Appliance store closes without warning

By Bob Bong
 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The company's website is no longer active, its telephone mailbox is full and its Facebook page has been taken down.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.

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 

Little Joe's open again in Frankfort; 350 Brewing opens in Tinley

Little Joe's is now open at its new location in Frankfort.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Little Joe's Famous Italian Ristorante, which closed its location in the Crown Centre shopping center in Frankfort in January, is finally open again in its new digs a few blocks away at 20805 S. LaGrange Road in the Walt's Foods plaza in Frankfort.

The restaurant chain, which also has locations in Tinley Park and New Lenox, had been open since September 2012. But its owners decided they needed more spacious digs and found them in the former Mary Todd's cafe location, which also had short-lived incarnations as Entree Alehouse and Tasty Buffet.

The decision to move was made in part because the Crown Centre location was much smaller than the Tinley and New Lenox locations.

While construction took a lot longer than anticipated, the new owners finally were able to have a soft opening earlier this month with a limited pre-grand opening menu. 

A grand opening is in the works.

The new Little Joe's features a bar, banquet room and outdoor patio. It also features gluten-free pizza and other specialties. The Frankfort location will also be offering a free pizza buffet at halftime of Bears football games.

Gerardo Vazquez remains as general manager of the new location. He is the son of co-owner Sue Vazquez.

Hours for the soft opening are weekdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

For information, call 815-534-5084 or visit their Facebook page or website at www.littlejoesfamouspizza.com.

350 Brewing opens in Tinley Park

Tinley Park got its second craft brewer when 350 Brewing Co. opened its tap room earlier this month at 7144 W. 183rd St. 

The brewery, which is owned by Todd Randall and Erik Pizer, had hoped to open several months ago in downtown Tinley Park on Oak Park Avenue, but those plans were delayed and the location eventually moved.

350 Brewing has nine beers on tap daily and the tap room is open from noon to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and from noon to midnight on Friday and Saturday. Unlike many of the new small tap rooms opening in the south suburbs, 350 Brewing said it will offer a small food menu consisting of appetizers and snacks.

The brewer also has set up a growler's club for customers to take home any of its brews in jugs for home consumption.

The company did not respond to requests for an interview, but information on the brewery can be found on the company's website at www.350brewing.com.

Starbucks opens in Orland

A new Starbucks has opened in the former Baby's at 15833 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park. The new location replaces one across the street that closed last year.

The new Starbucks features a drive-through lane.

School district buys All-Star Sports Bar in Bridgeview

Indian Springs School District 109 has purchased the former All-Star Sports Bar in Bridgeview.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Indian Springs School District 109, which operates schools in Bridgeview and Justice, in June purchased the closed  All-Star Sports Bar at 8000 S. Roberts Road in Bridgeview.

The establishment had been for sale for some time. 

The school district approved the purchase of the 5,000-square-foot bar and restaurant for $609,000 at its board meeting in April.

Penny Mustard now open in Orland Park

A new Penny Mustard Furnishings store opened recently at Orland Park Place mall in Orland Park next to Dick's Sporting Goods.

The store is about 21,000 square feet and is the Wisconsin-based furniture retailer's fifth Chicago-area store. It used to be an Office Depot office supply store and was the largest vacant space at the shopping center.

Penny Mustard was founded by two brothers in Wisconsin in 1993 and carries a variety of furniture for the entire home and office.

The store is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

For information, call 708-949-4441.

New construction in Oak Lawn 

Oak Lawn Bank and Trust, which is being built at 5300 W. 95th St., is scheduled to open this fall, while a new First Midwest Bank is being built at 95th and McVicker Avenue. 

The Old Carpet One store at 5849 W. 95th St. is being demolished and will be replaced by a 20,000-foot state-of-the-art Women’s Health Institute of Illinois Ltd. 

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