NAPA auto parts opens in Tinley Park

NAPA auto parts has opened a store at 16086 S. Harlem Ave. in Tinley Park.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

NAPA has opened another auto parts store in Tinley Park in the former Bud's sports bar at 16086 S. Harlem Ave.

The store is a franchise owned by Blissful Solutions LLC, based in Hillside.

Hours are from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

For information, call the store at 708-468-8854 or visit NAPA.

Station drops Marathon for BP

Sangha's gas station at 79th Street and Roberts Road in Bridgeview recently converted from a Marathon station to a BP station while a station and convenience store a few blocks away at 7901 S. 87th Court in Justice recently opened as a Marathon station.

Toy store closes in Mokena

Creative Toy Mart, a popular toy store that opened in 2009 at 11326 W. Lincoln High way in Mokena, closed earlier this year after holding a going out of business sale.

Mokena plant moving to South Holland

Fusion Chicago Investments has purchased the 11,000-square-foot former Steiner Electric building at 401 W. Taft Drive in South Holland, said John Watson, director of economic development for South Holland.

The building's new owners have signed a long-term leasing agreement with DirectSat USA, a communications infrastructure provider that provides installation, upgrade and maintenance services for major satellite content providers. 

DirectSat will use the property to warehouse and repair Direct TV equipment and Direct TV products for offsite installations. 

The move will see 44 full-time maintenance personnel and six full-time office workers relocate to South Holland from the Mokena facility. 

Ashley Furniture opens new distribution center

Ashley Furniture, which operates several franchised stores in the south and southwest suburbs, opened its newest retail store and distribution center recently at 1045 W. Crossroad Parkway in Romeoville.

The 425,525 square foot facility was built because of high customer demand in the greater Chicago and Milwaukee markets, the company said in a release.

The chain, which operates as a series of independently owned and operated stores, is known for its merchandising concepts and designs including Urbanology, Vintage Casual, Metro Modern 14-piece packages called The Works.

The chain operates a dozen stores in the Chicago market.

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

Talerico opens retail bakery

Talerico-Martin has opened a retail bakery on 63rd Street in Summit. (Courtesy of Talerico-Martin)

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Summit's Talerico-Martin bakery, which has been selling baked goods wholesale to convenience stores for about three decades, has opened a retail bakery at 7334 W. 63rd St., across the street from Argo High School.

"We have a full line of products," said Gary Willard, assistant general manager. "Doughnuts, cookies, brownies, cakes and pastries."

He said the store would have a full coffee bar as well as offer snacks and juices.

Willard said owner Bob Talerico has spared no expense in opening the retail operation.

"It's a pretty decent setup," he said. "Bob is treating this nice. It's his baby."

"We're going to open the door and see who comes in," he said. "We'll have a grand opening in a month or so. We want to get any kinks worked out first."

Willard said customers would eventually be able to order cakes online and have them made any way they like.

"A customer will be able to have their face on the cake, if they want," he said.

Store hours will be from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Judging from the amazing smells that emit from the bakery on certain days, the goods should be fantastic.

Willard also said anyone who wants to see how the treats are made can just stop by.

"I'll take anyone on a tour who wants," he said.

For information, visit Talerico Bakery or check out their Facebook page.

Walgreens closes in Calumet City

Walgreens, the international pharmacy company that announced recently that it planned to close 200 stores over the next few years, has closed at least three stores in the south suburbs already this year.

The Deerfield-based chain said the stores slated for closing would be locations that were unprofitable. It said the employees would be offered transfers to other stores. It also said closings would hardly be felt by customers because of other nearby Walgreens. The company also said the closings would be offset by new store openings.

Those closings would be in addition to the closing in January of a Walgreens at 159th Street and Wood Street in Harvey, the closing in February of a store at 127th Street and Western Avenue in Blue Island and the closing recently of a location at 626 River Oaks Drive in Calumet City.

Some other south suburban stores are being demolished, and then rebuilt.

A new Walgreens opened recently at Southwest Highway and 95th Street in Oak Lawn. The new store was built on the same site as an earlier store, but the new version has a drive-through lane that the earlier store was lacking. The new store is about 62,000 square feet.

