Ultra Foods Coming to Crestwood

Work is continuing on converting the former Dominick's Finer Foods in Crestwood into an Ultra Foods store.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Indiana-based supermarket chain Strack and Van Til is working on opening a new Ultra Foods grocery store in the former Dominick’s Finer Foods at 13180 S. Cicero Ave. in Crestwood.

The company had been shooting for a March opening, but that didn’t happen because of the amount of work involved in converting the store.

Work has taken longer than expected, said Crestwood village services director Bill Graffeo, because Dominick’s “took everything” when the grocery store chain abandoned the store about five years ago.

An employee at the Ultra store in Calumet Park said she heard the store should be opening in June or July.

Strack has been working for months on remodeling and modernizing the store, which would be the only true supermarket in the village.

Graffeo said groceries are available now at the Super Walmart and Target stores.

The company is now taking applications at the store and online. When open, the store is expected to employ about 50 employees.

Hester to Visit Chicago Ridge

Chicago Bears wide receiver and return specialist Devin Hester will be signing autographs and posing for photos from noon to 2 p.m. tomorrow at Westfield Chicago Ridge Mall.

Women’s Apparel Store Opens at Chicago Ridge

Body Central, an apparel store that caters to young women, opened Friday at Westfield Chicago Ridge Mall.

The store is giving away tote bags with any purchase of $50 or more.

Store hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For information, call 708-422-0395 or visit the company website at http://www.bodyc.com/.

New Look for Batteries Plus

The Batteries Plus store at 16205 S. Harlem Ave. in Tinley Park has been remodeled and now also carries a full line of light bulbs for all kinds of fixtures and uses.

Plaza Jeweler Has New Home

Syman Jewelers, one of the Orland Plaza businesses that was forced to relocate, held its grand opening over the weekend at its new digs at 9428 W. 143rd St. in Orland Park. The new location has all of the previous services as well as a stained glass section.

Free Subway

At participating Subway shops in the Southland, you can get a free 6-inch sub sandwich when you buy one before 9 a.m. through the month of April. This offer is good on all of their sandwiches.

Plush Horse Now Open in Tinley

The Plush Horse in Tinley Park is now open.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

The second location for the Plush Horse ice cream parlor opened a couple of weeks ago at 7903 W. 171st St. in the Tinley Downs Plaza in Tinley Park.

“Business has been pretty good,” said Mary Ellen Rydberg, whose husband Steve is the son of Ann Rydberg, who owns the original Plush Horse in Palos Park.

“We have cupcakes and a sweet section in front of the store, with carmel corn and gummi candy,” said Rydberg. “Our ice cream cupcakes, pies and cakes have been pretty popular, so far.”

Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, but that may change. “We’ll probably extend our hours to 10 p.m. for the summer,” she said.

For information, call 708-444-1800.

Tollway Director to Address Chamber

Kristi Lafleur, executive director of the Illinois Tollway Authority, will be the guest speaker at the monthly Regional Consensus Luncheon of the Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce, on Monday, April 9, at the Tinley Park Convention Center, 18451 Convention Center Drive.

Lafleur will give an update on the tollway including the Tri-State Tollway Interstate 294/Interstate 57 interchange project.

The luncheon runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is open to the public. Tickets are $30 for members and $40 for non-members. For information and reservations, call the chamber at 708-957-6950 or visit http://www.chicagosouthland.com/.

Boutique Hotel Planned for Homewood

Claude Gendreau, who acquired the Ravisloe Country Club in Homewood in 2009, has announced plans to turn a branch of Great Lakes Bank into what he called a “boutique hotel” to service guests attending wedding receptions at the country club and other corporate clients.

Plans call for Gendreau to acquire the bank branch at Ridge Road and Martin Avenue in downtown Homewood and to spend as much as $4 million to convert the building into a hotel with 35-45 rooms. The new hotel is expected to be open for business by the fall of 2013.

The bank branch will close in June and operations there and its seven employees would be consolidated at its other Great Lakes Bank branch in the village, which would be renovated.

99-cent Iced Tea at Dunkin

Participating Dunkin’ Donut locations are offering any size iced tea for 99 cents through the month of April.

Fairplay Foods Moving into Oak Lawn

By Bob Bong

Southland Savvy

Supermarket choices in Oak Lawn, which took a beating in recent months with the closings of the Oak Lawn Fresh Market at 95th Street and Cicero Avenue and the Dominick’s Finer Foods at 87th Street and Cicero, will pick up with the coming addition of Fairplay Foods, a neighborhood supermarket chain with seven locations across the Southland.

“We’re celebrating,” said Fairplay’s Mike Kozlowski, Vice President of Retail Operations and a partner in the business, which will be moving in to the former Dominick’s at 87th Street.

“We had a nice meeting with town officials and some of them knew us from shopping at our store in Worth,” he said.

“We’re not sure when we’ll be ready to open,” said Kozlowski. “We are redoing the store entirely. We’re going to give it a new look. We have to bring in all new equipment.”

Kozlowski said when ready, the new Fairplay will feature a bakery and hot food department, expanded produce and deli departments as well as the company’s trademark fresh meat department.

“We concentrate on our fresh meat department,” Kozlowski said. “It’s one of the things we’re known for; great quality.”

“We are a neighborhood store,” Kozlowski said. “Unlike some of the big box supermarkets, we know what our clients are looking for and we want to give them what they are looking for.”

The Oak Lawn store will be almost 52,000 square feet, which would make it one of the bigger stores for the 40-year-old chain.

Fairplay has three locations in Chicago as well as suburban locations in Hickory Hills, Worth, Markham and Dolton.

For information, visit http://www.fairplayfoods.com/.

New Nail Salon Opens in Mokena

Kal Nails Spa opened a few weeks ago at 10148 W. 191st St. in the space next door to 191 South in Mokena.

The salon offers manicures, pedicures and similar salon services. On its website, the salon says that one thing that sets it apart from other nail salons is that all of its specialists speak English so a customer can relate exactly what kind of service is being requested. It also will take customers as young as 5 years old.

The salon is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For information, call 708-478-6285, or visit its Facebook page or its website.

Farmer Agent Moves into City

Jose Saldiver recently moved his Farmers Insurance office from 7236 W. Benton Drive in Frankfort Square to 5215 S. Archer Ave. in Chicago’s Garfield Ridge community. The phone number is still 708-263-4493.

His office manager said the move made sense because the vast majority of their customers were from the city’s Southwest Side.