Sports Authority to close 3 stores in south suburbs

Sports Authority is preparing to close at least three south suburban stores. (Photo by Bob Bong)

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

According to employees, sports retailer Sports Authority is preparing to close three south suburban stores as part of a major reorganization aimed at keeping the struggling company afloat.

Employees said they had been informed that the Sports Authority store at 4832 Lincoln Highway in Matteson and 1510 Torrence Ave. in Calumet City would be closing though no timetable had been announced.

Employees at the Orland Hills store at 9231 W. 159th St. said nothing was official, but they had been told to expect the store to be among those closed by the retailer.

Employees at the Frankfort store at 11185 Lincoln Highway, Oak Lawn store at 9633 S. Cicero Ave., North Riverside store at 1800 Harlem Ave. and Burbank store at 7720 S. Cicero Ave.  said they were aware of the Matteson, Orland and Cal City closings, but added that their stores were not in danger of being shuttered. They also said the Water Tower place location in downtown Chicago would be closing.

There were conflicting reports about the store in Joliet. Employees at other stores said the Joliet store was among those slated for closing, but employees there said it would not be among the stores closing.

A call to the Colorado head office of Sports Authority was not returned.

The Village of Matteson posted on its Facebook page that staffers had been notified of the closing of the store at Matteson Square shopping center. The village said a liquidation sale would precede the closing, which might come as early as March.

A manager at the Cal City store said that location would act as a clearance outlet for merchandise from other stores and would not be closing immediately.

Many of the Sports Authority locations including Matteson, Calumet City, North Riverside and Oak Lawn were originally Sportsmart stores before that chain was acquired in a 1998 merger.

The chain is reportedly preparing to close at least 140 of its 450 stores.

Old Country Buffet closes

The Old Country Buffet in the Park Center Plaza at 159th Street and Harlem Avenue in Tinley Park closed abruptly recently.

There is a sign taped to the front door announcing the closing. It doesn't give a reason for the closing but does thank customers for their business.

The only remaining Old Country Buffet in the Southland is the one at 7601 S. Cicero Ave. near Ford City Mall on Chicago's Southwest Side.

Binny's now open in Mokena

Binny's is now open in Mokena. (Photo by Bob Bong)

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Binny's Beverage Depot opened its doors at U.S. 30 and Wolf Road last week as part of a soft opening for the Chicago-area liquor store chain.

The 25,000-square-foot store opened Friday, Feb. 12, at its newest location at the Mokena Marketplace. The freestanding store features a walk-in humidor for cigar sales and a wine cellar.

It is the company's 32nd store and third in the south suburbs, including locations in Orland Park and Evergreen Park. It is the chain's first store south of Interstate 80.

Hours are from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Monday to Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

The store will celebrate its grand opening from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27. The store will hold a ribbon-cutting at 11:45 a.m. with Mokena Mayor Frank Fleischer.

Guests are invited to sign up for a free Binny's Card, enjoy tastings of staff favorite wines and new California releases, local and national craft  beers and free giveaways.

For information, call the store at 815-534-8980 or visit Binny's.

Gas station closes

The BP gas station at 94th Avenue and 159th Street in Orland Park closed recently.

Wendy's closes

The Wendy's restaurant at 14555 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park closed recently.

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 

Bob's Discount Furniture opens next week in Burbank, Orland Park

Bob's Discount Furniture will open next week in Burbank and Orland Park. (Photo by Bob Bong)

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Bob's Discount Furniture, an East Coast-based furniture chain, announced it will open the first five of eight planned Chicago-area stores next week including locations in Orland Park and Burbank.

The Orland Park store will open with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 9:45 a.m. Feb. 11 at 15830 S. LaGrange Road in the Lake View Plaza. The Burbank store will open at the same time at 7760 S. Cicero Ave. 

Other stores will open the same day in Skokie, Villa Park and Aurora. Three additional stores will open later this year. The locations were not disclosed.

In preparation for its Chicago expansion, Bob's leased a distribution center last year in Shorewood.

As part of the opening ceremonies, Bob's chose Burbank School as one of their recipients of a $2,500 donation as a random act of kindness.

The company is known for its commercials featuring co-founder Bob Kaufman in person or as a claymation character.

The company was founded in 1991. There are now 64 Bob's showrooms in 11 states, not counting Illinois.

End of era as Hickory Hills Tastee-Freez closes

Tastee-Freez has closed its last south suburban location in Hickory Hills. (Photo by Bob Bong)

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

The last Tastee-Freez location in the south suburbs and one of the last in the Chicago area closed late last year in Hickory Hills.

The iconic chain, which was founded in Joliet in 1950 and has been featured in hit songs by John Mellancamp and Trisha Yearwood as well as "The Outsiders" novel by S.E. Hinton, shut its doors in November at 9348 S. Roberts Road.

The Hickory Hills location became the last one in the south suburbs after the Tastee-Freez in Palos Heights moved earlier last year and changed its name to Diane's Place.

According to the company's website, there are only two Tastee-Freez locations in Illinois in Spring Valley and Mt. Carmel.  But a reader, Rita Maniotis, of Berwyn, says the brand is alive and well in her town. According to Rita, Tastee-Freez is alive and well in Berwyn on the corner of  26th Street and Clarence Avenue.

Calls  to the company were not returned.

The dessert chain expanded fast and there were almost 1,800 locations in 1957. The chain was acquired in 2003 by a California-based franchising group and the number of locations has since fallen to less than 50.