The new building was just sold for $10.7 million to a Northeast-based family office, according to a release from The Boulder Group, which represented both buyer and seller in the transaction. 

Walgreens probably won't be closing that site anytime soon. The chain has a 20-year lease with 11 five-year renewal options.

Domino's opens in South Chicago Heights

A new Domino's restaurant opened earlier this year at 45 W. Sauk Trail in South Chicago Heights.

The Michigan-based restaurant chain recently dropped the word "pizza" from its name but still specializes in pizza and sandwiches.

Hours at the new location are from 10:30 a.m. to midnight Sunday to Thursday and from 10:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

For information, call 708-441-3338 or visit Domino's.

 

Bobak's closes Archer Avenue company store

Bobak Sausage Co. closed its last company-owned store on Chicago's Southwest Side.

Loyal customers, some coming from as far away as northwest Indiana and Chicago's North Side, trekked to the store at 5275 S. Archer Ave. for the last time just before Easter.

The company, which got its start in 1967 and has operated the store on Archer since 1989, had moved its production to a bigger location last year but left the store open.

According to a letter the company distributed and posted on its Facebook page, a decision was made recently that it no longer made sense to keep the store open. The company said it was time to close the store and sell the building, which was otherwise empty since manufacturing was moved.

The company did hold out some hope for longtime customers by saying it might reopen the store at a future date.

Besides the regular Bobak products, which are carried in stores and markets across the Chicago area, the company store did carry some specialty items not available everywhere, such as its fresh Italian sausage, fresh Polish sausage and bacon sausage.

At one point, the company operated a handful of stores under the Bobak banner, including one in Orland Park. All of those stores were closed by 2007 after a particularly nasty fight between two of the sons of the founder.

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

Grand Appliance opens store in Southland

Grand Appliance & TV has moved into the former Grant's Appliance store in Orland Park. It is the chain's first store in the southern suburbs. (Photo by Bob Bong)

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy 

It didn't take long for northwest suburban Grand Appliance & TV to pounce once Grant's Appliance finished its liquidation sale earlier this year.

The Zion-based chain quickly moved to take over the space at 14740 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park.

"The company had been thinking about opening in Orland Park for a while and had had discussions with the plaza owner," said store manager Jeff Serr. "Orland was always Grant's top location. The traffic counts on LaGrange are off the charts."

As soon as Grant's was done for good, Grand swooped in and began renovating the space in February.

The 11,000-square-foot was gutted and renovated and held a soft opening last week under its Grand Appliance banner.

"We took everything down to the concrete," said Serr. "It was a tremendous investment."

It didn't take long for people to notice.

"We had seven people walk in today," said Serr. "We were thrilled."

Serr said the company was not concerned about ongoing construction on LaGrange.

"There is still plenty of traffic," he said. "The construction was not a deterrent."

There will be a grand opening later for the store, which is the chain's 18th location but its first in the southern suburbs. It has eight stores in Illinois, but the majority of stores is in Wisconsin.

Store hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Grand was founded in 1930 under the name Service Electric and while it sold appliances its main business was electrical supplies and light fixtures. 

After World War II, the company concentrated on home appliances because of the Baby Boom.

In 1966, then owner, Fred Reckling, moved the store to a bigger, more visible location on Grand Avenue in Waukegan. He also changed the name to Grand Appliance to signify the move and change in company focus.

The store in Waukegan remained Grand’s sole location until 1992 when current owner, Mark Reckling, convinced his father, Fred, to open a second location in Kenosha. 

For information, visit Grand Appliance & TV. 

LA Fitness opens in New Lenox

A new LA Fitness center opened recently in New Lenox as part of a six-acre retail center across the street from the Target and Lowe stores at U.S. 30 and Vancina Lane.

The 35,000-square-foot fitness center was the first of three planned buildings in the development. 

Also planned are two additional free-standing retail buildings. A 15,000-square-foot building is set to be built next to the LA Fitness and a 6,450-square-foot building in planned for an outlot parcel.

According to Carolyn Kostelny, InSite Managing Director, two other free-standing retail buildings are currently planned for the site — a 15,000-square-foot building adjacent to LA Fitness and a 6,450 SF two-tenant building on an outlot parcel. 

