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I have more than 40 years in the news business and have successfully evolved into an electronic journalist. Comings & Goings and Southland Savvy track news about businesses in Chicago's Southland.

Gold Shops Open in Tinley, Orland

K.E. Jewelry opened recently in Orland Park.
By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

The high price of gold (hovering around $1,700 an ounce) has brought one of those shops that buy gold to Tinley Park.

We Buy and Sell Gold, which the village classifies as a jewelry store, opened recently at 7112 W. 171st St. in the former home of the village’s first and only pawn shop, which closed late in 2010 after its owner violated the terms of his arrangement with the village and purchased four antique guns.

Hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and closed on Sundays.

A gold buying store called K.E. Jewelry opened recently at 15810 S. Harlem Ave. in the Home Depot Plaza in Orland Park. Hours are Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed on Sundays.

It joins three other gold buying stores that have rebranded themselves Gold Max after doing business for a long time as Midwest Gold Buyers.

Those stores are in Orland Square Mall, 14700 S. LaGrange Road and 7928 W. 159th St.

Plaza Café Closes in Frankfort

One of our favorite places closed this week when the state revoked the business registration of the Plaza Café in Frankfort over issues with back taxes. If a deal can be reached between the owner and the state Department of Revenue, the restaurant could reopen, but chances are those Heidi cakes are gone forever.

New Lenox Library Café Closes

The New Lenox Library can’t seem to catch a break in regards to its in-house café. The latest blow came last week when Book and Bean Too closed because of health issues for its owner. The café had just reopened in September after being closed for several months. Library officials are trying to determine whether the café can reopen or do they need to seek a new vendor – again.

Old World Pizza Coming to Tinley

Original Old World Pizza, also known as Fat Ricky’s, is taking over the space at 16703 S. Harlem Ave. in Tinley Park that was home for a short time last year to Capri Express.

Fat Ricky’s opened a location in Orland Park in 2010. The chain began in Elmwood Park in 1963 and has other locations in Shorewood and Romeoville.

The eateries are known for their pizza, burgers, pasta, sandwiches and calzones. You can check out their menu at http://www.fatrickys.com/ and get more information at their Facebook page.

Calls for more information were not returned, so I don’t have an exact opening date but it should be soon.

Green Garden Golf Dome Delayed Again By, What Else, More Snow


By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Green Garden Golf Course in Frankfort lost its golf dome in last February’s blizzard when the storm ripped a hole in the fabric covering and it deflated.

Plans to erect a new and improved dome have been hampered this month by bitter cold and two Friday snowstorms.

Golf course general manager Todd Russell said he expects the dome to be open for business by next Tuesday, if not sooner.

“Realistically, I expect it will be open a week from today,” he said on Tuesday. “We’ll try for sooner but no later than next week.”

Russell said he would keep posting golf dome updates on the golf course website http://www.greengardencc.com/.


The new dome will be heated and have a two-level hitting area. The dome will have 42 hitting stations, a putting green, chipping area, a sitting area with TVs, snacks and beverages.

Once it does reopen, the dome will be open Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Sundays from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Standard rates for ages 19-61 will be Monday to Friday $12 per half-hour, Saturdays and Sundays $15 per half-hour.

Senior rates for ages 62 and older will be $11 per half-hour for anytime weekdays and after noon on weekends.

Junior rates for ages 18 and younger will be $10 per half-hour for anytime weekdays and after noon on weekends.

There also will be a season pass good anytime and valid from November to March for $750.

New Grocery Store Eyes Frankfort
Mariano’s Fresh Market, a division of Roundy’s Supermarkets in Milwaukee, has been slowly moving into the Chicago marketplace and will present plans Thursday night to the Frankfort Plan Commission for a 70,000-square-foot store at 20900 S. LaGrange Road (between McDonald’s and Old Plank Trail Bank.

Let’s see, between U.S. 30 and 191st Street there are already five supermarkets including Jewel, Dominick’s, Walt’s, Brookhaven and Aldi.

If this store is approved (and who doesn’t believe it will be), the stores could start their own softball or bowling leagues.

Brighton Collectibles Opens in Orland Square
Brighton Collectibles, a specialty store that carries items from jewelry to handbags and accessories, opened Friday in the lower level Macy’s Court at Orland Square Mall in Orland Park.

Store hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For information, call 708-873-1658 or visit them online at http://www.brighton.com/.

Free Dessert for January Birthdays at Chick-fil-A
Orland Park’s Chick-fil-A restaurant has a free dessert from 5-8 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 25, for anyone born in January.

