Art Van Furniture opens Saturday in Bedford Park shopping center

Workmen put the finishing touches on the Art Van Furniture store in Bedford Park.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Michigan-based Art Van Furniture, a chain known for its furniture and mattresses, is scheduled to open a new store with a ribbon cutting at 9 a.m. Saturday in the Bedford City Square plaza in Bedford Park at 7200 S. Cicero Ave.

 Immediately following the ribbon cutting ceremony, Art Van Furniture will celebrate the grand opening with free fall festival activities such as face painting, clown performances, pumpkin painting, a scarecrow magician and a balloon artist. The celebration will continue on Sunday, Oct. 27 with face painting, clowns and DJ entertainment.

The company moved into the Chicago market in July when it opened its first store in Orland Park and a distribution center in Bolingbrook.

The store will be corporate-owned and employ 60 to 80 workers.

The Bedford Park store will be the chain's fifth store in the Chicago market. Other stores are in Orland Park, Chicago, Bolingbrook, Batavia and Merrillville-Hobart in northwest Indiana.

Hours will be from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.

Bed Bath & Beyond closing in Cal City

The Bed Bath & Beyond store in the River Oaks West shopping center is in the final weeks of a liquidation sale that will see the store close sometime in November.

A manager at the store said the location had been winding down for about a month and would be closed within the next "two to three weeks."

The company sent out an email this week notifying customers that the store was closing.

Yogo Crave now open in Worth

A frozen yogurt store called Yogo Crave opened a few weeks ago at 11228 S. Harlem Ave. in Worth. The shop also sells ice cream, milkshakes, smoothies, iced coffees and cappuccinos.

Hours for the shop are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

For information, call 708-827-5883 or visit their Facebookpage.

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

Mayan Palace replaces La Mex in Orland

Mayan Palace opened recently in the former La Mex location on 159th Street in Orland Park.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

La Mex restaurant in Orland Park’s Seville Plaza recently changed ownership and its name to Mayan Palace.

New owner Rudy Delarosa also owns the original Mayan Palace at 2703 S. Halsted St. in Chicago.

Delarosa purchased the 8600 W. 159^th St. location a few months ago from his nephew, who still owns La Mex locations in Morris and Joliet.

A manager at the Orland location said Delarosa has been involved at the restaurant for about a year but recently acquired the location and made the name change about three weeks ago after making some minor adjustments to the menu.

A manager at the Halsted Street location said the new restaurant features most of the same menu items but they are prepared differently.

“There is new management, a new kitchen and better food,” the manager said.

Hours under Mayan Palace will be 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday.

For information, call 708-349-8339.

Riley’s Trick Shop has new home

Riley’s Trick Shop, which sold costumes, gag gifts and magic tricks for 40 years at 6442 W. 111^th St. in Worth opened in its new, smaller home in Palos Hills earlier this month.

The new location at 8086 W. 111^th St. is in a strip center near Stagg High School and Sacred Heart Church and has been renamed Riley’s Tricks & Gifts. It opened on Oct. 5.

The store, which was founded in 1937 by current owner Jim Riley’s father, has moved twice since it was founded.  

There was also a second store in Frankfort from 2007 to 2010 that was operated by Riley’s daughter.

The family-owned store is getting out of the costume business and is offering some for as low as $10 and some are buy one, get one free, according to its Facebook page.

Hours at the new location are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

For information, call 800-474-5397 or visit their website at Riley's Trick Shop. 

Title Max opens second Orland location

Title Max, one of those companies that provides loans to people who use their car title as collateral, has opened a second Orland Park location at 9400 W. 159^th St., next door to the new Pop’s Italian Beef restaurant.

For information, call 708-403-2855.

Sleepy’s opens in Orland Park

Sleepy's, a New York-based company that calls itself the world's largest mattress retailer and which is in the midst of a major expansion into the Chicago marketplace in general and the south suburban marketplace in particular, has opened a new store at 15840 S. Harlem Ave. in Orland Park.

