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February 19th, 2010
Choices Natural Market, 6551 E. Riverside Blvd., has signed a lease that will allow the business to more than double in size by expanding to an empty storefront next to its current location.
The expansion is expected to be finished by April 1. The move will more than double the market’s size from 1,500 to 3,500 square feet.
“Our lease was ending this spring and we had been looking into moving, but it would not have been cost effective,” store co-owner Bob King said in a news release. “When the neighboring business recently left, our landlord offered the space to us and we decided to go ahead because we are out of room in our current store.”
The expansion will allow the market to increase its selection of organic produce, bulk foods and allergen free-foods, as well as increase the size of the vitamin and supplement department.
“We will be adding a produce cooler, a dairy cooler and a stockroom, which we currently do not have,” King said in the release. “We will also have an area to use for workshops and classes aimed at educating our customers. Operating in such a small space has been difficult, but when we opened five years ago, we weren’t sure what the demand would be, so we decided to start out small.”
The larger space also will allow the store to carry more local foods. Co-owner Karen King said workers have started renovating the next-door space with plans to replace the flooring and tear down the wall separating the two places.
Call the store at 815-282-1861 or visit choicesnaturalmarket.com for more information. There’s also a link on the Web site to follow Choices on Facebook, where visitors can request new products for the market to carry.
February 5th, 2010
Two other stores will join the Noodles & Company restaurant in the space currently occupied by Blockbuster near East State Street and Trainer Road once the movie rental business closes.
First Rockford Group is behind the development, and the company says construction should start by the end of February.
The Blockbuster store is part of a handful of under-performing stores that were pushed into an accelerated closure process this year by the company. Officials announced last year that they could close up to 960 stores as the company looks to shed buildings and grab more of the digital DVD release market.
Noodles & Company will occupy 2,688 square feet of space and open late this spring. The location will have an outdoor patio.
All About Eyes, a full-service optical company that will have a licensed optometrist on staff seven days a week, will occupy another 2,900 square feet of space.
US Cellular will take 1,435 square feet and be run by operator Kevin Carnes.
February 4th, 2010
Register Star file photo
It’s unclear when Thai Cuisine Restaurant, 6551 E. Riverside Blvd., closed, but a sign at the space says it will reopen soon.
The restaurant was first established in 1994, according to Register Star archives. It was well-known for its lunch buffet.
There are newspapers covering the restaurant windows now, and a sign says the place will open again this month and will have a new owner and new management.
January 26th, 2010
A new Dog ‘n Suds restaurant at 3137 N. Main St. was supposed to open on Wednesday, but the opening has been delayed a week to give owners a bit more time for final preparations.
The restaurant is now set to open on Wednesday, Feb. 3, owner Greg Oliphant said. Oliphant is also the man behind the Dog ‘n Suds drive-in at 1421 Harlem Road in Loves Park.
The new Dog ‘n Suds will feature a different design than the other franchises. It will be fully enclosed and open year-round, and Oliphant plans to use the drive-thru left behind by the McDonald’s that used to occupy the space.
There is some outdoor seating at the restaurant.
The restaurant’s menu will feature Dog ‘n Suds favorites like Coney dogs and draft root beer.
January 25th, 2010
Fans of wine and food spot Cru, 509 E. State St., have been disappointed to learn of its recent closing, but fret not. Owner Paul Sletten already has plans for the space.
Cru opened three years ago as a retail wine shop that offered lunch service and eventually added dinner service. Sletten, who also owns nearby restaurant and bar Brio, owned Cru with Damien Hunter, who was the wine expert out of the pair and worked as Cru’s general manager.
Hunter recently decided to step back from managing Cru so he could spend more time with his family, Sletten said. With Hunter’s wine expertise and management and cooking skills gone, Sletten decided it was time to end Cru’s run and begin a new adventure.
Sletten is in the process of remodeling Cru and bringing in what he calls a “killer staff.” The new restaurant will have a full bar, and that bar needs to be built, as Cru’s focus was on wine.
The style of the new restaurant will be “farm-to-table,” which basically means Sletten will try to use as much locally-grown produce, meat and dairy products as he can. Sletten said the menu will change with the seasons, to take advantage of the products that grow best at various times of the year. He has incorporated some of that style at Brio and by joining other local groups in partnering with area farmers and producers.
The new restaurant, which has a name that Sletten is keeping under wraps for now, will have everything from steaks to hearty vegetarian meals. He has hired an executive sous chef for the place.
“There are two styles of food that I love. I love to layer flavors and textures and combine tastes, which we do at Brio. But I also love putting a steak on plate that’s cooked perfectly,” Sletten said.
Sletten isn’t expanding Cru’s smaller space. He likes the idea of a smaller dinner service.
“That way, the staff can do what they do and it’s cozy for people to be here,” Sletten said. “Our area sees that vibrant foot traffic that supports quality products.”
The new restaurant doesn’t have an official opening date yet, but Sletten is shooting for spring or just warmer weather months in general. He plans to use social media outlets like Facebook to release tidbits of information as the opening date draws closer.
Hours for the new place will likely be 5 p.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday and 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. He may consider Sundays, depending on the market response.