“This location is ideal for serving the high-growth communities of New Lenox, Mokena and Frankfort,” Carolyn Kostelny, managing director for the developer, InSite Real Estate LLC, said in a release. InSite also has plans to develop an adjacent 10-acre retail site. 

“Our central location and excellent access make New Lenox a natural location for regional shopping, entertainment and hospitality,” Robin Ellis, assistant administrator and community development director for the Village of New Lenox, said in a release.

Cooper's Hawk opens in Oak Lawn

Countryside-based Cooper's Hawk Winery and Restaurant opened its eighth Illinois location last month at 4830 W. 111th St. in Oak Lawn's Stony Creek Promenade shopping center.

The chain opened the 11,000-square-foot Oak Lawn location in the shopping center at 111th and Cicero Avenue.

The new restaurant offers indoor and outdoor seating, and a large private dining room that can accommodate up to 275 guests.

Signature dishes at Cooper's Hawk include Ahi Tuna Tacos, Red Wine Braised Short Ribs, Shrimp Campanelle and Ooey Gooey Butter Cake.

It is the chain's 19th location nationwide. It opened its first location in Orland Park in 2005 and has since expanded to Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin.

 “I’m thrilled to be opening our 19th location in Oak Lawn and feel privileged for the opportunity to extend the Cooper’s Hawk community in an area so close to where I grew up,” founder Tim McEnery, a south suburban native, said in a release.

Hours at the Oak Lawn location are from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to  10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday.

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.

TigerDirect to close Orland store

TigerDirect is closing its Orland Park store.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Florida-based electronics retailer TigerDirect has announced it will close its Orland Park store in the Orland Park Place plaza as part of a massive restructuring.

The retailer said it would be closing its four Chicago-area stores including Orland, Hoffman Estates, Naperville and Vernon Hills as well as a distribution center next to the Naperville store. The stores are expected to close by May 9, according to layoff notices the company has filed with the state.

The Orland store is a former CompUSA store.

Gordon Brothers Group has been retained to manage the store closing process, which includes inventory sales and real estate. DJM Real Estate, a division of Gordon Brothers Group, has been retained to dispose of 27 TigerDirect stores in the U.S. and Canada. 

Each store has about 40 employees.

The company said it would retain three locations and its online operation would not be affected by the restructuring.

“We appreciate the continued support of our valued customers over the years and hope they take advantage of the significant discounts during these store sales events.  We also encourage our customers to continue to shop tigerdirect.com for future savings and an outstanding assortment of products,” Adam Shaffer, president of TigerDirect Business, said in a release.

Shea's Bakery now open in Tinley Park

Dan Shea has high hopes to continue the baking tradition started decades ago when Hans Zettlmeier  opened a bakery in Tinley Park.

"We do a little bit of everything," said Shea, who along with his wife, Cathy, have been running the bakery at 17016 S. Oak Park Ave. in downtown Tinley Park since taking over in August.

Shea does his baking at night before the shop opens at 5:30 a.m. Then he heads to his day job as an electrician.

"Cathy is there more than I am," he said of his wife and partner, who tends to the day-to-day business of running a bakery despite owning another business, as well.

Shea said they bought the bakery because it was the right deal at the right time. He said they have made a few changes like new items and some tweaking of old items.

"We brought in a baker with 50 years experience to help with the transition," he said. "We expanded the menu and now we're trying to build our cake business."

Some things he left alone.

"We kept all of the employees from when it was Zettlmeier's," he said adding it seems to be paying off.

"A lot of the old customers have been accepting of the changes," he said. "We have had nothing but positive feedback."

The couple live in Green Garden Township with three kids, who sometimes lend a hand at the shop.

"It's a family business," he said.

Shea's Bakery is open from 5:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and from 6 a.m. to noon on Sunday. The bakery is closed on Monday.

For information, call 708- 444-2253 or visit Shea's Bakery on Facebook. He is working on a website.

First Savings of Hegewisch opens branch in Oak Forest

First Savings Bank of Hegewisch has opened a new branch at 4920 W. 159th St. in Oak Forest.

The 3,400-square-foot branch features two drive-up lanes and is adjacent to the community's Metra commuter train station. The building had been home to PNC Bank, which closed in early 2012.

