About Me

My photo
I have more than 40 years in the news business and have successfully evolved into an electronic journalist. Comings & Goings and Southland Savvy track news about businesses in Chicago's Southland.

Five-Buck Club for movies will end

If you are a fan of the Five-Buck Club at Kerasotes Theaters in New Lenox or Bolingbrook, your special deal is going away next month. But AMC, the company that purchased Kerasotes, says you shouldn't worry. They are changing the price of all (well, most) movies to ... $5.

From AMC's web site:
Five Buck Club Members:

We’ve heard your love of the Five Buck Club and your concerns for our current titles. Just to clarify, all previous Five Buck Club movies are still available at $5 at the participating theatres below.

Additionally, we believe in offering movies at a variety of pricing options and we will continue to offer all our guests many opportunities to see $5 movies. Starting June 18, our normal price for all movies, all day, any time Monday through Thursday* will be $5 – no club or cards necessary. You will be able to see the latest movies for $5 and we’re happy to make this pricing available to all our guests. On weekends (Friday, Saturday and Sunday and some holidays) before noon, you will also be able to see $5 movies at most theatres. The Five Buck Club will no longer be available or necessary after June 18.

For the time being AMC will continue to offer the Five Buck Club for CURRENT FBC members only. The process for purchasing a ticket for a movie in the Five Buck Club will not change. Just present your Five Buck Club card at newly acquired AMC Theatres locations to receive the special pricing. At this time AMC Theatres is not accepting new members into the Five Buck Club.

Thank you for your patience during this transition. We love your passion and enthusiasm for your theatre and we truly are honored to have you as our guests at AMC.

Fuller's to remodel Orland Park carwash

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Fuller’s Carwash at 15610 S. Harlem Ave. in Orland Park, formerly Classic Car Wash, will be closing in early to mid-June for remodeling. Fuller’s is adding a coin-operated car wash (the driver stays in the car while it is washed) to go along with the full wash and detailing service now available. Anyone who still has coupons issued by Classic Car Wash can use them until the carwash closes. Classic coupons will not be honored when the carwash reopens.

Nicks Gyros opens
Nicks Gyros opened its third location this week at 420 W. Lincoln Highway in Chicago Heights. The restaurant is open from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. For more information, call 708-503-2000 or visit http://www.nicksgyroschicago.com/ Owner Nick Spinos owns two other gyros restaurants on Chicago’s South Side.

Relocating
The Dance Company is expecting to move by late summer from its current digs at 47 E. Lincoln Highway in Frankfort to 332 N. LaGrange Road in the Frankfort Crossing Shopping Center. The dance school is moving into the southern corner space in the strip center, which is anchored by a Jewel-Osco store. The school has about 300 students and has been teaching dance for more than a decade.

Big Tuna eyes Frankfort
Big Tuna, a Japanese restaurant at 13137 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park, is planning on opening a second location this summer at 19951 S. LaGrange Road in Frankfort. The restaurant features sushi, teriyaki and tempura dishes. It will be open for lunch and dinner.

A new Walmart opens
A Walmart store opened earlier this month at 9450 Joliet Road in Hodgkins.

Movado closing retail stores
Movado Group, the Swiss watchmaker, is closing its retail division by June 30. The decision affects stores at Woodfield Mall, Oakbrook Shoppingn Center and Water Tower Place in Chicago. The company will continue to sell watches and other jewelry through independent retailers.

Deals of the weekend
Buy one milkshake, get one free at Sonic restaurants in Lockport and Country Club Hills. Offer runs through June 27. You can get the free one when you order the first one or receive a coupon.

Barnes & Noble is offering a 15 percent discount at BN.com by June 1. Just type in J4D4Y3C at checkout.

Sports Authority is offering $25 off online orders of more than $100 and free shipping on online orders of more than $49. Just type in MEM25 at checkout. Offer is good through June 5.

Glenwood Oaks offers $10 off dinner

MarketSavvy

Glenwood Oaks Rib and Chophouse is offering $10 off a dinner for two with this coupon. Sink your teeth into a mouthwatering feast with a discount courtesy of the Jarosky Family and Southland Savvy.


