Louie’s Pizza Closes in Frankfort

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Louie's Pizza has closed in Frankfort.

Louie’s Pizza and Pasta, which offered 28-inch pizzas, the biggest pizzas in the area, has apparently closed at 20531 S. LaGrange Road in Frankfort.

The restaurant had a checkered history in its brief run. There were repeated management changes and, most recently, it was supposed to be part of Baja Italiana, a restaurant from Carol Stream that sells Italian and Mexican cuisine. Coupons announcing the merger, management change and announcing a new grand opening were delivered over the summer.

A manager at Baja Italiana said Friday that restaurant’s owner had acquired and then sold Louie’s.

Calls to the Frankfort location are answered by an automated system that asks you to leave a message because of the call volume.

On Friday afternoon, the restaurant was closed and there was a notice on the door from the Village of Frankfort that its water service had been disconnected for failure to pay a utility bill. The restaurant’s Facebook page also has been taken down.

Corn Maze Open House
Odyssey Fun Farm will hold an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony at its corn maze at Oak Park Avenue and Harlem Avenue at noon on Sunday, and the $10 admission fee is being waived only for members of the Tinley Park, Orland Park, New Lenox, Frankfort and Mokena chambers of commerce. Members can RSVP to their respective chambers.

Aqua Lounge Replaces Club 30 West
Club 30 West has been renamed Aqua Lounge at 7905 W. Lincoln Highway in Frankfort. For information, call 815-513-2782 or visit their website at http://aqualoungefrankfort.com/  or their Facebook page.

New Lenox Restaurants Close
The Station House, which used to be the second location of the House of Hughes, closed last week at 201 E. Maple St. in New Lenox.

A resident said she saw workers removing furniture and other items from the building.

The restaurant was renamed after the House of Hughes closed its original location in Crestwood back in March.

Also closing recently in New Lenox was the original location of Lazy Dogz Burgers & Beef at 108 W. Illinois Highway. The fast food joint closed its Tinley Park location just about a year ago, which has since reopened as Diana’s Kitchen.

Bears Deal of the Weekend
Joe Daniel’s Neighborhood Eatery & Pub, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary at 12218 S. Harlem Ave. in Palos Heights with a bean bag tournament, prizes, entertainment and free barbecue on Saturday, offers a free halftime buffet during Bears games. The only catch is you have to be on hand before the start of the second quarter. There are drink specials, as well, including buckets of beer and a $5 bloody Mary bar. The doors open as soon as fans start showing up. For information, call 708-923-9902 or visit http://www.joedanielsbar.com/.

Odyssey Fun World to Open Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch

Odyssey Fun World in Tinley Park will open a corn maze and pumpkin patch on Friday.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

The Halloween season in Tinley Park will officially kick off this week when Odyssey Fun Farm Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maize opens on Friday, Sept. 23, at 10 a.m. across the street from the Odyssey Fun World arcade at Harlem Avenue and Oak Park Avenue.

The 15-acre corn maze and pumpkin patch will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Friday to Halloween. Admission will be $10 per person (children 1 and younger get in for free), which includes unlimited use of our courtyard attractions such as hay rides, cow train, inflatable Kids Zone, two corn mazes, petting zoo and pig races.

Children under 12 who visit can also get free ice cream cones at the Culver’s in Tinley Park, Orland Park, Frankfort, Matteson and Homewood, and a free kids meal at Chili’s in Orland Park, New Lenox, Homewood, Calumet City and Chicago Ridge.

Available at additional cost are pony rides for $3, entry to the Beast for $3 and Corn Cannon shots (3 for $3 or 6 for $5).

General manager Clint Paraday said the spelling of maize (which is a Native Indian word for corn) was simple word play, and was the way the company that cuts the maze spells it.

“This is our first year in the business of farming and we are hoping to really bring a fun-filled fall season for all the families,” he said.

The grand opening ribbon cutting and open house will take place at noon Sunday, Sept. 25. The $10 admission fee will be waived for everyone who attends the ribbon cutting and open house.

For more information, call 708-429-3800 or visit Odyssey Fun Farm online.

HomeGoods To Open Sunday
The second new store at Brookside Marketplace opens this week when HomeGoods, a discount retailer that specializes in home fashions, opens on Sunday, Sept. 25, at 8 a.m. at 191st Street and Harlem Avenue in Tinley Park.

The 25,000-square-foot store is next to the recently opened Five Below location. It will have about 60 full-time and part-time workers. It will be the 21st HomeGoods location in the Chicago-area.

