New York & Co. Open Again in Orland

New York & Company district sales manager Beth Muszynski (left) and store manager Cindy McCollum cut the ribbon to officially reopen the Orland Square Mall store. Credit New York & Company

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Women’s clothing retailer New York & Company is open again at Orland Square Mall in its newly remodeled store on the upper level Sears Court. The store held its official reopening last week with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. For information, call (708) 349-2088 or visit New York & Company.

Garden Gallery Grand Opening

Burbank-based Garden Center Services, a not-for-profit agency that supports people with developmental disabilities, will hold its grand opening and ribbon cutting from 5-9 p.m. tomorrow at its new Garden Gallery & Studio at 17459 S. Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park.

The event will feature refreshments, live music and the chance to meet local artists who have artwork on display in the gallery.

Clients of Garden Center Services have been using the studio for art classes since March.

For information, call 708-560-4400 or visit Garden Gallery.

Whitey’s Dairy Palace Open for the Season

Whitey’s Dairy Palace is open again at 16860 S. Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park with a menu of ice cream and hot dogs.

Charter Fitness Offers Free Passes to Military

Orland Park-based Charter Fitness is giving free gym passes to any member of the military on short-term leave from active duty.

The Orland Park-based fitness chain also is waiving joining fees for locally-based members of the military and their spouses and children. This deal also applies to local police and firefighters and their families.

Service personnel home on leave need only present their IDs and leave papers to qualify for the free passes, which are good for the duration of their leave and entitle them to full use of Charter Fitness locations.

For information and locations, visit Charter Fitness.

Marquette Bank Holds 5th Annual Food Drive

Marquette Bank has launched its fifth annual Neighborhood Food Drive and is collecting donations at all 24 bank locations until June 23.

Food and monetary donations will be distributed to local food pantries and neighborhood food banks through the Greater Chicago Food Depository and the Northern Illinois Food Bank.

“Last year, Marquette Bank donated over 62,500 meals to the Greater Chicago Food Depository and Northern Illinois Food Bank,” said Executive Vice President Betty Kosky-Harn. “With the help of our employees, customers and neighbors, we look forward to making this year’s food drive a huge success.”

Donations of non-perishable food items can be placed in food barrels at any of the bank’s 24 locations. Employees also will be spending several days volunteering at the Greater Chicago Food Depository sorting and packing donated food items.

The Limited Opens at Chicago Ridge Mall

The Limited, a women’s clothing store, opened a 5,000-square-foot new concept store last week at Chicago Ridge Mall near Center Court. For information, call 708-346-9120 or visit The Limited.

CUB to Pay Lucky Someone’s April Electric Bill

The Citizens Utility Board announced on Earth Day that one out of every 10 families who sign up for the consumer group’s free online energy bill-cutting service, CUBenergysaver.com, will have their electric bills paid in the month of April, up to $150.

CUBenergysaver.com was launched in June 2010 as a partnership between CUB and New York City-based Efficiency 2.0. Since then, the tool has helped consumers trim their gas and electric bills by an average of $130 a year by recommending hundreds of personalized energy-saving actions.

Efficiency 2.0 has offered to cover the April electric bill, up to $150, for one out of every 10 consumers who join CUB Energy Saver before June 1. Join at www.CUBenergysaver.com/earth.

“Protecting the planet starts at your doorstep,” CUB Executive Director David Kolata said in a release. “CUB Energy Saver proves that there are hundreds of ways to cut costs and reduce energy waste. It’s simple, it’s free, and it’s what Earth Month is all about.”

CUB Energy Saver links to a household's Commonwealth Edison account to track actual reductions in energy waste. It then rewards those reductions with points — two for every kilowatt-hour saved — that can be redeemed for shopping and restaurant discounts. The tool works for all residential electric consumers, including those who have signed up for alternative electric suppliers.

If you see a new business in town or wonder what happened to an old favorite, drop me a line at bobbong@hotmail.com.

You can also catch up on Comings & Goings in other parts of the Southland at http://www.southlandbusinessnews.blogspot.com/.