The Oak Forest facility is the bank's 10th full service location. The Chicago-based institution has been expanding its presence in the southwest suburbs and has other branches in Frankfort and Tinley Park.

The bank announced that Holly Bishop would be branch manager of the new Oak Forest office. She had been with the bank’s Tinley Park branch for two years and brings more than 20 years of financial experience to the position.

“This new office will be a convenience for the many of our customers in the area and given this excellent location we look forward to helping many new customers as well,” she said in a release.

First Savings was founded in 1914 in Chicago’s Hegewisch community and remains a locally owned and managed, independent bank.

Lobby hours will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, from 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Drive-up hours are from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday and from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The branch is closed on Sunday.

For more information, call the branch at 708-687-5260 or visit First Savings of Hegewisch. 

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 

The Open Bottle Craft Beer Store Now Open in Tinley Park

Patrick and Julia Bisch have opened The Open Bottle, a craft beer store and taproom, at 7101 W. 183rd St. in Tinley Park.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Patrick Bisch is a self-confessed "beer nerd" to the point that he chucked his job in the IT field to open a craft beer store and tap room called The Open Bottle last month in Tinley Park. 

"I love to talk beer," Bisch said from the store at 7101 W. 183rd St.

 "We are fully submerged into the store," he said describing how he and his partner and wife, Julia Bisch, who left her job in the hotel industry, started planning for the store about a year ago.

"We wanted to do something we were passionate about," he said.

The couple's passion was ignited in 2010 when they were frequent customers of Hackney's downtown location.

"We went there a lot and I knew they had a great burger menu and a great beer menu," he said. "One day I discovered Bell's Two Hearted Ale. That started it all."

In late January, the couple opened The Open Bottle. Unlike many of the new tap rooms popping up in the south suburbs, they are a retail operation that has a tap room and not a craft brewer.

"We have eight taps to complement our store," he said. "That allows our customers to taste the beer and take a bottle home. It's enough to get people interested in beer."

Bisch said he offers daily tastings (one-ounce pours) to introduce people to some of the unique beers he carries.

He said the tap beers rotate frequently, though they try to focus on local brewers. "We just ran out of Pollyanna from Lemont," he said.  "We kick a beer every day."

The Open Bottle carries more than 300 kinds of beer, Bisch said, adding that more is coming.

"We have more shelf space that needs to be filled," he said. The shelves are divided into Eastern, Central and Western United States.

The store has four tables and seats eight at the bar. It offers a variety of small bites and encourages people to bring in their own food.

"We love to see people bring in their own," he said. "We just had an elderly couple that came in with Subway sandwiches to have with their beer. We love to see that."

The Open Bottle also has an arrangement with Rich's Pizza Place across the street to deliver food to the store.

Kids are always welcome with parents. "We have a number of craft sodas for the kids."

The couple are well acquainted with the area. Bisch grew up in Mokena and his wife grew up in Palos Heights.

They chose 183rd Street because of its traffic, and proximity to Interstate 80 and the Tinley Convention Center.

"We had a lot of customers who came in after the recent Tinley Golf Expo at the convention center," he said.

If all goes well, Bisch said expansion was a definite possibility.

"We have plans for more locations," he said. "In different areas."

Regular store hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday to Saturday and from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. The store is closed Mondays.

For information, call 708-263-0449 or visit them on Facebook at The Open Bottle or check their website at www.theopenbottle.com.

New Gas N Wash opens

A new Gas N Wash has opened at 174 W. Court St. in Kankakee, according to the company's website.

Like the store's first on 191st Street in Mokena, the Kankakee Gas N Wash features a convenience store called The Market, which contains a drive-through Dunkin' Donuts and a liquor department called the Beer Cave. The site also has nine fuel pumps at its gas station, with three diesel pumps for trucks. There also is a drive-through $3 car wash, which is still being completed.

The facility is open 24 hours a day and has a staff of about 40 full-time and part-time workers.

The three-acre site is owned by Len McEnery, of Mokena, along with Leon Baine and Tracy Erickson. The partners also own a $3 Car Wash at U.S. 45 and 52 in Bourbonnais.

S&S Clocks closes

S&S Clocks and Gifts closed its doors at 20881 S. LaGrange Road in the Frankfort Town Center Mall in Frankfort for the last time last monthafter more than 35 years. Its owners retired.