January 19th, 2010
Swilligan’s Pub, 200 N. Church St., closed a few weeks ago for remodeling, and owner Tom Lester said he’ll know more by the end of the week about the restaurant’s future.
Lester said the pub’s kitchen needs to be renovated, and January is typically a slow month for bars and restaurants, so he decided to close temporarily. He also cited the economy for making business especially tough right now.
January 8th, 2010
Rockford has a new site for new and gently used clothing and accessories at GH2, 6151 E. State St.
Barry and Diane Tope opened GH2 as a partner to Great Hang-Ups, 613 S. Rockford Ave. The Topes bought Great Hang-Ups about five years ago, but the store has been open in Rockford for about 22 years.
The Topes found the resale business model growing more popular during the recession, so they decided to open the second store. Plato’s Closet, a discount teen clothing retailer, used to occupy the space where GH2 is now, but it moved a few stores down to a bigger location.
The timing was right for GH2 to open, Diane Tope said. The store has more of a boutique feel and sells a mix of new and gently used clothes, accessories, formals and more.
Tope said the new store is attracting a new generation of customers who didn’t shop at or know about Great Hang-Ups. It’s also open a little later and open on Sundays.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Tope said business was excellent during the holidays, particularly the option of customers buying gift cards that don’t expire and can be used at both stores. And the store is taking part in a fashion show Jan. 21 at Giovanni’s Restaurant & Convention Center, 610 N. Bell School Road.
Call GH2 at 815-397-1000 for more information about merchandise or selling your own items or visit the Great Hang-Ups Web site at greathang-ups.com.
January 8th, 2010
A new Dog ‘n Suds restaurant is set to open Jan. 27 at 3137 N. Main St.
Greg Oliphant is the man behind this location and the drive-in Dog ‘n Suds at 1421 Harlem Road in Loves Park.
You might recognize the North Main Street location as the former McDonald’s, but it’s been vacant for about five years. Interior remodeling and renovations took about two months longer than expected, so Oliphant is happy to have a date to report.
This location will be completely enclosed and open all year-round, complete with a drive-thru window. It’s a unique design in the Dog ‘n Suds franchise, which only includes a few dozen restaurants across the country. Most are drive-ins and many keep seasonal hours during the spring, summer and early fall months.
The menu will feature traditional Dog ‘n Suds favorites like Coney dogs, burgers and the famous draft root beer. Oliphant said the menu will also include a Chicago-style hot dog, minus the poppy seed bun.
Other new additions include a chicken club sandwich and a bacon cheeseburger. The root beer will be served in frosty mugs and also available to buy in gallon and half-gallon varieties.
Oliphant is hiring about 20 people for the new restaurant, and he said he’s received hundreds of applications. He’s looking forward to trying out this new model and dedicated to finding the right balance of speed while still maintaining the food quality for drive-thru requests.
December 29th, 2009
Trackside Rockford opened today inside Don Carter Lanes, 4007 E. State St.
The off-track betting facility closed its old location just east of there at 5011 E. State St. and opened at noon today inside Don Carter Lanes, which is undergoing massive renovations to modernize and add activities.
The building has about 48,000 square feet, about 2,000 of which will be dedicated to Trackside. An additional 4,000 square feet will include a bar, billiards and more wagering services.
The new location will continue to offer wagering day and night seven days a week from Arlington Park and all Illinois racetracks, Churchill Downs Simulcast Network tracks and other major racetracks, in the U.S. and around the world.
Officials will celebrate the project at 3 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 7, with speakers from the city and local businesses.
Visit Trackside’s Web site at arlingtonpark.com/trackside for more information.
December 24th, 2009
Men can enjoy pampering on their terms at the new Maintenance Man Barber Spa, 4401 Peak Drive, in Loves Park.
Maintenance Man is owned by Clare Schwartz, who also owns High Maintenance Salon and Spa across the hallway. Both businesses are just inside the doors of Peak Sports Club off of Perryville Road.
Schwartz had been thinking about opening a men-only spa business for the last six years. She had considered building it across the street from Peak in new retail centers being developed, but the space across the hall from High Maintenance became available this year when a coffee shop closed.
She said the “barber spas” are popular in bigger cities because their marketing is less “girly” spa – offering nail repair instead of manicures and pedicures and private rooms for color treatment.
“Guys don’t have their space,” Schwartz said. “We call this ‘traditional services for the modern man.’”
The theme of Maintenance Man is a 1950s service station, complete with car-seat booths. Stylists will keep their tools in Craftsman cabinets, and several flat-screen TVS are attached to the wall in the main styling area.
Services include haircuts, hot towel shaves with a straight-edge razor, nail repair, massages, private color consultation and processing rooms, waxing and “Neverlose” treatments to prevent hair loss. Customers can snack on Beer Nuts and ask for a complimentary beverage from an antique Coca-Cola bar.
Maintenance Man is offering $9.95 haircuts and 20 percent off American Crew products for first-time customers. After that, haircuts start at $18 and include a beverage, neck and shoulder massage, scalp treatment and styling consultation.
Schwartz said she’s looking to hire more barbers for the business. She plans to host an open house shortly after the New Year.
Hours will be 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.
Call Maintenance Man, 4401 Peak Drive, at 815-963-1948 or visit maintenancesalons.com for more information.
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