Best Sellers bookstore closing this month in Palos Heights

Best Sellers bookstore in Palos Heights is closing at the end of August.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Best Sellers, a popular bookstore at 6509 W. 127th St. in Palos Heights for the past 33 years, is closing because owner Jean Gnap is retiring.

“Thirty three years is long enough,” says Gnap, who also is a Palos Heights alderman.

The closing is set for no later than Aug. 31. “Everything must go,” she says. The store carries all kinds of books, comic books, trading cards and collectibles.

“We will start our closing sale on Monday. Hardcover books will be $1, paperbacks are $2 and you can trade-in any credit you have,” says Gnap. “Newer comic books will be half-price while older comic books will be half off of the catalog price.”

Gnap says she is staying in Palos Heights after retiring and will remain a community advocate.

“My aldermanic term is up in April and I will probably run for re-election. There are some projects I’d like to see through to completion.”

For more information, call the store at 708-371-2540 or visit their website at http://bestsellers.web.officelive.com/ and the Best Sellers Bookstore page at Facebook.

Providence Bank opens in FrankfortSouth Holland-based Providence Bank has opened its sixth branch at 20220 S. LaGrange Road in the Frankfort Commons shopping center in Frankfort in a former National City Bank.

Providence Bank was founded six years ago and prides itself on donating 10 percent of its profits to civic, non-profit and Christian organizations. Other branches are in South Holland, Elmhurst, Munster, Ind., Dyer, Ind., and Schererville, Ind.

For more information, call 888-923-5664 or visit http://www.providencebank.com/.

Flagship Creations moves in LansingFlagship Creations, a custom T-shirt shop, has moved down the street to 3517 Ridge Road in Lansing. The phone number remains the same at 708-474-3445.

94 West deal of the weekend
94 West, 15410 S. 94th Avenue, Orland Park, will take 25 percent off your entire food bill today through Sunday as part of its Customer Appreciation Weekend. Offer is for dine-in customers only and is not valid with other coupons. For more information, call 708-364-9494 or visit http://www.94westrestaurant.com/.

Illinois to hold its first sales tax holiday starting Friday

Extreme Pita is expected to open Aug. 10 in Orland Park.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Illinois will hold its first state sales tax holiday starting Friday and running through Aug. 15.

School supplies including calculators, backpacks, legal pads, pens, pencils and erasers will be exempt from the state’s 5 percent sales tax during the holiday, which was signed into law by Gov. Pat Quinn earlier this summer.

Sales taxes imposed by municipalities, counties, transit agencies and any other government body are not included in the tax holiday.

Although intended to relieve some of the burden from parents of school-age children, anyone who purchases items on the exempt list will benefit from the holiday.

For a complete, downloadable list of what is and isn’t exempt, visit http://www.tax.illinois.gov/.

Extreme Pita to open next week
Darrell Hall expects to open his Extreme Pita restaurant on Aug. 10 at 14658 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park’s Cooper Square shopping center. For more information, call 708-403-8338 or visit their Facebook page at Extreme Pita of Orland Park.

La Papa’s coming soon
A sign proclaiming a La Papa’s Italian Beef and Sausage is coming has popped up in the building on the northeast corner of 111th Street and Pulaski Road in Chicago.

Reinsdorf to speak at chamber luncheon
White Sox and Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf will be the guest speaker at Monday’s monthly consensus lunch for the Southland Chamber of Commerce at the Tinley Park Holiday Inn-Convention Center, 18501 S. Harlem Ave.

The luncheon starts at 11:30 a.m. with Reinsdorf expected to begin speaking about noon. He is expected to talk about the red hot White Sox and the upcoming season for the Bulls.

Reservations are $25 for members and $35 for nonmembers. Call 708-957-6950 or visit the chamber’s website at http://www.chicagosouthland.com/.

Lunch deal of the week
Benchwarmers at 3325 Ridge Road in Lansing now has a $4.99 lunch menu daily from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

New Mexican restaurant expects to open this month in Midlothian

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Midlothian will soon be home to Sierra Mexican Grill, which is expecting to open by mid-August at 147th Street and Pulaski Road. It will be the second location for Sierra Mexican Grill, which is owned by Juan Sierra. The original location is in Peotone.

The Chieftain opens in WorthA new bar called The Chieftain opened recently at 6908 W. 111th St. in Worth in the former Pump Room. The new establishment is an Irish pub, which makes sense considering the owner John Staunton hails from the Auld Sod and owns a couple of pubs in the Emerald Isle. The Chieftain opens daily at 11 a.m. and at noon on Sundays. It is open late, until 2 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Fare is typical pub grub.

Paddy B’s settles into new home
Orland Park’s Paddy B’s has settled in at its new location at 11969 W. 143rd St. in the village. The bar moved in June from its longtime home at 143rd Street and Union Avenue. The new location has seating for about 40 and is open daily from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. The phone number is 708-349-3077.

New grocery store coming for Country Club Hills
Michael’s Fresh Market is renovating the former Eagle grocery store at 183rd Street and Pulaski Road in the Shops at Cooper’s Grove in preparation for opening later this summer. The new food store will be about 56,000 square feet in size. Michael’s operates a number of stores under various names in Harvey, Oak Park, Chicago, Downers Grove and Naperville.

Tequila Roadhouse closes in Alsip
Tequila Roadhouse, which changed its name from O’Malley’s in January, closed suddenly last month at 11957 S. Pulaski Road in Alsip. The building is for lease.

Job Fair in Tinley ParkBP Staffing is holding a job fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday at the Bremen VFW Post 2791 at 17147 S. Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park. For more information, call 708-576-8901.