In Blue Island, seeing the recession's toll

"If south suburban Blue Island long ago was a geological mix of boulders and other debris dropped by a glacier, the Illinois Department of Human Services office there now is a moraine of human travail deposited by the recession," writes Jim Warren in a column on the Chicago News Cooperative.

"A parking lot the size of a football field was jammed Tuesday, and caseworkers laughed about my three-minute search for a space. This was a slow day, they informed me; show up on the first of the month, when various benefits are due, and you would think the Rolling Stones were in town. Lines form outside shortly after sunrise.

"By 10 a.m., about 150 people of diverse economic strata were applying for, or seeking urgent counsel about, welfare, food stamps, and Medicaid and disability payments, among other matters. They were in financial, social, mental and physical distress, and this office — whose budget-stressed staff deals with 81,000 cases in a suburban area up to the Will County border — is a lifeline."

With all the talk of a recovering stock market and the beginnings of an upswing in the economy, this is what the Great Recession still looks like in the Southland.

New bevy of benches in Tinley

We hear the weather's going to warm up this week, so we'd like to recommend a stroll down Oak Park Avenue in Tinley Park. You'll get some exercise, and you can exercise your appreciation of fanciful works of art.

Tinley Park's "Benches on the Avenue" program is back with a new collection of artfully crafted benches on both sides of Oak Park Avenue (between 172nd and 176th streets). The theme that local artists worked from is "When I Grow Up." The 21 benches are scheduled to be on display through October 1.






















Photos by Chuck Ingwersen/
Southland Savvy

New business review: Half Price Books in Orland Park


By Chuck Ingwersen
Southland Savvy
My wife and I love book stores, so we spent part of our Saturday checking out Half Price Books, which opened May 13 in Orland Park (as announced by Savvy's own Bob Bong). The Half Price Books moniker is a bit misleading, since the store sells not only books but CDs, vinyl albums, DVDs, video games, board games and more. Plus, there are many items than go for considerably less than half the original retail price. There's a selection of paperback books for a buck, and a good-size clearance section of both fiction and non-fiction books for $2 and $3.

We brought about a dozen of our own old books to trade in, and got a receipt for $24 that could be used as store credit or could be cashed out. I had hoped to get a better price for our books, but wasn't too surprised by the offer. To be sure, a few of the books we brought in were real clunkers. We bought six books and a DVD ("The Graduate") that totaled $22.54, so we left with cool new merch and a bonus $1.46 to boot.

We were surprised the store is so big and the selection so wide ranging. Can't help but wonder how many customers of the nearby Borders and Barnes and Noble will make Half Price Books their first stop. I plan to continue shopping all three, because each offers its own unique bargains, and each has inventory that can't be found in the competitors.

Half Price Books is located at 31 Orland Square Drive (just off LaGrange Rd.). Store hours after this weekend will be 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
Click Half Price Books, Orland Park for the website.

Half Price Books opens in Orland Park

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy
Half Price Books opened its sixth Chicago-area store Thursday at 31 Orland Square Drive in Orland Park.

The 8,580-square-foot store is celebrating the opening by offering free tote bags and $5 gift cards to the first 100 customers Saturday and Sunday.

As an added bonus, “One of the first 100 shoppers each day will find a $100 gift card in the tote bag,” says Rebekah Gannaway, public relations specialist for Half Price Books.

The store carries new and used books, magazines, comics, records, cassettes, videos, DVDs, CDs and collectibles. The store also buys the same materials from shoppers who can take store credit or cash.

Store hours after this weekend will be 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

The phone number is 708-403-4589. Its website is http://www.halfpricebooks.com/

New management
The Dunkin’ Donuts at 20551 S. LaGrange Road in Frankfort is under new management and is hiring. For more information, call 815-469-3303.

Quick Mart closes
The Vollmer Quick Mart and Deli closed recently at 5605 Vollmer Road in Matteson.

