Caribou Coffee pulling out of Illinois

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Caribou Coffee Co. is closing or rebranding all of its 66 stores in Illinois as the company intends to focus on its home market in Minnesota.

This doesn’t mean much for the south suburbs seeing that Caribou effectively pulled out of the Southland last year when it abruptly closed its Tinley Park and Homewood locations.

The decision does affect a longtime store at 30 N. LaGrange Road in LaGrange, which will be closing on Sunday after 12 years, and a new store inside the Jewel-Osco store at 5545 S. Brainard in Countryside, which will also be closing Sunday after only recently opening.

The company had already scrapped plans to open coffee shops in remodeled J.C. Penney stores.

A few stores in the Chicago-market will be staying open after being converted into Peet’s Coffee & Tea shops.

Stores that are closing have started 50 percent off sales on merchandise such as coffee mugs. The stores will add coffee and other foodstuffs to the sale list and increase the sales price to 75 percent off on Friday as they attempt to sell off their inventory.

Caribou was acquired in December by a German private equity group for $340 million. The same group had earlier acquired Peet’s for $1 billion.

Just last year, Caribou had announced plans to expand in the Chicago market, which was its second largest market, and said it would be opening in select Jewel-Osco locations, including the one that just opened in Countryside.

Grand opening for Flip Flop Shop

Flip Flop Shop, which opened in July at Orland Square Mall, will hold its grand opening and ribbon cutting at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday.

The store carries two dozen brands of flip flops, sandals and street shoes ranging from $22 to more than $100, said store manager Cathie Roth. 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 is the chain’s only location in Illinois.

For more information, visit Flip Flop Shops online or checkout its Facebook page.

Tinley Brew & Vine Festival is Saturday

The Tinley Park Chamber of Commerce annual Brew & Vine Festival will be from 3-10 p.m. Saturday at the Tinley Park Convention Center. Tickets are $25 if purchased by midnight April 10 and $30 at the door on Saturday.

Former White Sox great Frank Thomas will again be the festival’s special guest.

For information and to buy tickets, visit Brew & VineFestival online.

Sign company moves to Mokena

EZ Sign Co. recently moved from its longtime home in Oak Forest to new digs at 19125 S. 85^th Court in Mokena.

The company has been offering indoor and outdoor signs in the south suburbs since 1976.

For information, call the company at 815-469-4080.

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.