November 20th, 2009 11:53am
Melissa Westphal
It’s been a busy few weeks for the folks at Sam’s Family Restaurant.
The closing of the Pump Handle Inn last month meant a loss of business for many establishments like them near 11th Street and Harrison Ave.
The future loss of business was enough that the owner of the building decided to close the restaurant, which meant the Ramadani family had to leave the space at 1603 Harrison Ave. they had leased and occupied for 23 years.
Their longtime connections to the community led them to the unoccupied restaurant space at 915 S. Alpine Road, just south of East State Street, a few weeks ago. That space most recently was occupied by the Undecided Restaurant, and used to be the Red Flame, Grandma’s, Bogart’s and for a long time was the Last Straw.
The family hopes to reopen Sam’s there by Monday. They’ve been busy painting the walls and chairs and rearranging the restaurant to make all of the equipment fit.
Sisters Fateme and DeeDee Ramadani, daughters of the restaurant’s namesake Sam Ramadani, said they’re happy to be somewhat close to the old location, but the reality of one location closing and another opening hasn’t really set in yet.
“We were all really close (at the old location). The customers and the staff all knew each other by name,” Fateme Ramadani said. “It’s been tough not being open, but we’ve had a lot of help from customers moving and getting this place ready … The whole thing is really surreal.”
The new restaurant will have a salad bar and a dinner buffet. Aside from that, the menu will stay pretty much the same.
Regular hours will be 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week, with plans to hopefully have later hours on Friday and Saturday. Call the restaurant at 815-398-8022 for more information.
November 20th, 2009 10:21am
Melissa Westphal
Granny’s Home Cookin’, 3605 Auburn St., is open with a menu full of breakfast, lunch and dinner specials.
The restaurant opened Nov. 7, owner Martin Acevedo said. He owns the Garden View Family Restaurant in Mount Morris and ran a Granny’s restaurant in Freeport for many years.
Acevedo said he was looking to break into the Rockford restaurant market.
Breakfast specials start at just less than $2 for oatmeal and $3 for waffles. Sandwich specials run about $4.50 and dinners start at $5.99.
Hours are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. now seven days a week, but Acevedo said they may bump up the closing time to 9 p.m. Call the restaurant at 815-490-1200 for more information.
November 13th, 2009 01:57pm
Melissa Westphal
Mizu restaurant, 3801 N. Perryville Road, is open for lunch and dinner, minus alcohol for now.
The space started out as an Asian restaurant but most recently operated at The Breeze bar and grill.
The menu features sushi and sashimi priced from $3 to $15, as well as soups and salads, appetizers, special dinner entrees, hibachi entrees, tempura and hot noodle dishes, fried noodle and fried rice dishes, special selections for children and desserts.
Most dinner entrees range in price from $10.95 to $20.95. Lunch specials and platters range from $8.50 to $11.50.
Owners are John Li and Ken Lin, who have some experience with local restaurants. Mizu offers dine-in and take-out service, and officials hope to start catering and booking larger parties soon.
Manager May Chen said the restaurant hopes to have a liquor license by next month, and the plan is to sell beer, wine and sake selections.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday.
Call the restaurant at 815-633-5555 for more information.
November 6th, 2009 12:00pm
Melissa Westphal
A new sports bar and pub is opening this fall inside the Clocktower Resort & Conference Center, 7801 E. State St.
The Tilted Kilt is set to open soon, offering food, drinks and sexy waitresses. According to the Web site, the servers dress in short plaid kilts, matching red halter tops, knee socks and low-cut, midriff-baring white shirts that tie in the front.
The Web site advertises the Tilted Kilt as “the best-looking sports pub you’ve ever seen.” Menu items include sandwiches, burgers, wraps, salads, pizzas and unique features like “Danny Boy’s Shepherd’s Pie” and “Fast Bastard’s Meatloaf Sandwich.”
The original Tilted Kilt Pub and Eatery opened in 2003 at the Las Vegas Rio Hotel and Casino. There are also similar franchises in Chicago and Wisconsin.
Officials are having a “casting call” — presumably interviewing prospective employees — Nov. 20 through Nov. 22. Call General Manager Erin Colombi at 815-229-4031 for more information.
November 6th, 2009 10:26am
Melissa Westphal
Park City Restaurant and Pancake House, 4820 N. Second St., has closed its doors, but work already has started to reopen the establishment.
The restaurant first opened in 2004. Executive Plastering Co. of Machesney Park is the contractor doing exterior work on the building now.
Fortino Corrillo is the person reopening the restaurant, according to Loves Park city records. The business is already permitted to operate as a restaurant, but officials are unsure what kind of food will be served when the business reopens.
Stay tuned for more information on this one.
November 6th, 2009 09:26am
Melissa Westphal
Phomma (left) and son Dezz Souvannasane stand outside the Charley’s Grilled Subs restaurant near Perryville Road and East State Street.
Rockford diners can now feast on Philly steak sandwiches and gourmet fries at Charley’s Grilled Subs, 7038 Walton St.
The restaurant is run by the Souvannasane family, including father Phomma and son Dezz. They also run Charley’s Steakery at CherryVale Mall.
The family came from Laos but has been in Rockford for more than 20 years. Dezz is the new location’s general manager, and he has hopes of opening more restaurants in the future.
