Appliance store closes without warning

By Bob Bong
 Southland Savvy

Grant's Appliances, a Joliet-based appliance store with locations in Orland Park, Downers Grove, Aurora and northwest Indiana, shut down with warning at the end of business on Wednesday, Oct. 8. 

Customers on Thursday were greeted with handwritten signs on the door  saying "temporarily closed for inventory." There was no reopening date indicated.

The chain, which started in Joliet more than 90 years ago, left numerous customers awaiting deliveries hanging with no indication of whether the merchandise would ever be received nor any way to find out what was going on.

The company's website is no longer active, its telephone mailbox is full and its Facebook page has been taken down.

The chain for decades operated out of a single store in Joliet. The Grant family sold the company several years ago and the new owner expanded by adding several stores including the one at 14740 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park.

Ross Dress for Less opens new stores

California-based off-price retailer Ross Dress for Less opened 20 new stores nationwide last week including its first store in Will County and its first store in downtown Chicago.

The retailer opened five stores in Illinois including its first Will County store at 475 E. Lincoln Highway in New Lenox in the Walmart plaza, a store at 26 E. Randolph in Chicago's Loop and a store in Cicero on Friday, Oct. 10, and two downstate stores on Saturday. 

The new stores bring the number of Ross locations in the Chicago area to 34. The retailer entered the Chicago market a couple of years ago when it opened stores in Orland Park. 

Ross stores typically carry brand name apparel and home goods products priced 20 percent to 60 percent less than at department and specialty stores. Each store employs about 50 associates.

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 www.rossstores.com or call the New Lenox store at 815-462-3765.

Goodwill store opens in Frankfort

Goodwill opened its newest retail store and donation center on Friday, Oct. 10, at 19917 S. LaGrange Road at the north end of Hickory Creek Marketplace in Frankfort.

The store is the charitable organization's 33rd retail store in Illinois. It also operates seven donation centers in Illinois.

"The new store is 20,396 square feet with just under 13,000 square feet dedicated to sales floor," said Cheryl Lightholder, Goodwill manager of communications.

Construction at the store at LaGrange and St. Francis roads started on June 30, Lightholder said.

Hours for the store are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Donation center hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

The store also has a Club Rewards program for frequent customers.

Eric Schultz is the manager of the Frankfort location.

The organization also has south suburban retail stores in Orland Park, New Lenox, Lemont, Plainfield and Joliet.

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.com