Boz closes in Lynwood
The Boz Hot Dogs restaurant at 20513 S. Torrence Ave. in Lynwood closed recently after the owners lost their lease. A second store remains open at 2513 Ridge Road in Lansing.

Quiznos opens in Orland Park
The Quiznos sandwich shop reopened recently at 11247 W. 143rd St. in Orland Park. Hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

Orland Baby’s coming soon
A Baby’s Steak and Lemonade franchise is opening soon in the former Long John Silver’s/A&W Root Beer restaurant at 15828 S. LaGrange Road in Orland Park.

New gas stations in Bridgeview
A Citgo gas station opened in mid-April at 8301 S. Harlem Ave. in Bridgeview and a Marathon sister station is expected to open next week across the street at 8258 S. Harlem Ave. Both stations have car washes and convenience stores.

Peavy in Frankfort
White Sox hurler Jake Peavy will sign autographs from noon to 1 p.m. June 5 at Phillips Chevrolet in Frankfort. There also will be registration for the chance to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the July 30 Sox vs. Oakland A’s game. The winning name will be drawn July 17 at the dealership. For more information, visit the Phillips fan page at Facebook.

Deal of the week
Popolano’s at 17940 S. Torrence Ave. in Lansing and 225 S. Calumet in Chesterton, Ind., is offering half-price pizza for dine-in customers on Tuesdays.

Mobility Mart closes store in Frankfort, will remain an online business

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Alan Villani has closed the Mobility Mart store at 7234 W. Benton Drive in Frankfort Square but will continue to sell scooters, powerchairs and lift chairs through his website at http://www.mobilitymartinc.com/.

“We closed last week after a year,” Villani said. “But I still have six scooters and ramps and other equipment available.”

Villani said that without the cost of a storefront, he would be able to offer even bigger discounts.

Villani’s phone number remains 815-469-3800.

Wendi’s House of Balloons opens
Wendy Boston-Robinson has turned her home-based balloon business into a full-fledged gift shop with the opening last week of Wendi’s House of Balloons at 7236 W. Benton Drive in Frankfort Square.

Boston-Robinson said she had been selling balloons out of her Matteson home and decided it was time to open a store.

“I added party supplies, cards and gifts because I figured if someone was buying balloons they might need party supplies as well.”

Wendi’s House carries air-filled and helium balloons for every occasion in latex and Mylar.

Store hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and closed on Sunday. The phone number is 815-277-2380. A website at www.windisballoons.com is under construction.

Unemployed group to meet at St. Peter’s
Frankfort Square resident Dennis Gravitt has formed a support group for unemployed and underemployed men and women.

The group will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday at St. Peter’s United Church of Christ, 12 W. Sauk Trail in Frankfort. Future meetings will be on the second and fourth Thursday of each month.

For more information, call Gravitt at 815-469-7249.

Deal of the week
El Famous Mexican restaurants with locations in Orland Park, Tinley Park and Summit are now offering $1 tacos on Mondays and Tuesdays.

On-Time Design opens in Mokena
Below, Mokena village officials, Mokena Chamber members and company officials take part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony April 1 for On-Time Design Inc., 9400 Bormet Drive in Mokena.

Saint's Golf now open in Tinley Park

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

Some golfers love the game so much, they wind up working at golf courses or golf stores.

That’s not the case for George Siekierzynski (pictured). He’s running Saint’s Golf at 16706 S. Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park as a favor to his partner and because as the Glenwood resident says, “It’s something to do.” He can’t remember the last time he hit the links.

His partner is Mark St. Ledger, of New Lenox, who is passionate about the game. He’s had one version or another of Saint’s Golf for the better part of three decades, most recently in Chicago’s Mount Greenwood community.

The store has been open for a few weeks and response has been good, says Siekierzynski.

Services include regripping clubs, repairing clubs and making clubs at substantially discounted prices.

“Mark makes most of the clubs,” says Siekierzynski. “I just made my first one the other day.”

Saint’s will fit a golfer to the proper club length and then custom-make the clubs right there in the store.

For more information, call 708-342-1111. A website is in the works, says Siekierzynski.

