Southland Savvy
Grant's Appliances, a Joliet-based appliance store with
locations in Orland Park, Downers Grove, Aurora and northwest Indiana, shut
down with warning at the end of business on Wednesday, Oct. 8.
Customers on Thursday were greeted with handwritten signs on
the door saying "temporarily closed
for inventory." There was no reopening date indicated.
The chain, which started in Joliet more than 90 years ago,
left numerous customers awaiting deliveries hanging with no indication of
whether the merchandise would ever be received nor any way to find out what was
going on.
The company's website is no longer active, its telephone
mailbox is full and its Facebook page has been taken down.
The chain for decades operated out of a single store in
Joliet. The Grant family sold the company several years ago and the new owner
expanded by adding several stores including the one at 14740 S. LaGrange Road
in Orland Park.
Ross Dress for Less
opens new stores
California-based off-price retailer Ross Dress for Less opened
20 new stores nationwide last week including its first store in Will County and
its first store in downtown Chicago.
The retailer opened five stores in Illinois including its
first Will County store at 475 E. Lincoln Highway in New Lenox in the Walmart
plaza, a store at 26 E. Randolph in Chicago's Loop and a store in Cicero on
Friday, Oct. 10, and two downstate stores on Saturday.
The new stores bring the number of Ross locations in the
Chicago area to 34. The retailer entered the Chicago market a couple of years
ago when it opened stores in Orland Park.
Ross stores typically carry brand name apparel and home
goods products priced 20 percent to 60 percent less than at department and
specialty stores. Each store employs about 50 associates.
Store hours will be Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 10
p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
For information about Ross, visit www.rossstores.com or call the New Lenox store at 815-462-3765.
For information about Ross, visit www.rossstores.com or call the New Lenox store at 815-462-3765.
Goodwill store opens
in Frankfort
Goodwill opened its newest retail store and donation center
on Friday, Oct. 10, at 19917 S. LaGrange Road at the north end of Hickory Creek
Marketplace in Frankfort.
The store is the charitable organization's 33rd retail store
in Illinois. It also operates seven donation centers in Illinois.
"The new store is 20,396 square feet with just under
13,000 square feet dedicated to sales floor," said Cheryl Lightholder,
Goodwill manager of communications.
Construction at the store at LaGrange and St. Francis roads
started on June 30, Lightholder said.
Hours for the store are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Saturday
and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Donation center hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday
to Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.
The store also has a Club Rewards program for frequent
customers.
Eric Schultz is the manager of the Frankfort location.
The organization also has south suburban retail stores in
Orland Park, New Lenox, Lemont, Plainfield and Joliet.
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