Sears closing 47-year-old River Oaks store in Calumet City

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Sears will be the second anchor store to abandon River Oaks Mall in Calumet City when the retailer closes its store at the mall in June. Carsons pulled out of the mall earlier this year.

Sears was one of the original anchor stores when the mall opened in 1966 as an open-air mall. It put a roof on the plaza several years ago.

The retailer has slowly been pulling out of the Southland over the past several years. A store was shuttered years ago in Park Forest and the store at Lincoln Mall in Matteson was closed last year.

When it shuts its door for the last time next month, the retailer will have only its stores at Orland Square Mall in Orland Park, Chicago Ridge Mall in Chicago Ridge and Louis Joliet Mall in Joliet operating in the Southland.

The retailer also operates auto centers, hardware stores and outlet stores in several south suburbs including Tinley Park and Orland Park.

The River Oaks store is holding a liquidation sale.

UGN to expand Tinley headquarters

UGN, an international automotive parts supplier, has received incentives worth more than $50,000 from Tinley Park to expand its headquarters in the village.

The $300,000 expansion will be completed this fall and bring 104 jobs to Tinley Park.

The village is giving the company a property tax abatement, waiver of permit fees and a grant worth a total of $54,700.

The company has six plants in the United States, including a facility in Chicago Heights. It manufactures acoustic, interior trim and thermal management products for the auto industry.

Celtic Cottage closes

The Celtic Cottage, a gift shop with an Irish theme, closed at the end of April at 12244 S. Harlem Ave. in Palos Heights.

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 follow business happenings at Comings & Goings.

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U.S. Cellular shutting down a dozen retail stores in Chicago area

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

As part of the sale last year of the Chicago market and five other Midwest markets to Sprint Nextel for $480 million, U.S. Cellular Corp. will close a dozen retail cell phone stores in the Chicago area.

Stores closing are in Country Club Hills, Countryside, Evergreen Park, Crestwood, Homewood, Chicago, Lansing, Joliet, Olympia Fields, Oak Lawn, Matteson and Orland Park. Two stores in Merrillville and Schererville in northwest Indiana also will close.

The cell phone company will close a total of 70 stores in Illinois and the two stores in northwest Indiana.

The closings will start May 17 and affect more than 100 workers.

U.S. Cellular has said it would remain headquartered in Chicago after the deal closes and intends to retain the naming rights to U.S. Cellular Field, where the White Sox play. That deal is set to run through 2023.

The Great Escape opens pool store in Tinley

The Great Escape has reopened its Tinley Park location at 7787 W. 159^th St. as a pool store selling only pool chemicals and accessories.

The store was turned into an outlet store last year after a new Great Escape opened next to Best Buy at 159^th Street and LaGrange Road in Orland Park and then shut down completely last fall.

Store hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

For information, call the store at 708-429-3140 or visit TheGreat Escape online.

Justice garden center approved

A business license was approved last month for Sun & Shade Garden Center, 8500 W. 79^th St. in Justice. The store will carry garden equipment and supplies.

Her Closet Boutique moves to Homewood

A longtime fixture in Flossmoor, Her Closet Boutique announced on its Facebook page this week that the store would open in its new home in Homewood’s Cherry Creek Plaza on Saturday.

Owner Rose Demko shut the shop’s doors in Flossmoor at the beginning of the week after 18 years and moved into new and bigger quarters at 18334 Governors Highway. The shop will also double the size of its inventory.

For information, visit Her Closet Boutique online.

If you see a new business in town or wonder what happened to an old favorite, drop me a line at bobbong@hotmail.com.

Menards to open Tuesday in Evergreen

Menards will open Tuesday in Evergreen Park.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy


The first store in the economic redevelopment of the former Evergreen Country Club at 9100 S. Western Ave. will arrive Tuesday morning whe n the long-awaited Menards finally opens its doors as part of a soft opening (no fanfare).

The store is about 200,000 square feet in size and employs about 150 workers.

A nine-day grand opening celebration will be announced a little later.

For a more complete report, check out this story from ourfriends at the Oak Lawn Patch.

Szarotka’s adds gaming machines to menu

Szarotka’s, a restaurant at 8100 S. Roberts Road in Justice that specializes in traditional Polish and ethnic European cuisine such as potato pancakes, cabbage rolls and pierogi, recently added video gaming to its menu.

The establishment (known by locals as Szarotka’s Hideaway) installed five of the video gaming terminals, which is the state limit, and they are operated by Accel Entertainment Gaming LLC in Bolingbrook.

According to Wally, one of the co-owners who declined to give his last name, the machines have been well received.

“So far, they are doing good,” he said.

State law imposes a 30 percent tax on gaming revenues and 5 percent of that goes to the local municipality.

Szarotka’s is the sixth establishment in Justice to carry video gaming terminals (basically video poker games).

Other businesses with the machines and their tax contribution to the village for February include Chino’s Pizzeria, $1,125; Davern’s Tavern & Lounge, $1,874; Duett Bar, $2,108; Melody Lounge, $637. The village’s total take for February was $5,743.

Walmart rolls back gas prices

Now through July 7, Walmart is helping customers save money on fuel purchases through its Great Gas Rollback program in 21 states including Illinois.

Walmart customers using a Walmart gift card will receive a 10 cent per gallon discount; customers who use a Walmart MoneyCard or Walmart Credit Card will save 15 cents per gallon on their fuel purchase.

Stations participating include those at: Bridgeview, 10260 S. Harlem Ave., Bedford Park, 7050 S. Cicero Ave., Hodgkins, 9450 Joliet Road, McCook, 42nd Street and Hinsdale Avenue.

Lansing Chamber grand opening

The Lansing Area Chamber of Commerce will hold a grand opening and ribbon cutting at 5:30 p.m. at its new office at 3330 181^st Place Suite 103 in the Clock Tower office building.

Barry Bergstrom & Associates, Paul Smit & Associates and Kotecki-Turek-Shanahan Agency are  hosting a Business after Hours for the chamber from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served.

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.