4 Southland Blockbuster Stores Closing

Blockbusters stores in Tinley Park, Frankfort, Hickory Hills and Lansing are closing.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

The Blockbuster stores in Tinley Park, Hickory Hills, Lansing and Frankfort are closing as part of a new round of closings for the video chain since the retailer was acquired last summer by Dish Network Corp.

Area stores that will remain open – at least for now – include locations in Evergreen Park, Merrionette Park, Homer Glen and Lockport.

Dish, which acquired thousands of Blockbuster locations in July for $320 million, plans to add some kind of Dish customer service desk in the stores it keeps open.

Blockbuster rental kiosks are expected to be unaffected by the closings.

All four stores have begun going out of business sales. The Tinley, Hickory Hills and Lansing locations will close by Feb. 19 unless they run out of inventory before that. The Frankfort store is scheduled to close by March 18.

There are signs up saying the stores are moving, but that is a marketing ploy as the signs say the stores are moving online. A clerk at the Tinley store said it best, “We’re closing.”

Dickey’s Barbecue to Open Wednesday
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, a Texas-style smokehouse, will open at 11 a.m. Wednesday at 15110 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park.

The first 100 customers on Wednesday will each receive a free pulled pork sandwich.
 or check out their Facebook page.

Pizza King Deal at Ed n Joe’s
In honor of owner Pizza King Michael Clark’s birthday, Ed n Joe’s, 17332 S. Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park, will give customers 50 percent off of their first pizza on Tuesday, Jan. 17. The offer is good for lunch or dinner and is available for dine-in, take-out and delivery orders.


The restaurant also is holding a Facebook promotion from Jan. 17-29. Anyone who "likes" Dickey's will be entered into a drawing for a $100 gift card.

For more information, call 708-226-3090, fax 708-226-3091, visit http://www.dickeys.com/

Carm’s Beef Opens in Tinley Park

Carm's Beef opened this week in Tinley Park.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Carm’s Beef, a new Italian restaurant with a rich history, has opened at 17801 S. Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park.

The original Carm’s was opened in 1947 by owner Mick Nebren’s grandmother at Cicero Avenue and what would become the Eisenhower Expressway. A second store followed in Berwyn and then a store was located in Hillside for more than three decades.

“I left the restaurant business for a while to be a Realtor,” said Nebren. “But I decided it was time to bring back Carm’s Beef.”

The restaurant that also features pizza, hamburgers, Italian sausage, subs, deli sandwiches and all kinds of salads opened Jan. 9, said Nebren who owns Carm’s with his wife Judy. Both hail from Plainfield.

“If you remember my grandmother’s place, that’s the kind of food we’ll have,” said Nebren who added that lots of people have been calling to ask if the new place is related to grandma’s original Carm’s.

A special of the house will be 99-cent hotdogs every Saturday. No limit.

“We have a special blend of hotdogs served Chicago-style,” said Nebren.

Hours will be Monday to Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Nebren said a website and Facebook page are in the works.

For information, call 708-444-4272.

Grand Reopening for Velocity Sports
Velocity Sports Performance of Tinley Park will hold is grand reopening Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 7700 Graphics Drive.

The athletic training facility closed last fall when its original owners went bankrupt. New owners Mike and Cindy See stepped in and reopened late last year.

Special guest on Saturday will be former NFL star Chuck Thomas of the San Francisco 49ers who will visit with guests and sign autographs.

For information, call 708.444.3278 or visit their website at http://www.velocitysp.com/tinleypark.


Brown’s Chicken Closes in Orland
Brown’s Chicken served its last wings last week when the restaurant closed at 14450 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park.

A company spokeswoman told the Orland Park Patch that the restaurant lost its lease. “Right now, there are no plans to reopen Brown’s at that location,” said Jennifer Gordon.

The building and business had been listed for sale for $929,000 for months on various real estate and commercial property websites.

Payless Shoes Closing in Markham
The Payless ShoeSource store at 2959 W. 159th St. will close on Monday, though the store has almost depleted its inventory.

The store is one of 475 underperforming locations the retailer announced in August it would be closing.

A Payless store in Chicago Heights also is closing, and a store on Harlem Avenue in Orland Park closed some time ago.

Dunkin’ Donuts to Open 500th Chicago Area Shop in Mount Greenwood

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Dunkin’ Donuts will open its 500th Chicago-area shop at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 14, at 3206 W. 111th St. in Chicago’s Mount Greenwood community.

As part of the celebration, the first 500 customers will get a Dunkin’ Donuts travel mug and a $2 gift card. The chain is also collecting food from 8 a.m. to noon for FeedChicago.org. Anyone who makes a cash or food donation will get a coupon good for a free doughnut. Dunkin’ Donuts will make a $2,000 presentation to the organization.