New Fuller's Car Wash opens

Fuller's Car Wash opened last month at 1725 E. Lincoln Highway in New Lenox, next door to Lincoln-Way Central High School.

The car wash had been planned for the corner lot for several years.

The wash offers full-service car washes and detailing from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, and exterior washes from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

For information, call 815-320-3880.

Some local Radio Shacks safe -- for now

Radio Shack has already closed its store at 16036 S. Harlem Ave. in Tinley Park.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Electronics retailer Radio Shack filed for bankruptcy earlier this month and announced that it would close hundreds of stores across the country after holding liquidation sales, including several in the south suburbs.

It turns out at least three of the chain's local stores are not closing.

Employees at the Frankfort, Palos Heights and Lansing Radio Shack stores said it was business as usual at their locations, at least for the time being.

A worker at the Lansing store at 16915 S. Torrence Ave. said his store had been holding a clearance sale in advance of it closing, but then those sales ended and new merchandise started coming in to the store.

"As of now, we're staying open, but who knows what may happen," said the worker who asked to remain anonymous.

The Texas-based retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization and said it planned to sell from 1,500 to 2,400 of its stores to its largest shareholder, investment firm Standard General. It plans to close the remainder of its 4,000 locations.

The company, which was founded more than 90 years ago, also plans to open Sprint stores-in-a-store in up to as many as 1,750 of the Radio Shack locations that stay open.

In addition to the stores now holding liquidation sales, the chain recently closed several locations in the south suburbs including its Tinley Park, Homewood, South Holland and Matteson stores. 

Stores slated for closing in the south suburbs include locations in Chicago's Beverly community, Burbank, Dolton, Chicago Heights, Bourbonnais, Joliet, Country Club Hills, Crestwood and Bolingbrook. Also closing is its store in Munster in northwest Indiana.

Also included in the closing is the Oak Lawn store at 4819 W. 95th St. That store reopened in August 2012 after it was seriously damaged in a massive fire in November 2010 that also knocked out Eva's Bridal and Miss Fantasia Boutique.

 “Stores that are closing are expected to sell remaining inventory,” the company said in a news release. Everything is available including shelving and office fixtures and furniture.

Employees at the closing stores said they were not given a timetable for the liquidation sale, which is being handled by Northbrook-based Hilco Merchant Resources along with Gordon Brothers Group and Tiger Capital Group.

Sleepy's opens in Oak Lawn

New York-based mattress retailer Sleepy's, which has been on a major expansion into the Chicago marketplace for more than a year, opened a new store in mid-December at 11010 S. Cicero Ave. in Oak Lawn, said Peter Hooper, a mattress professional at the store.

The company, which got its start in 1931 in Brooklyn, opened its first Chicago-area store in June 2013 in Evergreen Park.

For more information, call the store at 708-423-5320.

H&M opens in Southlake Mall

H&M opened its newest story last week at Southlake Mall in Merrillville in northwest Indiana.

Storm pays off for Art Van Furniture customers

Turns out that anybody who bought furniture at an Art Van Furniture store on Jan. 1,2,3 and 17 are big winners.

The Michigan-based retailer held a "Let it Snow" promotion that customers on those dates would be reimbursed for their purchases if more than three inches of snow fell in Chicago on Sunday, Feb. 1.

Mother Nature cooperated and dropped more than 19 inches of snow, which means about 2,000 people who shopped at stores in Bedford Park, Orland Park, Batavia, Chicago and Bolingbrook will be notified by Art Van Furniture that reimbursements will be coming. Art Van will reimburse the cost of the furniture or mattresses along with sales tax and delivery charges.

The tab will be more than $2 million, the company said in a news release.

"We threw out the ultimate pass to our guests, the chance to receive their purchases for free, and thousands of Art Van Furniture shoppers caught these incredible furniture and mattress savings," said Art Van Elslander, founder and chairman of Art Van Furniture. "It's a big win for fans of our stores who found a great reason to cheer, instead of jeer, Sunday's snowstorm."   

The company held similar promotions in Toledo and Fort Wayne and has to pay out even more as those cities also surpassed the three-inch threshold.

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.southlandsavvy.blogspot.com