The Hicksville-based company, which has more than 800 showrooms in 14 Eastern and mid-Atlantic states and carries a wide selection of mattress brands, opened its first Chicago-area store at the end of June in Evergreen Park and has since opened additional stores at 11043 W. Lincoln Highway in Frankfort's Prairie Crossing shopping center, and at Ford City shopping center at 71st Street and Cicero Avenue in Chicago.

The chain also is preparing to open a store in The Landing shopping center at 16821 S. Torrence Ave. in Lansing.

The company, which got its start in 1931 in Brooklyn, did not respond to numerous calls and emails asking about its plans.

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 follow business happenings at Comings & Goings.

Pop's Italian Beef opens in Orland Park

Pop's Italian Beef opened a new store last month in Orland Park.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

A new Pop's Italian Beef & Sausage shop has finally opened at 9400 W. 159th St. in Orland Park.

The fast-foot restaurant is the second in Orland Park and both are owned by the Motto brothers, who also own Pop's franchises at 14279 S. Wolf Road in Orland Park, 16600 W. 159th St. in Lockport, 11336 Lincoln Highway in Mokena, Romeoville and Elmhurst.

The restaurant opened in late September in a 5,000-square-foot building that was built on the former site of a Mobil gas station.

The restaurant is owned and operated by brothers Mike, Mark and Matt Motto.

Pop's was founded in 1980 in Palos Heights by Frank Radochonski. The new Orland location was the 13th store for the chain, which has just opened its 14th store in Joliet.

The restaurant is open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. For information, call 708-460-3000 or visit Pop's Beef.

Carson's Clearance Center to open in Lansing

Carson's will open a Store Clearance Center on Saturday at The Landings Shopping Center at 167th Street and Torrence Avenue in Lansing.

The opening comes several months after Carson's parent Bon-Ton Stores Inc. announced it was closing the Carson's anchor store at the nearby River Oaks Center in Calumet City. That store closed earlier this year after being an anchor at the mall since it opened in the mid-1960s.

"We are pleased to announce the opening of our free-standing clearance center in the Lansing area," said Bon-Ton Stores president and CEO Brendan Hoffman. "The store will feature a wide assortment of clearance merchandise from women's, men's and children's apparel, shoes, handbags and home items, all offered at terrific values. We believe consumers in the area will appreciate this new addition to the Carson's shopping experience." 

A Sleepy's mattress store is also coming to The Landings in one of the outlot locations at 16821 S. Torrence Ave.

Sleepy's, a New York-based company that calls itself the world's largest mattress retailer, is in the midst of a major expansion into the Chicago marketplace in general and the south suburban marketplace in particular.

The Hicksville-based company, which has more than 800 showrooms in 14 Eastern and mid-Atlantic states and carries a wide selection of mattress brands, opened its first Chicago-area store at the end of June in Evergreen Park.

Since then the chain has also opened a dozen stores including one at 11043 W. Lincoln Highway in Frankfort's Prairie Crossing shopping center, at Ford City shopping center at 71st Street and Cicero Avenue in Chicago and 15840 S. Harlem Ave. in Orland Park.

The company, which got its start in 1931 in Brooklyn, did not respond to numerous calls and emails asking about its plans.

Tilles going out of business

Tilles Interiors, which was founded by Sam and Belle Tilles in 1940, is holding a going out of business sale at 901 Ridge Road in Munster in northwest Indiana.

 Current owners Robin and Andy Jost started their liquidation sale earlier this month. They said they had made the "difficult decision to close our store and go out of business" in a message on the company's website.

The store will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday as long as the sale lasts.

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

Ross Dress for Less to open Saturday in Tinley Park, Evergreen Park

Ross Dress for Less will open stores Saturday in Tinley Park and Evergreen Park.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

California-based off-price retailer Ross Dress for Less will open 24 new stores nationwide on Saturday including locations in Tinley Park and Evergreen Park.

The Tinley Park store will open at 7290 W. 191st St. in the Brookside Marketplace while the Evergreen Park site will open at 9142 S. Western Ave. in the same plaza as Menards on the former grounds of the Evergreen Country Club.

