Unique Resale Shop now open in Justice

Justice Unique Resale Shop opened last month.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

A new resale shop opened recently at 8533 W. 79th St. in Justice with the apt name of Justice Unique Resale Shop. 

Owner Mariola Hagen said the shop is open every day and there's a sign out front that says they speak Polish.

Gilly Hicks closes in Orland Park

Gilly Hicks, a branch of the Abercrombie & Fitch retail chain that specialized in women's underwear, sleepwear and swimwear, closed all of its retail locations in the U.S. on Jan. 1 including two Illinois stores at Orland Square Mall in Orland Park and in Schaumburg.

The retailer will continue to operate as an online only store.

Mother Butter’s moves to Evergreen Park 

Mother Butter's Popcorn & Confectionary, which opened in 2009 at 17 W. 35th St. near U.S. Cellular Field, moved to new digs at 3342 W. 95th St. in Evergreen Park on Jan. 25.

The shop, which is owned by Tim and Jennifer Donnelly, has been praised for its gourmet popcorn and also sells fudge, individually hand-dipped caramel pecan patties, bulk candy and nuts.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday.

For information, call 708-423-7677 or visit motherbutterspopcorn.com.

Grand opening party for Pure Barre

Pure Barre, a new fitness center, will hold its grand opening party from 7-9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, at 14932 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park. Light snacks will be provided.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 11:45 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 6. A free class will be offered after the ceremony.

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.

Demon Dawgs opens in Alsip

Demon Dawgs is now open in the former Frosted Mug drive-in at 11541 S. Pulaski Road in Alsip.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Demon Dawgs, a new fast-food restaurant, opened Friday at 11541 S. Pulaski Road in Alsip in the former Frosted Mug drive-in.

Owner Rusty Findlay, who was an original partner in the popular Devil Dawgs hot dog stand on Chicago's North Side, opened after six months of remodeling the former Frosted Mug.

"We won't have carhop service," Findlay said. "But we have 60 seats inside and another 60 outside along with a drive-through."

Findlay said he hired 22 people as cooks and servers.

Findlay said the menu will include hot dogs, hamburgers, sliders, sausage and wings along with fresh-cut french fries.

Findlay, who has been in the restaurant business since 1989, said he picked the former drive-in because "it was the best location I could find."

He might be on to something. His Facebook page said the eatery ran out of food and had people waiting in line for up to 45 minutes for the grand opening.

The restaurant will be open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. with the drive-through staying open until 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and until midnight on Friday and Saturday.

Italio to open Tuesday in Orland Park

Italio, a fast-casual Italian restaurant chain based in Florida, is opening its first location outside of the Sunshine State in Orland Park this week.

The 3,000-square-foot restaurant will open at 10:45 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 15139 S. LaGrange Road in the Orland Park Place mall, in the former Cosi restaurant.

Guests all day Tuesday will receive free food -- either a crisp salad bowl, a heaping pasta bowl or a one-of-a-kind piadina, a kind of Italian-style wrap. All three entrees are customizable with toppings and extras.

The restaurant features family-style communal tables, a patio and serves beer and wine.

The restaurant will be open from 10:45 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily in Orland Park.

For information, call 708-403-5555, visit www.ItalioKitchen.com.

No local Penney stores to close

Whether J.C. Penney will still be in business a year from now is a hot topic again now that the troubled retailer has announced that it is closing 33 "underperforming" stores and cutting 2,000 jobs as part of its turnaround efforts.

The Orland Park and Mokena stores were not included among the list of locations scheduled to close, but stores in Bloomingdale and Forsyth in Illinois were on the list.

The closures and job cuts are expected to save the company about $65 million a year.

Sears to close Downtown store

Sears Holdings Corp. is closing its downtown Chicago flagship outlet in April, which will leave the retailer with three stores in the city.

The store has begun holding a closing sale.

Sears Holdings has closed about 300 U.S. stores since 2010. The company has about 2,000 Sears and Kmart locations in the United States.

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.

Andy's Frozen Custard adds two locations

Andy's Frozen Custard is constructing its third location in the Southland in Burbank.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Although it has taken much longer than originally expected, Andy's Frozen Custard expects to open on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 5745 S. LaGrange Road in Countryside.

Village officials said all that remains are final touches on the project that includes light poles installations and small interior finishes. 

The Missouri-based company had hoped to be open by May.

Andy's also just broke ground on another location near 79th Street and Harlem Avenue in Burbank. The company had hoped to break ground on that site in April.

“The South Side works for us,” company President Andy Kuntz said earlier this year when announcing the new locations. “These two locations will help our brand awareness.”

The company entered the south suburban market three years ago when it opened a location near 95th Street on Cicero Avenue in Oak Lawn that has been hugely successful.

Each location will employ about 25 people and feature a giant ice cream cone that rotates outside of the store.

The new sites will be the company’s fourth and fifth in Illinois. A location at Block 37 in downtown Chicago closed last year.

Andy's Frozen Custard started in Osage Beach, Mo., in 1986 and later expanded throughout the state of Missouri. 

Andy's then expanded into Arkansas, Texas, and now Illinois. 

Ralph's Italian Eatery shuts down in Orland Park

The restaurant inside the Riviera Country Club at 8801 W. 143rd St. in Orland Park, which in September changed its name from Pompei Little Italy to Davino's and then quickly changed it again to Ralph's, closed after New Year's.

An employee at Riviera said she knew it closed but didn't know of any reason.

"They weren't affiliated with us, they rented the restaurant space," she said.

A manager at the restaurant chain's main location, Pompei Taylor Street in Chicago, said he didn't know the Orland Park location had closed.

"I'm the last one to know anything," he said. "(Owner Ralph Davino) must have just decided to close that location."

The restaurant closed for a couple of weeks in September to tweak its menu and do a little remodeling, supervisor Kelly Voris said at the time. After reopening, it was open only for dinner from 4-10 p.m. and closed Monday and Tuesday.

Voris said a new Pompei Little Italy would be opening soon in Westmont.

Turk's Beef closes in Orland Park

Turk's Italian Beef & Sausage closed at the end of November after 18 years at 14600 S. LaGrange Road. 

The owners said on the restaurant's Facebook page that they closed because of the coming LaGrange widening project that started this summer and is expected to continue for another two or three years.

Fans of the family-owned fast-food restaurant are in luck, however, because Turk has moved his beef operation to Sam's Triple Crown restaurant and off-track betting parlor at 9201 W. 159th St. in Orland Hills. 

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.