There also will be a raffle for a chance to win a $100 gift card, Bulls and Blackhawk tickets and a Pepsi bike and helmet.

On hand for the celebration starting at 11 a.m. will be Benny the Bull, the Luvabulls, Bulls broadcasters Bill Wennington and Chuck Swirsky, B96 personalities J, Julian and Showbiz Shelly and Ald. Matthew O’Shea.

The shop is owned by Sam Savani.

Game Time, Carmen’s Close in Palos Heights
Game Time Sports Grill & Pub closed recently at 6405 W. 127th St. in Palos Heights. The 5,400-square-foot building and business has been listed for sale for months at prices ranging from $3.1 million to $399,000.

Also closing recently in Palos Heights was Carmen’s Jazz Bistro at 7210 W. College Dr. The bistro’s website and Facebook page are still active but the phone number has been disconnected and the bistro is not included on the Palos Heights list of businesses.

There is a new business in town as a Cricket Wireless cell phone store opened recently at 7202 W. 119th St.

Shoes Walking Out of Chicago Heights
The Payless Shoe Source is holding a store closing sale at its 321 W. Lincoln Highway location in Chicago Heights. The company has already deleted the store from its website.

Beggars Opens in Bourbonnais
The newest Beggars Pizza opened this week at 165 S. Main St. in Bourbonnais. The restaurant features a dining room, delivery and free wi-fi.

Hours are Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight and Sundays from noon to 10 p.m.


The phone number is 815-937-9999.

Sam Maguire's Closes in Orland Park



By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Sam Maguire's Irish Pub is no more.

The establishment closed its doors at 39 Orland Square Drive for the last time Sunday night.

Judging by the comments on its Facebook page, the closing caught everyone off guard.


It also caught the Orland Park Chamber off guard.

Chamber Executive Director Keloryn Putnam said she came in to work Monday and found out she had to find a new venue for this week's Young Professionals Meet Up, which had been scheduled for Sam Maguire's on Thursday.

"They hadn't been a chamber member for awhile," Putnam said. "So I don't really know what happened. I just came in and found out they were closed."

The meeting has been reschuduled for Casa Margarita, 9549 W. 151st St., at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

The phone number and website were both still working Monday, but neither the website nor a recorded phone message indicated the establishment was closed. There also was no indication on its Facebook page that the tavern was closed except for the dozens of comments by former employees and customers.

Mary McNally, a loan officer at the State Bank of Countryside branch in Homer Glen, said the closing was not linked to a foreclosure lawsuit filed against the tavern in September seeking $2.2 million.

"We had nothing to do with their closing," she said. "I know nothing about it."

She also said she believes the foreclosure suit is still making its way through Cook County Circuit Court.

The property has been listed for sale for months for $2.7 million, and was on a Coldwell Banker website as recently as Dec. 27, 2011.

Pet Store Opens in Tinley Park

Mochapet opened Friday in Tinley Park.


By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Mochapet opened Friday at 7537 W. 159th St. in Tinley Park.

The store carries a full line of supplies for cats and dogs as well as the animals themselves. It does not, however, carry birds, fish or reptiles and has a limited number of products for those animals.


Hours will be 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

A website and Facebook page are coming. In the meantime, for more information call 708-444-7387.

CiCi's Pizza to Open Monday in Orland Park

A CiCi's Pizza will open at 11 a.m. Monday at 9218 W. 159th St. in the Park Hill Plaza center in Orland Park.

Texas-based CiCi's is a pizza buffet restaurant. The first 100 people to buy a buffet on Monday will win a free buffet a month for the coming year.

Hours will be Sunday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

For information, call 708-460-3002 or visit http://www.cicispizza.com/.

CiCi's Pizza will open Monday in Orland Park.

Bridgeview Life Storage Wins Award

Bridgeview Trustee Claudette Struzik and Life Storage manager Nancy Warrer inspect one of the units.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Life Storage has been selected for the 2011 Best of Bridgeview Award in the Mini & Self Storage category by the U.S. Commerce Association.

The storage facility at 7700 W. 79th St. in Bridgeview is the fourth largest in Illinois, said manager Jeffery Helms. He and co-manager Nancy Warrer received the award on Dec. 21.

The award is presented to companies that have exceptional marketing success in their local community, said the USCA in a release.

The 95,000 square foot facility opened three years ago, said Helms.

“We have more than 1,000 units,” he said. “We have only indoor units with climate controls. We also have truck docks and office suites.”