The two stores will be the fifth and sixth Ross locations in the Southland. The retailer entered the Chicago market a couple of years ago when it opened stores in Orland Park and Matteson. It has since opened a store in Calumet City. Also opening Saturday will be Ross stores in Vernon Hills and Schaumburg.

The new stores will bring the total Ross Dress for Less locations to 31 in Chicagoland.

Ross stores typically carry brand name apparel and home goods products priced 20 percent to 60 percent less than at department and specialty stores.

The chain has more than 1,000 stores in 27 states. Each store employs about 50 associates.

Both new stores will open at 9 a.m. Saturday. Each store is offering shoppers a chance to win a $500 shopping spree or one of five $100 shopping sprees.

Store hours will be Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

For information about Ross, visit Ross Dress for Less  or check out their Facebook page.

Dominick's stores to close

California-based Safeway Inc. announced Thursday that it would close or sell all 72 Dominick's Finer Foods stores in the Chicago area and exit the Chicago marketplace.

The company then announced it had already sold four stores to the new parent of Jewel-Osco including one at 14200 S. Bell Road in Homer Glen.

Other Dominick's slated to close in the Southland include locations in Frankfort, Matteson, Palos Heights, Merrionette Park and Countryside.

Companies reportedly interested in acquiring some of the Dominick's stores include Butera Market, Pete's Fresh Market, Strack & Van Til and Angela Caputo's Fresh Markets.

Pete's has already acquired and transformed former Dominick's stores in Calumet City and in Chicago's East Side neighborhood, and Strack converted a former Dominick's in Crestwood, so those companies have a history with Dominick's.

Safeway said it wanted to be out of the Chicago marketplace  by early in 2014.

The chain, founded in Chicago in 1918, was purchased by Safeway for $1.8 billion in 1998. It has seen its share of the Chicago market shrink from about 33 percent to 9 percent.

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 follow business happenings at Comings & Goings.

Family Dollar opens in Tinley Park

A Family Dollar store opened today in Tinley Park.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

A new Family Dollar discount store opened today at 7901 W. 171st St. in Tinley Park in the former Walgreens drug store.

 

Hours will be 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

The discount retailer opened its first store in Charlotte, N.C., in 1959 and has more than 7,600 stores in 45 states.

Pizzeria closes in Orland Park

Tonino's Pizza closed for the last time Sept. 29 after 30 years at 14420 John Humphrey Drive in Orland Park. 

Corner Bakery shuts down in Orland Park

The Corner Bakery at 14650 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park closed for good at the end of business Sept. 29.

Employees at the fast-casual restaurant say they were told the lease was up and the decision was made to close the store. Employees say they were offered the chance to move to another Corner Bakery location.

The Atlanta-based national chain has more than 150 locations in 14 states and the District of Columbia. The nearest Southland location will now be the one at 9621 S. Cicero Ave. in Oak Lawn. 

Bears deals of the week

Brookfield Restaurant at 8900 W. Ogden Ave. in Brookfield offers a free halftime buffet during Bears game, though you must be present at the kickoff to qualify. The pub also has video gaming machines.

Tinley Park's Ed & Joe's has a free buffet during Bears games and features $2 domestic drafts during the game. Guests must be in the house by the start of the second quarter.

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 follow business happenings at Comings & Goings.

Uncle Julio's opens today in Orland Park

Uncle Julio's opens today in Orland Park.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

A new Mexican restaurant will open to the public today in the former Harrison's brew pub at 15845 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park. 

 The building has been undergoing a major renovation since Harrison's closed earlier this year and the restaurant will now feature a horseshoe-shaped bar with monitors to catch the latest game.

The 10,000-square-foot restaurant has seating for 350 along with a large outdoor patio. The interior features fireplaces and informal seating areas. 

Dallas-based Uncle Julio's kicked off its Orland location on Oct. 4 with a benefit for Together We Cope. The restaurant also made a $2,500 donation to the organization that helps families in crisis.

“The spirit of Uncle Julio’s is the fun we have and the unparalleled flavor and experience we provide to our guests,” Todd Conger, president and chief operating officer of Uncle Julio’s, said in a release. 