Betsy Wright, Charley’s director of marketing, said customers requested a bigger location and more offerings. Charley’s corporate office is based in Columbus, Ohio, and today the company has about 400 locations across the world.
The menu features grilled Philly steak sandwiches, chicken sandwiches and other deli sandwiches, as well as fries. Individual items range in price from about $2 to $6. Items are prepared as ordered.
Call Charley’s at 815-227-5679 for more information.
October 26th, 2009 04:40pm
Melissa Westphal
Steve and Janice Westlund in a 2002 Register Star file photo at Bob’s Ace Hardware.
Bob’s Ace Hardware, a business fixture on Rockford’s southeast side, is closing its doors.
Steve Westlund, who owns and runs the store with his wife Janice, said today the decision to close was made for several reasons. The bad economy was a factor, but Westlund, who is 59, said he and his wife are ready to retire.
“We’ve had a lot of good years in Rockford, and we want to thank the community for everything,” Westlund said.
The store will be closed on Tuesday, Oct. 27, so employees can prepare the space for its liquidation sale. The store will reopen at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, and will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays until inventory, fixtures and equipment are sold.
Westlund said everything in stock will be sold at 50 percent off the regular price, including shelving, tools, housewares, gifts, paint and clothing.
The Westlund family owns the Ace building. Westlund said he’s had offers to buy the business, but he thinks the tough economy has made it difficult to pull deals together. He assumes the family will sell the building but said that decision will be made later.
Bob’s Ace Hardware is located at 2710 20th St., near 20th Street and Harrison Avenue. Call the store at 815-398-0111 for more information.
October 16th, 2009 03:21pm
Melissa Westphal
A new hardware store is opening in Poplar Grove across from Candlewick Lake near other retail businesses.
Poplar Grove PRO Hardware, 13530 Julie Drive, is celebrating its grand opening on Saturday, Oct. 17. The PRO-brand hardware store is a national model with stores typically located in the eastern part of the country, said owner Mike Farley, president of Farley Properties LLC in Poplar Grove.
Farley developed the Countryside Square retail center where the store is located.
“We are very proud to open their newest store and provide this much-needed service to Boone County,” Farley said in a news release. “Along with our emphasis on hometown service to the homeowner, we offer a complete line of commercial supplies for business and agricultural supplies for our farming community.”
The grand-opening celebration on Saturday will feature food, drinks and entertainment and will showcase antique tractors, motorcycles, classic cars and BMX bicycles. Paint, plumbing and electrical department representatives will be on hand to give away prizes, including a $100 gift certificate.
The store will be open normal hours from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Call 779-552-8828 for more information.
October 16th, 2009 03:17pm
Melissa Westphal
You can shop for clothing, shoes, accessories and more at the new store Gracie’s Got It Resale at 4010 E. State St.
The store offers clothing for men, women and children, purses and other accessories, winter coats, some formal attire, toys, books, household items and collectibles.
Store owner Mary Quist of Rockford worked at Chrysler’s plant in Belvidere for nine years and took the buyout recently. She was encouraged to start her own business because she’s always been a collector.
The store is named after her mom, Grace Awe. She’s already working with 17 consignors now, and she can work with more. As people bring in items, Quist checks to be sure there are no rips, tears or stains and then keeps them on consignment for 90 days. When the items sell, the consignors get a percentage of the sale.
Quist said the store has a ton of children’s clothing, as well as plus-size choices for adults and a large variety of shoe sizes. She’ll also carry some seasonal items around the holidays.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Quist is hosting a grand-opening event on Saturday, Oct. 17, with refreshments and door prizes.
Call the store at 815-394-2121 for more information.
October 16th, 2009 01:49pm
Melissa Westphal
Longtime quilter Lesley Gebbie is doing her part to further the pastime with her new store Acorn Quilts, 6409 E. Riverside Blvd.
The store, which opened about three weeks ago, is about 1,800 square feet and features a large selection of fabrics that she says appeals to younger and more traditional sewers.
“I call it urban chic meets vintage charm,” Gebbie said of the contemporary fabric selection. “We also carry reproduction fabrics and more traditional fabrics.”
Gebbie has been quilting for more than 20 years. Her middle name is Alcorn, and “acorn” has been a nickname since childhood, so it was a natural fit for the store name.
She had been seriously considering opening a quilt store during the last five years.
“I had a job that I really liked, and there also were other quilt shops around,” Gebbie said. “But I got to a point where I wanted to do more than just shop, and I wanted to have my signature on things. Once you do (quilting), it’s in your blood.”
The store also carries laminated fabrics, which have become more popular for bags and aprons. Gebbie said she doesn’t carry any sewing machines in the store, but the store does host classes on topics like beginning piecing and machine quilting, and a wool club meets there.
Gebbie said wool appliques have become more popular for quilts or table runners.
The store hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Call the store at 815-977-5275 or e-mail Gebbie at acornquilts2@gmail.com for more information. Gebbie’s daughter is also working on a Facebook page for the business, so look for that soon.
She’s hosting a grand-opening event on Oct. 23 and Oct. 24 where selected fabric groups will be on sale, as will books. Light refreshments also will be served.
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