Helms said the Bridgeview facility is spread out over a larger area than most LifeStorage facilities. “Most of our facilities are vertical, we’re more horizontal,” he said.

The Best of Local Business award program recognizes outstanding businesses across the country, the USCA said.

The USCA is a New York City based organization funded by local businesses to promote local business through public relations, marketing and advertising.

For more information, call Life Storage at 708-546-3249 or visit them at http://www.lifestorage.net/.




 

Blissful Banana Cafe Delayed

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

A construction issue has pushed back the opening of Blissful Banana Café from this week to mid or late January, said owner Cynthia De Zutter.

The gourmet coffee shop and café will be opening at 15447 S. 94th Avenue in Orland Park.

Arby's closes in Tinley Park.
De Zutter, of Orland Hills, says everything on the menu will be made in-house and good for you.

“We’re steering toward healthy,” she said. “We won’t have any fryers and all of our lunch meats will be nitrate-free.”

De Zutter said the café will feature gourmet coffee, scones, muffins, side salads and a frozen concoction called a Banana Whip.

“We use pure bananas that are whipped into a custard-like soft ice cream,” she said. “Everyone who tries it will love it.”

The café will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Tinley Arby’s Closes

The Arby’s at 6857 W. 159th St. in Tinley Park closed recently.

Pama Has new Home

Pama Hair Studio closed in Frankfort in November but didn’t go out of business. It relocated to 16060 S. Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park.

Owner Patricia Okai said the new location is a little smaller than the Frankfort location.

“We have three stylists,” Okai said adding there was room for one more stylist.

For information, call 708-633-1762 or visit their website http://www.pamahairstudio.com/.

Lockport Gets New McDonald's

A McDonald’s restaurant opened recently at 16519 W. 159th St. in Lockport within sight of the Interstate 355 exit.

It’s owned by the same franchisee that owns a second McDonald’s just a few blocks down the street.

The new location is aimed at motorists traveling on I-355, who can get off and back on the highway without paying a toll.

Wedding Cake Deal of the Month

Creative Cakes at 16649 Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park, which supplied the cake for my daughter’s wedding, has a deal for couples getting hitched this year. Book your wedding cake with Creative Cakes this month and they will give you a $50 gift card. For information, call 708-614-9755 or visit their website http://www.realbuttercream.com/.

Dickey’s Barbecue Coming to Orland

Dickey's Barbecue is coming to Orland Park.
By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

About the only thing missing from Orland Park’s cornucopia of restaurants is a smokehouse. And that’s about to change.

Brothers John and Joseph Bak hope to open Dickey’s Barbecue Pit the week of Jan. 16 at 15110 S. LaGrange Road, in the former Fatburger space.

“We’re about 98 percent sure we’ll open on that Monday,” said John Bak.

Dickey’s Barbecue started in Dallas in 1941 and has been franchising the brand since 1994.

Bak said the Orland location will be the third Dickey’s in Illinois.

“Dickey’s is known for its slow-smoked meats,” said Bak. “We’ll be offering beef brisket, pulled pork, smoked chicken, smoked turkey, smoked ham, pork ribs and sausage.”

“My brother discovered Dickey’s when he flew into Dallas while returning from Mexico and loved it. He introduced it to the rest of the family and the rest is history,” said Bak.

The Orland Park location is about 2,600 square feet, said Bak. “We’ll have seating for about 55 at tables and booths.”

The restaurant will have 10 employees besides the brothers, Bak said.

The brothers, who hail from Oak Lawn and Lemont, plan on a second location in Oak Brook once the Orland location is up and running.

The restaurant will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

For more information, call 708-226-3090, fax 708-226-3091, visit http://www.dickeys.com/ or check out their Facebook page.

Piggly Wiggly Buys Piece of Tinley Plaza

Inland Real Estate Corp. recently sold 61,000 square feet of the Park Center Plaza at 16000 S. Harlem Ave. in Tinley Park to Piggly Wiggly Midwest LLC for $3 million.

The space is leased by Eurofresh Market. The rest of the plaza remains the property of Inland Real Estate Corp.

Piggly Wiggly has said it has no intention of taking over the space.

Car Wash Closes

Supreme Car Wash closed recently at 15812 S. Wolf Road in Orland Park. The longtime business has been listed for sale for $500,000 and was foreclosed on earlier this year. The building was constructed in 2002.

Dentist Opens in Tinley

Performance Dental Care, an office operated by Dr. Kevin Fatland, opened recently at 7230 W. 191st St. in Tinley Park in the Brookside Marketplace. For information, call 815-526-0360.