“We can’t wait for all of Orland Park to walk through our doors and make this tradition of enjoying authentic Mexican cuisine their new favorite thing to do with friends and family.” 

The Orland location is the chain's 18th restaurant. The eatery features traditional Tex-Mex fare such as tacos and enchiladas as well as specialties such as Fajitas al Carbon and Honey Chipotle Salmon.

Uncle Julio’s invented the famous Swirl Margarita, made with layers of frozen margarita and homemade sangria. Diners can also choose a custom margarita, made from their choice of 15 different tequilas. Other signature drinks include the Patrón Skinny Margarita (made with Patrón Silver and skinny agave sour).

The restaurant will serve lunch, dinner and weekend brunch.  Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. Weekend egg brunch is served along with the regular menu on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For information, call 708-942-4700, visit their website or check out their Facebook.  

Middle Eastern restaurant closes in Orland

Shami Kabob & Grill, which opened in June 2011, closed recently at 15222 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park in Ravinia Plaza. The 1,900-square-foot eatery specialized in Middle Eastern food. No sign was posted on the door regarding the closing but the windows are covered in paper. There is no posting on its Facebook page about the closing and its phone number was disconnected.

Rosati's reopens in Tinley Park

Rosati's pizzeria, which closed at 171st Street and Harlem Avenue in Tinley Park in August 2012, reopened recently at 15911 S. 76th Avenue in the village.

Rosati's, which has hundreds of locations, operates under two different corporate parents. The Tinley location is part of the chain that is based in Elgin.

For information, call 708-444-1400 or visit Rosati's.

Orland gas station on the block

The BP station at 143rd Street and LaGrange Road in Orland Park is one of five BP convenience store-gas stations that is being sold as part of a bankruptcy sale by NRC Realty & Capital Advisors LLC.

The 4,200-square-foot station sits on more than one acre and was built in 2002.

The other stations are in Elk Grove Village, Joliet, Oswego and Romeoville.

Any bids must be approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

Hawk Chevy building a new showroom

Hawk Chevrolet in Bridgeview is open while the dealership expands its showroom.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Hawk Chevrolet, which took over the Rizza dealership on Harlem Avenue in Bridgeview a couple of years ago, has started work on major renovations.

Hawk is building a new showroom and a new service lane, which will take about six months to complete.

The dealer will remain open during construction and has opened a temporary showroom on the lot at 8200 S. Harlem Ave. in Bridgeview.

Chick-fil-A now open in Chicago Ridge

Oak Lawn area fans of the chicken sandwiches at Chick-fil-A won't have to travel to Lombard or Orland Park now that the fifth Chicago-area location of the Georgia-based fast food chain has opened in an outlot at Chicago Ridge Mall at 96th Street and Ridgeland in Chicago Ridge.

The restaurant opened last week and gave out free food for a year to the first 100 fans who camped out in the parking lot at the shopping mall, which is a tradition for the chain that began in 1946 and found its niche in the early 1960s as a staple at Southern shopping malls.

The Chicago Ridge location is owned by Peter Glanville, who hails from South Africa and has been in the United States for about 16 years.

"I love the hustle and bustle of this area," he said. "It's a great business center with remarkable demographics. Where else could you be in a traffic jam at 9 in the morning."

Glanville said the area reminds him of South Africa.

"It's not quite downtown and it's not quite suburban," he said. "It's kind of in between and I find that interesting."

Glanville said his goal was to eventually have his wife and sons work at the business with him.

The restaurant will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. It will be closed on Sundays.

Homewood Super Kmart closing 

Kmart has announced it will be closing its superstore at 17550 Halsted St. in Homewood by Christmas.

The store has about 185 employees and Kmart said they would have the opportunity to apply for positions at other Kmart and Sears stores.

A store liquidation sale began this week.

The store was among a handful of south suburban Super Kmarts that were reported to be for sale or that were looking for store-within-a-store retail partners back in April. Other stores were in Lansing, New Lenox and Tinley Park.

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 follow business happenings at Comings & Goings.