynesboro Telephone Co.

- Staff report

Crestar acquires thrift, bank

Crestar Financial Corp. said Friday it completed two previously announced acquisitions in Northern Virginia.

Acquisition of Independent Bank of Manassas and Jefferson Savings and Loan of Warrenton adds 10 locations in Northern Virginia for Crestar.

Crestar said the transactions further solidify the bank's market position in Northern Virginia. It has offered employment to more than half of the 171 employees of the two institutions.

Last year Crestar announced or completed nine bank or thrift acquisitions.

- Staff report

ETS completes Richmond merger

ETS International Inc. of Roanoke said Friday that it has completed the merger of Environmental Laboratories Inc. of Richmond into its analytical subsidiary, ETS Analytical Services Inc.

The Richmond company, which has been in business since 1980, provides laboratory services to local and regional governments and industrial clients in Virginia. It specializes in analysis of drinking water, waste water, hazardous wastes and ground water from landfill monitoring systems.

The Richmond laboratory now will operate as a division of ETS Analytical Services and retain all of its employees. Steven Pond, former president of Environmental Laboratories, will assume the position of vice president of sales and marketing.

- Associated Press

Kitchenware chain closing last store

Lock Stock and Barrel, a company that formerly operated gift and kitchenware shops in Roanoke, will quit business at the end of this month. Owners Sherwin and Carla Jacobs, formerly of Roanoke, said they will close the last of their shops, in Harrisonburg.

The first store in the chain opened in 1973 in Tanglewood Mall, followed in 1980 by a shop on the Roanoke City Market. The Jacobs opened other outlets in Danville and Harrisonburg in the 1980s.

Carla Jacobs said the Tanglewood store was lost when the mall's French Quarter section was eliminated in 1989. The Jacobses then closed the Danville store and moved to Harrisonburg, where Sherwin Jacobs resumed the practice of law and dropped out of the business.

They sold the City Market store in 1991 to Leon Hall, who operated it until last June, when the Jacobses foreclosed on his note. By then, Carla Jacobs said, they knew they wanted to get out of the business, so they closed the Roanoke store.

Sherwin Jacobs will continue to practice law. Carla Jacobs, who has a 2-year-old daughter at home, intends to go to graduate school. She said it's possible she will resume the business later.

- Staff report

Bankruptcies

Seven bankruptcies with business affiliations have been filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Western Virginia at Roanoke. Three of them are personal bankruptcies that the court listed as businesses because they have commercial connections and could be of interest to business creditors and customers.

Bristol House Ltd., a limited partnership that operates retirement housing in Bristol, filed for reorganization and protection from creditors. It had assets of $3,564,188 and liabilities of $6,813,709.

Virginia Ann Jewelry Inc. of Bluefield sought liquidation. The company said it had assets of $94,139 and liabilities of $173,025.

Lonesome Dove Mining Inc. of Vansant filed for liquidation with assets of $37,000 and liabilities of $47,720.

Meredith Nursery and Floral Design Inc. of Pearisburg asked for reorganization and protection from creditors. It estimated both assets and liabilities at more than $100,000.

Rebecca Anderson Sundance of Troutville, a self-employed insurance agent, filed for liquidation and listed assets of $77,700 and liabilities of $102,854.

Lewis Wayne Sizemore and JoAnn Sizemore of Independence sought liquidation with assets of $23,611 and liabilities of $58,703. JoAnn Sizemore operates Sizemore Sewing.

Lonnie Gene Love and Brenda L. Love of Vansant filed for liquidation, showing assets of $61,985 and liabilities of $86,868. Lonnie Gene Love is a self-employed salesman of mining equipment.

- Staff report