Grand opening hours will be 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and afterward will be Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

As part of the grand opening, Massachusetts-based HomeGoods will donate $5,000 to the Crisis Center for South Suburbia shelter.

For more information, visit HomeGoods Tinley Park online.

Neat Repeats Resale Shop Open Again
Neat Repeats Resale is sporting a new, bigger look in its new digs at 9028 W. 159th St. in Orland Park.

The store now has 3,650 feet of space to display its selection of small household items, giftware and clothing.

The grand reopening will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24. Regular hours will be Monday, Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

“It’s been a long process, with more than a year of planning and several weeks of actual construction,” Joyce Athey, Director of Neat Repeats Resale, said in a release. “But the result is just fabulous! Our volunteers and customers are really excited about the new space.”

All proceeds support the Crisis Center for South Suburbia shelter.

For information or to volunteer, stop in or call 708-364-7605.

Crab House To Reopen

N’awlins Crab House has closed at 200 Dixie Highway in Chicago Heights but never fear seafood lovers, the restaurant is expected to open soon under new ownership.

The old phone number has been disconnected but the chain’s website says the Chicago Heights location is opening soon.

For information, visit N’awlins Crab House online.

Hhgregg Opens Store in Orland Park

hhgregg opened its largest Chicago-area store on Thursday in Orland Park.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Appliance and electronics retailer hhgregg would not have opened a new store in Orland Park this week without the failure of other retailers such as Circuit City and Linens-N-Things.

“We are coming to Chicago because we were able to get real estate at reasonable prices,” said Jeff Pearson, vice president of marketing for the Indianapolis-based retailer of electronics and appliances. Attempts to enter the Chicago market earlier were thwarted by high rents and few desirable locations.

Hhgregg officially opened 14 stores on Thursday, including the Orland Park store at 1385 Orland Park Place Dr. at Orland Park Place Mall. All of the stores are taking space vacated by other retailers.

In this case, hhgregg is moving into the former Sports Authority store, which moved recently into the former Circuit City location at 94th Avenue and 159th Street in Orland Hills.
Pearson said that hhgregg, which was founded in 1955, was able to finally crack the Chicago marketplace when big box locations started becoming available thanks to the sour economy.
“We were able to take advantage of an opportunity that exists because some retailers were unable to make a go of it,” he said.

Pearson said hhgregg will succeed because “consumers like our retail model. We have fantastic prices, a wide selection and a better level of service” than rival retailers.

“A lot of retailers believe in self-serve,” he said. “We believe in associates who know about all of our products and who can help consumers make an informed decision on what to buy.”

Approximately 700 people have been hired to staff the new Chicago-area stores, he said. All of them have undergone a comprehensive training program and are regularly updated on products, he said.

Pearson said each store will have more than 100 digital televisions and 500 appliances in stock every day.

Pearson said a grand opening sale will run until Sept. 24 with low prices, special financing options and a chance to win prizes including a Frigidaire Stainless Steel Appliance Package, a 55-inch LG 3D TV or a Magellan GPS.

He said hhgregg also has a newly designed website that consumers can use to search and compare products as well as make online purchases.

The 14 openings make Chicago hhgregg’s largest market, and another six stores are expected to open before Christmas including one at Ford City Mall on Chicago’s Southwest Side.

Pearson said the Orland Park store will be 44,000 square feet, which is the largest one opening Thursday. Other area stores are in Joliet, Naperville, and Merrillville, Ind. Store hours are Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

With the addition of the Chicago-area stores, hhgregg will operate 204 stores in Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

James & Sons Opens Gold Exchange

James & Sons closed their Olympia Fields jewelry store back in 2008 but continued to buy gold a couple of days a week at the store at 3474 Vollmer Road in the Olympia Square Shopping Center.

The retailer moved back into the community full time recently when it opened J&S Gold & Diamond Exchange in that same location.

The company buys gold and diamonds as well as makes short-term loans much like a pawn shop.

The Sunderland family remains involved with the store, which still operates jewelry stores in Orland Square, Chicago and Schererville, Ind.

J&S is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information, call 708-481-1500 or visit their website at http://www.jandsgold.com/.

Hallmark Store Closes

Rand’s Hallmark closed recently at 91 Joe Orr Road in Chicago Heights.

Bears Deal of the Weekend

Watch the Bears take on the Saints on Sunday and get free appetizers at halftime at Oliver’s Bar & Grill, 6150 W. 159th St., Oak Forest.