White Castle opens Sunday in New Lenox

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

White Castle slides into New Lenox this weekend when the restaurant chain opens its newest store at 9 a.m. Sunday at 401 E. Lincoln Highway (in front of the new Walmart) after a private ribbon cutting ceremony this morning. The restaurant will be open 24 hours a day.

Cornerstone Café closes
You can’t fault Chad Reno for not trying. He took over Millie’s Ice Cream at 5172 W. 95th St. in Oak Lawn at the end of 2008. When that floundered, he shut down and after tinkering with the menu reopened last Memorial Day as the Cornerstone Café. Alas, that effort has also failed. Reno closed the café for good on Jan. 30.

But the café may yet return. Reno said on the Oak Lawn Patch he might try reopening in the Oak Lawn Library, which has lost its in-house coffee house yet again with the recent closing of Bonjour Café, which just opened in November.

Lynnie Ques opens second location
Lynn Cartwright just opened the second location for her barbecue restaurant Lynnie Ques at 519 Chicago Road in Thornton, just south of Thornwood High School. The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday. The phone number of the new store is 708-877-1111. The website is http://www.lynnieques.com/. The original Lynnie Ques just celebrated its second anniversary at 19267 Burnham Ave. in Lansing.

Tattoo school closes in Tinley
The Art of Body Coloring School of Tattooing closed recently at 17129 S. 88th Avenue in Tinley Park. The school, one of about 20 in the United States, was opened in November 2009 by Bette Baron.

Famous Footwear closes in Lemont
The Famous Footwear store closed recently at 13462 S. Archer Ave. in Lemont.

Marc Alan Salon opens in Mokena

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy



Marc Alan Salon opened last week in Mokena.

 Marc Alan Salon and Day Spa finally opened last week at 19070 S. Everett Blvd. in Mokena. The spa had originally hoped to be open by the end of last year.

It is the second location for Marc Alan, which has its original location in Flossmoor. The new location offers the same services as the original. including hair care, nails, skin care, body care and full days at the Spa.

Hours for the Mokena location are Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday from noon to 9 p.m., Tuesday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The phone number is 708-478-0772 and their web site is http://www.marcalandayspa.com/.

Southie's Subs opens in CrestwoodA sandwich shop that claims it has the only authentic South Philly cheesesteak sandwich in Chicago opened earlier this month at 13215 S. Cicero Crestwood. Southie's Subs is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and delivers. The phone number is 708-396-9920.

For more information and to view its menu, visit its web site at http://www.southiessubs.com/ or their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Southies-Subs/162562007112319.

Dina's Cuts opens in PalosA fourth Dina's Great Cuts opened recently at 12764 S. Harlem Ave. in Palos Heights. The phone number is 708-361-7995. The shop is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.. Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is closed on Sundays.

Dollar store opens in South Holland

Top Dollar Deals opened last month in South Holland.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Top Dollar Deals opened in South Holland on Dec. 4 at 1010 E. 162nd St. in the Pacesetter Plaza.

Owner LeRoy Nicki Sykes says “about 85 percent of our merchandise is $1 or less but we have some items that are a little more expensive.”

Sykes said she chose South Holland because of the location and need.

“I saw a wide open market where there was a need for this kind of store,” she says.

The response, she says, has been good.
"It’s been going so well I’m in the process of hiring another employee,” says Sykes, who opened with one employee besides herself.

Before opening the 3,000-square-foot store, Sykes worked for nine years for AT&T. Now, she’s a full-time business owner.

Top Dollar Deals is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and she just added Sunday hours of 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For more information, call Top Dollar Deals at 708-331-8772.

Walgreens grand opening
Walgreens held a grand opening last week for its new store at 111th Street and Kedzie in Chicago's Mount Greenwood community, which opened for business several weeks ago. The new store replaces an existing store but is larger and features a drive-through pharmacy. The Walgreens is part of a development project that also calls for a Dunkin Donuts in a renovated building at the intersection.

Best One now open
The Best One massage and nail spa opened recently at 16902 S. Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park. The spa is open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The phone number is 708-532-3103.

Bistro now open
Carmen's Jazz Bistro opened a few weeks ago at 7210 W. College Drive in Palos Heights.Carmine's features French and international cuisine, cocktails and wine along with live jazz. The bistro is open Tuesday and Wednesday from 4:30-11 p.m. and Thursday to Saturday from 4:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Their phone number is 708-361-JAZZ. They also have a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/carmensjazzbistro.

Outlet store closing
Furniture Manufactures Outlet store at Weber and Caton Farm Road in Crest Hill is holding a going out of business sale. The store is open Thursday to Tuesday. For more information, call 815-725-1165 or visit http://www.furnituremanoutlet.com/.