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.