Aldi to open Friday in Chicago Ridge

By Bob Bong

Southland Savvy

The Westfield Chicago Ridge Mall Aldi store is holding its grand opening at 10 a.m. Friday.

Grand opening events include the chance to win groceries for an entire year, the chance to win tickets to see Glee Live on Stage, and $10 gift certificates for every $100 you spend at your favorite mall stores all weekend. Just bring your receipts dated May 20-22 to the Concierge Center.

The Radio Disney AM 1300 Road Crew will be on hand beginning at noon Saturday. Live entertainment will be going on from noon to 4 p.m. all three days including live music, face painting and balloon artists.

The idea of a grocery store in a mall may seem new to younger generations but Jewel supermarkets were original tenants of both Ford City shopping center on the Southwest Side and River Oaks Mall in Calumet City when they both opened in the mid-1960s; though both left within a few years.

For more information, visit their website at http://www.aldifoods.com/ or click here.

Simply Smokin’ closes
Simply Smokin, the latest restaurant to try its luck at 10211 W. Lincoln Highway in Frankfort, is closed, the apparent victim of an eviction.

Frankfort police told the Frankfort Station newspaper that the owners of the restaurant were evicted a couple of weeks ago. The story indicated the restaurant’s furnishings were strewn about in front of the restaurant, which would be consistent with an eviction.

Funny thing is, when the restaurant opened last summer, the Daily Southtown reported that its operators were longtime owners of the property.

Another funny thing is that the property is listed for sale with a couple of local real estate companies. The asking price is $1.3 million and all of the listings say the owner is retiring.

The string of failures there is puzzling considering all of the traffic that Lincoln Highway gets.

Gas City stations are now Speedways
The 17 Gas City stations bought by Speedway at the bankruptcy auction last month were rebranded last week. Hope you used your Gold Card rewards because they didn’t carry over to Speedway’s Speedy Rewards program. There were 4 stations in Frankfort, 3 in Homer Glen, 2 in Mokena, 2 in New Lenox and single stores in Tinley Park, Shorewood, Oswego, Naperville, Romeoville and Darien. It doesn’t appear the new Speedways will carry E85 fuel. For more information, visit their website at http://www.speedway.com/.

Golden Rose opening at Chicago Ridge
Another store opening at Chicago Ridge Mall on Friday is Golden Rose USA cosmetics. The store will be across the way from Aldi. For more information, visit their website at http://www.goldenroseusa.com/ or visit their Facebook page.

Deal of the day
If you like buffets, here’s a deal. Go to Old Country Buffet’s Facebook page and click the “Like” button. You will be able to print a coupon good for one free dinner buffet with the purchase of another dinner buffet and a beverage. The coupon is good through Wednesday night.

Five Below store for tweens and teens opens in Orland Hills

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

A new kind of dollar store aimed at the preteen and teen crowd opened in 10 locations in Chicagoland on Friday including stores at the Orland Town Center at 159th Street and 94th Avenue.

Grand opening promotions included nickel hot dogs, free T-shirts and a shopping spree.

Five Below carries merchandise ranging from fashions to consumer electronics to candy and snacks, all priced from $1 to $5.

The chain, which had 145 stores in 13 states mostly on the East Coast, is preparing a second wave of openings this summer including a store at 191st Street and Harlem Avenue in Tinley Park’s Brookside Marketplace.

Store hours are Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For information, call the Orland store at 708-403-2185 or visit the website at http://www.fivebelow.com/. The chain also has a Facebook page.

Gas station face-liftThe Clark gas station at 16836 Oak Park Ave. is being rebranded as a Marathon station. The station is closed while signage is changed and the station undergoes a brief remodel.

Deal of the weekThis may not appeal to everybody, but comic book lovers can get free comic books on Saturday at Amazing Fantasy Books & Comics stores in Frankfort, Tinley Park, Calumet City and Lockport. The giveaway runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. or as long as supplies last. In past years, the stores have had appearances by costume characters and autograph sessions by comic book authors and artists. For more information, visit http://www.afbooks.com/.

Empire Books to close in Frankfort

Paula Ingram plans to take her book store online.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Empire Books will close its doors in Frankfort by the end of the month, but owner Paula Ingram’s passion for books will continue in the form on an online book store.

“I’m taking the store online,” she said. “You can do everything online.”

Ingram is bittersweet about the closing.

On one hand, “We had a good run,” she said about the store that opened five years ago. “I was hoping it would last, but it’s time to move on to a new adventure.”

On the other hand, “I get my life back in some fashion. It’s been me by myself every day for five years.”

She also doesn’t think the end is near for printed books even though book stores are disappearing at an alarming rate.

“I think there will always be a demand for printed books,” she said hopefully. “There’s just something about the feel of a book and the act of turning pages that you don’t get with an electronic reader.”

The store at 20879 S. LaGrange Road in the Walt’s Food plaza will stay open until April 30. Prices have been lowered on everything in the store, including the fixtures and furniture.

For information, call 815-469-0723 or visit her online store at http://www.empirebooksshop.net/.

Pizza Mia opens in FrankfortFranchise owner Bob Chavez opened the latest Pizza Mia restaurant at 19860 S. Harlem Ave. in Frankfort on April 4. Other stores are in Homer Glen and New Lenox.

The Frankfort pizzeria offers carryout and catering and plans to add delivery on May 2, Chavez said. “We are hiring drivers right now and making sure the staff is fully trained before we start delivery.”

Chavez, of Lockport, said he chose the Frankfort location because “there was a lot of name recognition and demand from the Frankfort area.”

He said response so far has been great, especially from the high school students at Lincoln-Way North, which is about a block away.

“We have some kids from the school working here,” he said.

Pizza Mia is open Mondays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday from 3-11 p.m. and Sunday from 3-10 p.m.

For information, call 815-806-8300 or visit http://www.pizzamiaonline.com/.

Ford City happeningsThe shopping center at 71st Street and Cicero Avenue recently lost women’s apparel store New York & Co. but is adding space where Montgomery Ward used to be for new stores. In the meantime, the mall’s JCPenney store added a portrait studio and the Carson’s added a Casual Male Big & Tall department.

Chicago Ridge happeningsWestfield Chicago Ridge Mall recently lost its Whispers Coffee and Tea kiosk, but the mall at 95th Street and Ridgeland added a Mandee women’s apparel store last week. Pierre’s Café also is coming soon to the Bed, Bath & Beyond Court.

Arrenello’s reopens in GlenwoodArrenello’s Pizza, which was temporarily closed by a recent fire in a neighboring business, has reopened at 325 Glenwood-Lansing Road in Glenwood.

Orland Cold Stone reopensA tip from a reader: The Cold Stone Creamery reopened recently at 16135 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park. The store is open Sunday to Thursday from noon to 9 p.m. and from noon to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Deal of the weekSubway is offering 6-inch Cold Cut Combo or Meatball sandwiches for $2 through the end of April.