In-Site opens in Frankfort
In-Site Computer Solutions has just opened a second location at 7238 Benton Drive in Frankfort Square. The company develops websites for businesses. The phone number is 815-573-0190. The website is http://www.in-sitecs.com/

Salvation Army opens community center in Blue Island
The Salvation Army opened a community center a few weeks ago at 2900 W. 127th St. in Blue Island. The center services Blue Island, Merrionette Park and Chicago’s Mount Greenwood community. The phone number is 708-332-0100. Its website is http://www.usc.salvationarmy.org/

Mother’s Day deals
Palermo’s, 11255 W. 143rd St. in Orland Park is opening at 11 a.m. Sunday for Mother’s Day and the restaurant is offering a $15 three-course meal special. That includes appetizer, main course and dessert. For more information, call 708-364-6700 or visit the website http://www.palermochicago.com/ to see the choices and make reservations.

Visit the Denny’s Facebook page and create a Mother’s Day card for Mom and each of you will receive a free Pancake Puppies Sundae.

If you know of any other Mother’s Day specials, drop me a line at bobbong@hotmail.com

Bank of America payment charges irk Illinois homeowner

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

I bought my home 23 years ago with help from the Illinois Housing Development Authority, which financed my mortgage through a first-time home owners program.

The mortgage was issued through a bank in Bolingbrook that no longer exists. No surprise there, given the way big banks have gobbled up little banks in recent years.

The mortgage was first taken over by Hemlock Bank, another institution that no longer exists.

Then the mortgage passed on to Marquette Bank, which was the gobbler of Hemlock Bank.

Paying the mortgage was nice and easy. If you didn’t want to drop it in the mail, you could drop the payment off at the bank. Hemlock was in Oak Forest and Marquette was in Orland Park.

In all of those years, the mortgage was serviced by a locally-owned bank.

All of that changed last month when Bank of America took over as servicer of the mortgage. The same Bank of America that needed a government bailout of $45 billion in cash and $100 billion in bad-asset guarantees to stay afloat.

After one month as an unwilling customer, I can understand how Bank of America was able to repay the bailout in September.

Bank of America is based in California. The coupons I received to pay the mortgage are to be mailed to California. Questions about why I should be paying an Illinois-backed mortgage to a bank in California aside, I wanted to know my payment options. I used to be able to drop my Marquette payment in the mail on Monday and have it accredited to my account by Wednesday. Knowing the mail from here to California is not so timely, I called the 800 number listed.

I won’t even guess where the call was routed to, but I’m guessing it wasn’t Simi Valley, Ca., Bank of America’s home loans headquarters.

Here’s what I found out. Payments should be mailed a week before the due date. That should get the payment there in time. But there is no guarantee it will arrive and be posted in time.

Failing that, I could drop off the payment at a Bank of America location near here. But it won’t post to my account for two to three business days.

In the words of my 800 number operator Zulfi, “Banks are not payment centers.” My argument that my check in their hands in one of their banks should mean something didn’t seem to win her over.

I also could pay by phone, the payment posts the same day as long as received before 3 p.m. Chicago time. The catch is that there is a $15 charge for using the automated system and $20 charge for having someone such as Zulfi handle the transaction.

What about the Internet? “Sure, you can pay at our website,” Zulfi said. I signed up. I’ll get my temporary password to establish my online account in seven to 10 working days. Oh, yes, there’s a $6 charge for paying online. I didn’t have the strength left to ask how long it would take for a payment to be posted to my account.

My daughter, wise one that she has become, said I should open a Bank of America account and put enough money in every month to cover the mortgage and set up an automatic payment. I just wonder how much that costs?

New clients get a deal at Apeeling Faces

MarketSavvy

Apeeling Faces in Tinley Park offers you the full feel-good treatment.

Visit Apeeling Faces on the Web.

A Savvy coupon for Zappas in Tinley Park

MarketSavvy

Check out a great money-saving deal from Zappas Salon on West 171st Street in Tinley Park for a free color or partial highlights.

Visit Zappas on the web.