Like many of the current locations, the Hickory Hills location offered a menu that also included burgers and other fast food items in addition to breakfast and ice cream treats.

New shrimp house opens in Palos

Ongoing construction of LaGrange Road did not deter Tim Keefer and his partners from going ahead with plans to open a shrimp house in Palos Park last year.

Response to the Original Island Shrimp House at 12909 S. LaGrange Road has been "surprisingly strong despite the road work," said Keefer, who is the managing director for the partnership group.

"Word of mouth advertising has been very positive," said Keefer, of Orland Park. "We are seeing a lot of repeat business."

Keefer said serendipity played a hand in choosing the Palos Park location. "I was driving down LaGrange Road. Saw the 'for rent' sign in the Capri location. Dialed the number. Checked out the building and knew it was the perfect place."

Keefer said the restaurant uses a lot of the same recipes as Goose Island Shrimp House and features sauces developed with the help of a five star chef.

Keefer said all of the food is prepared in house from fresh ingredients.

The restaurant features fried shrimp, scallops, oysters, white fish and calamari as well as New England lobster rolls (on weekends only) and great desserts.

"The lobster rolls are a huge item for us," he said. "We sell 200-400 a weekend. It's all lobster in there."

He also said the key lime tort is a big seller.

"We use key lime juice that is flown in from Florida. We sell a couple of hundred a week."

Another popular item is the cornbread.

"We bake it daily and sell 70-125 a day."

Now that the weather is changing, Keefer said the restaurant has added soups.

"We have New England chowder, shrimp bisque and jambalaya."

Keefer said his only goal is for people "to come in and leave saying it was incredible. We try to achieve that through quality. Quality makes a huge difference."

He also prides himself on delivering a "great family feeling and atmosphere."

The restaurant has seating for 65 in oversized and sturdy booths. "We put a lot of extra effort into building sturdy booths. We also put the booths and tables far enough apart so everyone is not in your conversation."

The restaurant is closed Monday but open from 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday, from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

Keefer said franchising is an option for the future.

"We built it as a franchisable business," he said. "We want to make sure we have everything perfect before we do it."

Nothing Bundt Cakes opens in Oak Lawn

Nothing Bundt Cakes, a new bakery that specializes in those funny looking cakes with a hole in the middle, held its grand opening late last year in Oak Lawn.

The store at 10912 S. Cicero Ave. opened in November and is owned by Jeffrey Reynolds and Ryan Devlin.

The Oak Lawn location is the eighth Nothing Bundt Cakes in Illinois and another one is under construction in Chicago's Lincoln Park community. The Las Vegas-based company has more than 100 locations nationwide.

Nothing Bundt Cakes offers a variety of sizes from bite-sized bundtlets to eight-inch tiered cakes. There are nine standard flavors such as red velvet and lemon and a 10th flavor of the month. 

Customers can stop in any time to sample the top four flavors of red velvet, chocolate, chocolate chip, lemon and white chocolate raspberry.

All cakes are made at the bakery.

Hours at Nothing Bundt Cakes are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

For information and ordering, call 708-422-7449 or visit Nothing Bundt Cakes.

The first Nothing Bundt Cakes in the south suburbs opened a year ago in Orland Park. Chicago-area stores  are also located in LaGrange, Mount Prospect, Skokie, Wheaton, Elmhurst, and Naperville.

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 

AMC shuts down 16-screen theater in Country Club Hills

A rental truck sits in front of the closed AMC theater in Country Club Hills a few days after it closed. (Photo by Bob Bong)

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

The AMC movie chain has closed its 16-screen theater at 167th Street and Interstate 57 in Country Club Hills.

"AMC was unable to reach an agreement with the landlord and the theatre’s final day of operations was Sunday, Jan. 10," Ryan Noonan, director of corporate communications for AMC, said in an email. "We thank our guests at AMC Country Club Hills and invite them to continue enjoying their AMC experience a few miles away at AMC Loews Crestwood 18."

Thrift center moves to Lansing

The Harvest Thrift Store has moved from its longtime home in Calumet City to a new location in Lansing and renamed itself the New 2 You Quality Resale Shop in the process.

The thrift store recently moved into its new digs at 18230 S. Torrence Ave. in the former Dekker Electric building.

The thrift store has been operated for the past 15 years by parents, alumni and staff of Lansing Christian School in Lansing and Calvin Christian School in South Holland. All proceeds are divided between the two schools to help parents pay for tuition to the two private schools. Since opening, the store has contributed about $2.8 million to the two schools.

The schools decided to move the store because of the deterioration of the Wentworth Woods shopping center building and surrounding area, the high cost of rent and the reduced amount of customer traffic in the area. 

Store managers said they hope the new location would result in an increase in sales, a renewed enthusiasm for the store, and a more pleasant and inviting environment for shoppers and volunteers.

The store is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Donations are accepted during store hours, or furniture items can be scheduled for pick up. Accepted items include: clothing, furniture, house wares, books, shoes, sporting goods, toys, magazines, seasonal items and tools. The store does not accept infant car seats, mattresses, bowling balls and appliances. 

For information or to volunteer, call 708-889-6369.

Panera adds drive-through

The Panera Bread store at 11069 W. Lincoln Highway in Frankfort recently added a drive-through lane to accommodate motorists.

Hours of operation for the Frankfort location are Sunday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

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