Flip Flop Shop Opens in Orland Park

The first Flip Flop Shop in Illinois opened last month at Orland Square Mall. -- Orland Square Mall photo

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Orland Park is now home to the first Flip Flop Shop in Illinois, which opened July 20 at Orland Square Mall.

These aren’t the inexpensive, rubbery kind of flip flops you may be accustomed to, said store manager Cathie Roth, who lives in a nearby suburb.

The store carries two dozen brands of flip flops, sandals and street shoes ranging from $22 to more than $100, she said. Top selling brands include Sanuk, Cobian, OluKai and Reef.

“We have brands that no one else in the mall has,” said Roth adding there are plenty of them. “I have more than 1,000 pairs of sandals on the wall.”

The store offers child and adult sizes. “We carry men’s sandals up to size 14 and can order larger sizes.”

She said the company recently outfitted the Los Angeles Lakers in flip flops.

“People have been really, really excited to see us open,” she said. “Maybe they saw one of our stores in an airport somewhere and were hoping we’d come to the Midwest. Now we have.”

What about Chicago’s infamous winters?

“We may carry boots,” Roth said. “But we’re here for someone looking for sandals when they are heading to Florida on vacation in November or December.”

Roth said the store will have regular promotions, such as buy one pair and get a free T-shirt.

She said the store is franchised and has five part-time team members.

For more information, visit Flip Flop Shops Chicago on Facebook.

Work Under Way at Planet Fitness

Work has finally started on the Planet Fitness center at 9503 S. Cicero Ave. in the Green Oak Shopping Center.

“They started working on it a few weeks ago, and workers are in there every day now,” said Steve Kant, vice president of Robin Realty, the company that owns and manages the mall.

Kant said he didn’t know when the 17,400-square-foot fitness center would be opening.

An email to the marketing department at Planet Fitness was not answered.

Planet Fitness operates more than 500 fitness centers in 46 states and the vast majority of them are franchised operations.

The chain, which prides itself for being a Judgment Free Zone and holds monthly pizza nights and gives away 

Tootsie Rolls to clients, seems to be in an expansion mode in Illinois. New locations recently opened in Champaign, Montgomery and at 4327 S. Pulaski Road in Chicago.

For information, visit Planet Fitness online or on Facebook.

Evergreen Chamber Hosts Golf Outing

The Evergreen Park Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual golf outing and barbecue lunch at noon on Friday, Aug. 3, at Fountain Hills Golf Course in Alsip. Registration starts at noon with a 1 p.m. shotgun start.  For information, call the chamber at 708-423-1118 or Outing Chairman Tom Ollenburger at 708-424-7850.

Mokena Hearing Center Grand Opening

Mokena Hearing Center, 11041 Front St., will celebrate its grand opening with a ribbon cutting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Parcels Express Opens in Alsip

Parcels Express has opened a newer, larger store at 12005 S. Pulaski Road in Alsip. The new location has gifts, cards and Yankee Candles in addition to 24-hour access post office boxes. For information, call 708-388-3800.

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 www.southlandbusinessnews.blogspot.com.